December 14, 2025

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THE FABELMANS (2022) – AFI Movie Club

Co-written and directed by AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Steven Spielberg based on his own childhood, THE FABELMANS (2022) also features the work of another honoree – composer and frequent collaborator John Williams – as well as two alums of the AFI Conservatory, cinematographer Janusz Kamiński (AFI Class of 1987) and co-editor Sarah Broshar (AFI Class of 2005). The film was also honored with an AFI AWARD, naming it among the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image. According to AFI’s official rationale, “THE FABELMANS considers the horizon from a place in the past. Steven Spielberg proves his place in the pantheon by inviting us into his home – and his heart – exploring family, forgiveness and the soaring power of storytelling. From a panoramic script co-written with Tony Kushner to perfectly pitched performances from Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen and Judd Hirsch, this complicated family portrait is an undeniable valentine for all who love the movies – and a triumphant remembrance that “movies are dreams you never forget.”