We’re thrilled to announce the full lineup for AFI FEST 2023! The 37th edition of the festival is set to feature an expanded selection of features and shorts compared to last year, offering 141 titles for the public to enjoy across five days. BUY PASSES
The World Premiere of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, written and directed by Sam Esmail (AFI Class of 2004) and starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, will open AFI FEST on October 25. The World Premiere of MAXINE’S BABY: THE TYLER PERRY STORY from directors Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz will be the Centerpiece film on October 27, and Bradley Cooper’s MAESTRO, a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan), will close AFI FEST 2023 on October 29.
Special Screenings include the World Premiere of ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE directed by Academy Award® nominee Rob Reiner, ALL OF US STRANGERS directed by Andrew Haigh, AMERICAN FICTION directed by Cord Jefferson, THE BIKERIDERS directed by Jeff Nichols, THE END WE START FROM directed by Mahalia Belo, FINGERNAILS directed by Christos Nikou, the World Premiere of FREUD’S LAST SESSION directed by Matthew Brown, MEMORY directed by Michel Franco, QUIZ LADY directed by Academy Award® winner Jessica Yu, and SOCIETY OF THE SNOW directed by J.A. Bayona.
The full program includes 3 Red Carpet Premieres, 10 Special Screenings, 15 Luminaries, 12 Discovery, 16 World Cinema, 13 Documentary, 42 Short Film Competition, and 30 films in the AFI Conservatory Showcase presented by AMC Networks. Of the official selections, 44% are directed by women, 37% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 18% by LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. There are 4 World Premieres, 3 North American Premieres and 4 U.S. Premieres. This year’s program represents 49 countries and includes 18 Best International Feature Oscar® submissions, including ABOUT DRY GRASSES (Turkey), DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (Romania), FALLEN LEAVES (Finland), FOUR DAUGHTERS (Tunisia), INSHALLAH A BOY (Jordan), ME, CAPTAIN (Italy), THE PEASANTS (Poland), PERFECT DAYS (Japan), PICTURES OF GHOSTS (Brazil), THE PROMISED LAND (Denmark), THE SETTLERS (Chile), SHAYDA (Australia), SLOW (Lithuania), SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (Estonia), SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (Spain), THE TASTE OF THINGS (France), THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE (Germany) and TÓTEM (Mexico). Passes are now available at FEST.AFI.com. AFI FEST 6-Ticket Bundles will be available starting October 2, and individual tickets for all screenings will be available starting October 3.
“Everyone on the AFI FEST team is proud to share this year’s selection of outstanding films from around the world with the audiences of Los Angeles,” said Todd Hitchcock, Director of AFI FEST. “Cinema is truly a global language, and the diversity of screen artistry represented here will widen the horizons for all moviegoers.”
The program will also feature a panel celebrating the greatest film books of all time moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. Some 300 of the world’s most noted filmmakers, film executives, authors and cultural tastemakers have cast ballots to determine a list of the 100 greatest books about film, which The Hollywood Reporter will reveal in a special issue on October 11. AFI FEST will gather many of them on October 28 for an historic, engaging discussion.
View the festival program guide at FEST.AFI.com.
Patricia Twomey
Freuds Last Session. I’m the dog walker in it. Chow Chow called Bear in real life. Glorious dog. Didn’t want to give him back!!