FEATURE FILMS

Todd Hitchcock, Director, AFI FEST and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA

October 26, 6:00 p.m.

Screening to be followed by a conversation with director Samir Oliveros.

A real-life 1980s gameshow scandal proves more than serviceable as an allegory for All-American desperation in Samir Oliveros’ THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA. Executive produced by Pablo Larraín (whose MARIA also screens in this year’s AFI FEST), the film boasts sly, stylish period production values not unlike Larraín’s own mediacentric 1980s-era film NO. As PRESS YOUR LUCK contestant Michael Larson, who first presents as a humble TV-loving rube from the sticks, but may in fact be a scheming trickster, Paul Walter Hauser gives another deft performance with multiple shadings: he’s an everyman with hidden eccentricities; a longtime loser whose next get-rich-quick-scheme just might work. And among the film’s great pleasures are the opportunities it affords its talented actors to shine, or show different shadings than we might expect from them. As veteran game show producer Bill Carruthers, David Straithairn has rarely been more loose and slippery. Walton Goggins delights as a vain and sleazy version of host Peter Tomarken. GAME OF THRONES’ Maisie Williams impresses as a prematurely world-weary production assistant, OZARK’s Damian Young as a supercilious exec, and Johnny Knoxville cameos as a daytime talk show host who just might recognize something of himself in Larson’s chancer. But the revelation is Shamier Anderson as Chuck, the show’s casting director, who first suspects Larson and doggedly roots out his secrets. The man has presence. Real-life casting directors, take note. BUY TICKETS

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

October 23, 8:45 p.m.

October 27, 8:15 p.m.

Mohammad Rasoulof has bravely made films critical of the Iranian regime before, such as A MAN OF INTEGRITY in 2017 and THERE IS NO EVIL in 2020. But THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG is his most daring effort yet, not only for him but for his cast and crew. Presenting both reportage on the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran, and a critique of state tyranny within the microcosm of a middle-class family, Rasoulof and his colleagues dare to speak truth to power in ways both large and small, in defiance of the country’s strict censorship laws. Rasoulof and several crew members escaped Iran shortly after the director was sentenced to eight years in prison, and a flogging, for making this film. Their courage in their convictions, and the urgent artistry of this film, are an inspiration like no other in this year’s festival. BUY TICKETS

Abbie Algar, Director, Programming, AFI FEST and AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

October 23, 9:20 p.m.

One of the most emotional screening experiences I had at this year’s Cannes film festival was at the world premiere of Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel’s remarkable TO A LAND UNKNOWN, where he shared that the film had started production in Greece exactly a month after the Hamas attacks of October 7 and was completed just in time for this very screening only six months later. The record-breaking speed of the film’s production corresponds to the urgency of its subject matter – the story of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens after fleeing the ongoing conflict in their homeland – but the way in which Fleifel approaches it is utterly refreshing, and the resulting film looks anything but rushed or slapdash. A celebrated documentarian whose award-winning 2012 film A WORLD NOT OURS recounted his own experiences growing up in a refugee camp in Lebanon, Fleifel brings an emotional authenticity and unvarnished empathy to the tale of Chatila and Reda (Mahmood Bakri and Aram Sabbah) as they hustle their way through life as refugees in Greece to make enough money for passage to Germany. The arrival of an orphaned Palestinian boy, desperate to get to Italy where an aunt awaits, sparks a series of escalating schemes which turn the narrative into a propulsive thriller that refuses to let up until its final scene (without giving anything away – it’s worth the wait, but have your tissues to hand). Fleifel’s film has echoes of everything from “Waiting for Godot” to THE BICYCLE THIEVES and UNCUT GEMS, and its grainy 16mm photography, as shot by Thodoris Mihopoulos, gives the whole piece an immediacy and grittiness that recalls New Hollywood classics like MIDNIGHT COWBOY and MEAN STREETS. But while this is a tale about the dehumanizing effects and moral complexity of his characters’ situation, Fleifel also infuses his film with humanity, offering a deeply empathetic portrait of friendship and brotherhood, even in the darkest of moments. BUY TICKETS

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL

October 24, 12:15 p.m.

October 26, 4:00 p.m.

If, like me, you appreciate impeccably crafted movies that tackle dark material and sensitive subject matter with humor, visual flair and a sense of the absurd – all without losing sight of our shared humanity – ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL is probably for you! Like many cinematic greats, the film starts out with dead body – in this case it’s that of Uncle Fred, discovered by his niece Shula (Susan Chardy) on the side of the road as she drives home from a fancy-dress party clad in what can only be described as Missy-Elliot-meets-Afrofuturist-folk-law-showgirl. Yes, this movie starts with a bang. Without giving too much away, what then unfolds, as Shula’s extended family converges for a period of mourning, is a surreal journey into the heart of a middle-class Zambian family and the dark secrets that lie within. Like Nyoni’s 2017 breakout I AM NOT A WITCH, this film delves deep into the conflict between tradition and modernity in contemporary Zambian society, between the expectations placed on women and the ways in which, even in a matriarchal society, the patriarchy is an undeniable force. The film’s visual compositions, as executed by Colombian DP David Gallego (EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT, WAR PONY), and remarkable sound design, as crafted by Olivier Dandré,  should be enough to convince anyone to want to see this one the big screen, but this is also a film of ideas and intellectual prowess, proving that Nyoni, who won the Un Certain Regard prize for Best Director at Cannes this year, is one of the most original new voices in world cinema. BUY TICKETS

Malin Kan, Senior Programmer, AFI FEST

CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT

October 25, 8:00 p.m.

October 27, 2:00 p.m.

Maybe you’re like me and you’ve been patiently awaiting the next wave of filmmaking in the form of a delightful band of ardent cinephiles, manifesto in-hand, the kind that pops up every several decades or so to reinvent the language of cinema. Welcome Omnes Films collective! True to their commitment to deliver ambitious and original films, director Tyler Taormina’s third feature is unlike any Christmas movie you’ve ever seen. More akin to a memory of a Christmas you once had, its vibrant colors and sounds, shifting perspectives, small tensions and quiet escapes are all perfectly calibrated to recall the remarkable sweetness and sadness that these annual check-ins with family and home can contain. BUY TICKETS

VIET AND NAM

October 26, 2:00 p.m.

This one is the absolute dreamiest! That this striking queer romance is only Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quý’s second feature simply does not make sense. With a style that can be compared to Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Andrei Tarkovsky and Tsai Ming-Liang, and a reverential visual hat-tip to Alain Resnais, Truong has somehow emerged fully formed, delivering the sparkliest, achiest, most beautiful film of the year. Not only is it such a visual feast, but it delivers a heavy emotional wallop too, with a deceptively simple premise seemingly skating the surface of what it means to leave home and to say goodbye to a first love, before digging its heels into the entire history of that place and the generational trauma that it contains. Magical, strange, and dense, about so many things at once, you won’t want to miss it. BUY TICKETS

Josh Gardner, Associate Programmer, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

BIRD 

October 24, 8:30 p.m.

Actors Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski were flying high after a buzzy 2023, thanks to steamy turns in SALTBURN and PASSAGES respectively. But in Andrea Arnold’s new film both actors reveal a sweetness that brings their work to new heights. Keoghan is Bug, a shirtless, tattooed rascal always pushing a new scam, but fiercely protective of his kids. And I don’t know what to tell you, but when Keoghan and his hooligan pals start belting Coldplay’s “Yellow” to soothe a toad into excreting psychedelic slime, it was one of the most cathartic moments I’ve had in a theater all year. Meanwhile Rogowski is perfectly cast as the otherworldly Bird, a wandering free spirit who helps Bug’s daughter come into her own. The two don’t share much screen time, but their performances loom large over this bold, twisted fairy tale. BUY TICKETS

MISERICORDIA

October 23, 9:10 p.m.

October 26, 9:30 p.m.

With MISERICORDIA, French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie has crafted a murderous thriller so pulpy, so juicy, that it is sure to leave you with a pit in your stomach and a smile on your face. Jérémie returns to the small provincial French town of his youth and finds himself tangled in the twisted web of a grieving family. Félix Kysyl as Jérémie is beguiling as a man who has no qualms about turning on the charm and seducing any man, woman or even priest to get his way. Filtered through Guiraudie’s distinctly queer lens, this Cannes premiere is filled with thrills, chills and a darkly funny streak, making it one of the true joys and must-sees of the Fall festival season. BUY TICKETS

Javier Chavez, Associate Programmer, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

GLORIA!

October 26, 11:15 a.m.

A bona-fide crowd-pleaser (it certainly had me smiling!), GLORIA! is an impressive debut from director Margherita Vicario that shines a light on the countless women, lost to time, who have created wondrous works of art that never saw the light of day due to the awful boot of misogyny and patriarchal attitudes toward the role of women in society. Its anachronistic soundtrack will not only worm its way into your ears and stay there but remind you of how far we’ve progressed – though there’s certainly more we can do to champion women’s voices. Huge credit to the film’s success must be given to both the string quartet at its center – Carlotta Gamba, Maria Vittoria Dallasta, Sara Mafodda and Veronica Lucchesi – and lead player Galata Bellugi, whose onscreen chemistry is electrifying and will have you rooting for their success. BUY TICKETS

NO OTHER LAND

October 24, 6:40 p.m.

October 25, 6:45 p.m.

Few films will hit as hard this year as NO OTHER LAND, a sobering documentary that chronicles the destruction and displacement occurring in the West Bank region of Masafer Yatta – no less because the injustices depicted on screen resonate more profoundly in the wake of the ongoing genocide perpetrated against Palestinians. The Palestinian-Israeli collective behind it – Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal – have crafted a harrowing yet vital work that shows the harm caused by an apartheid regime and is an urgent reminder that none of us are free until all of us are free. BUY TICKETS

Julia Kipnis, Associate Programmer, AFI FEST

SONGS FROM THE HOLE

October 26, 5:30 p.m.

Screening to be followed by a conversation with director and producer Contessa Gayles, subject, writer and producer JJ’88, producer and music producer richie reseda moderated by filmmaker D’Lo Louis.

Not many documentaries are able to completely defy categorization, but SONGS FROM THE HOLE is one of the few exceptions. Much like its subject James “JJ ‘88” Jacobs, who is the melodic force behind the film, SONGS FROM THE HOLE transcends genre and refuses to be pigeonholed. By dissecting Jacobs’ handwritten lyrics and video treatments envisioned while he was locked in “the hole,” a 6×6-foot solitary confinement cell, filmmaker and Emmy®-nominated producer Contessa Gayles seamlessly brings his music to life, while innately exploring the vast spectrum of his emotions. Jacobs’ life story and the history of systemic racism in America’s “justice” system are deeply intertwined with his music and directly correlate to the struggles Black Americans face daily. With its wholly unique approach, masterful editing and profound lyricism, SONGS FROM THE HOLE is a singular blend of documentary and visual album that is not to be missed. BUY TICKETS

WHO BY FIRE (COMME LE FEU)
October 24, 8:15 p.m.
Screening to be followed by a conversation with director and writer Philippe Lesage and actor Noah Parker.

The latest from Québécois auteur Philippe Lesage is a sure-fire standout in this year’s World Cinema section. I’ve been a staunch Lesage fan since seeing his visual and auditory splendor GENESIS at AFI FEST back in 2018. In WHO BY FIRE, Lesage unpacks the complex dynamics behind long-term artistic partnerships and the perils of creative collaboration. Tensions run high in the isolated wilderness as we observe interpersonal catastrophe steadily build and unravel. Featuring the ultimate quarrel between the personas of screenwriter and director, Lesage crafts a subtly self-referential commentary on the film industry and its casualties. BUY TICKETS

Anna Li, Associate Programmer, AFI FEST

LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE – U.S. Premiere

October 24, 11:15 a.m.

October 26, 10:45 a..m.

Claire Burger’s Franco-German queer coming-of-age story, scored by punky techno DJ-composer Rebeka Warrior and featuring it-girl talents frequenting the Cannes rosters, just exudes the kind of effortlessly cool aura that few teen films manage to achieve. Fanny from Strasbourg and Lena from Leipzig are pen pals who embark on a language exchange program. An initial hostile encounter soon thaws toward a budding romance and an intensely volatile friendship marked by neurotic fixation and teenage angst. Washed in a palette of cloudy pastels and blues, LANGUE ÉTRANGÈRE explores complicated desires for collective ambition in a Europe that’s on the precipice of transformative change. Oh, to be one of these girls! BUY TICKETS

FAMILIAR TOUCH

October 24, 11:30 a.m.

October 26, 1:10 p.m.

Screening to be followed by a conversation with director, producer and writer Sarah Friedland.

Seemingly understated in form and story, Sarah Friedland’s debut feature reveals itself to be a compassionate, powerfully affecting work. We observe Ruth, an aging widow with dementia, as she begins a rocky transition into assisted living and grapples with shifting relationships with her loved ones and caregivers. It caught me off guard – wiping my tears at the end, I thought of my late grandfather. As one’s gestures and movement remain the most tactile of memories, FAMILIAR TOUCH tenderly embraces the physicality of love and remembrance. BUY TICKETS

SHORT FILMS

Nichole Young, Associate Programmer, Short Films, AFI FEST

GIRLS ARE MADE TO MAKE LOVE

Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: ANIMATION 2 on October 26, 2:15 p.m.

A sociologist conducts detailed, anonymous interviews to investigate the sexual experiences, desires, and love lives of women. The interviewees guide us through their individual journeys, unveiling the nuances of womanhood as shaped by authoritative regulation and preconceived cultural notions of female sexual pleasure. Together, they explore their varied experiences with intimacy, disillusionment, sexual liberty, and bodily agency, ultimately revealing pathways to emancipation. The directing trio’s captivating, hand drawn animation paired with the women’s candid anecdotes act as a gentle reminder to be kind to ourselves and no person’s journey to self-discovery is the same.  Whether it’s healing from one’s own sexual shame, the misguided expectations of sex set by porn, or having a couple’s affectionate dynamic fade post-motherhood, we begin to question if, in fact, GIRLS ARE MADE TO MAKE LOVE. BUY TICKETS

LAND OF LOST TOYS

Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: DOCUMENTARY 2 on October 26, 5:00 p.m.

In the face of the growing stray dog crisis, an ardent group of Detroiters coalesce to curb the rising euthanasia rates and secure forever homes for every dog in need. Through a superbly touching collage of subjects, director Nick Stachurski paints an acutely humanizing portrait of Wayne County’s opposing breeding practices, the cyclical nature of disposability culture, and the challenges of recovering from abuse and loss. Tissues are strongly encouraged while watching this, as I personally found myself reaching for a fresh box with one hand, while beckoning our stubborn shelter dog to love me with the other. The film’s four-legged menagerie invites us to witness one of the purest forms of altruism while reminding us that rescuing goes both ways and all “broken things still have a purpose in life.” BUY TICKETS

Eli Prysant, Assistant Programmer, AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

SILENT PANORAMA

Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: ANIMATION 1 on October 26, 11:30 a.m.

Drawn and animated on a single sheet of paper, SILENT PANORAMA invites the viewer to watch as an entire tableau unfolds before their very eyes, fields of tall grass rippling in the wind, the bubbling of a creek and the hum of factory machinery in the distance. With excellent sound design from the film’s three-person team to flesh out the picture-in-picture onscreen, this short allows you to get lost in its environment as its map unveils itself. BUY TICKETS

THE PUZZLE PALACE

Screens as part of SHORTS PROGRAM: DOCUMENTARY 2 on October 26, 5:00 p.m.

One of the biggest joys of watching this documentary for me was just being able to share in the joy of its subjects, a retired couple living in Boca Raton, Florida, who have devoted their time together to growing their collection of puzzles, which they estimate is the largest in the world. There’s a sheer exuberance that’s utterly infectious as they guide other puzzle enthusiasts through their museum-but-not-a-museum house and pluck portions of their collection to be solved and marveled over, including a disentanglement puzzle where a rope must be unraveled without being able to separate the surrounding pieces, which in this case just so happen to be nude statues of the two in a loving embrace. Capturing the twin joy of pursuing love for your passion as well as the passion of living with the person you love, THE PUZZLE PALACE is a delightful drop-in into a blissful universe of self-fulfillment that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. BUY TICKETS

Learn more about AFI’s annual film festival in the heart of Hollywood at FEST.AFI.com.