38th Edition to Take Place October 23-27
Submissions Open Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Los Angeles, CA, January 17, 2024 — The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the dates for AFI FEST 2024. The 38th edition of the Institute’s annual festival will take place October 23–27 exclusively in person at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. The five-day festival will once again include a curated selection of Red Carpet Premiere screenings, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films.
“With awards season in full bloom, AFI is also looking to the future and this fall’s AFI FEST,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “So as last year’s films take a well-deserved bow, mark your calendars now to experience the very best of what lies ahead.”
AFI FEST is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. AFI FEST is also a qualifying festival for consideration for the British Short Film categories of both the BAFTA Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
Entries for the AFI FEST 2024 Short Film Competition program open today, January 17, 2024. Short films that have been completed after October 1, 2023, are eligible for submission to AFI FEST 2024. Filmmakers are invited to submit fiction, documentary and animated short films.
SHORT FILM SUBMISSION DATES
Early Deadline – Friday, March 1, 2024
Official Deadline – Friday, April 12, 2024
Final Deadline – Friday, May 31, 2024
Learn more about submitting to AFI FEST at FEST.AFI.com or submit via Film Freeway at https://filmfreeway.com/AFIFEST. Filmmakers can email [email protected] for more information about the submissions process for short films.
Program highlights from AFI FEST 2023 included screenings of 20 Best International Oscar® Submissions and ALL OF US STRANGERS, AMERICAN FICTION, THE BIKERIDERS, FINGERNAILS, MEMORY and PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE introduced by Guest Artistic Director Greta Gerwig. The festival opened with the World Premiere of the apocalyptic thriller LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, written and directed by Sam Esmail (AFI Class of 2004), and closed with Bradley Cooper’s MAESTRO, with cinematography by Oscar® nominee Matthew Libatique (AFI Class of 1992) and produced by AFI Life Achievement Award recipients Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Of the official selections, 43% were directed by women, 36% were directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 17% were directed by LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, and the program represented 49 countries. Returning filmmakers to AFI FEST included Nikolaj Arcel, Joanna Arnow, Lila Avilés, Minhal Baig, Kaother Ben Hania, Jessica Bishopp, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Lydia Cornett, Nienke Deutz, Bas Devos, Amat Escalante, Michel Franco, Matteo Garrone, Ja’Tovia M. Gary, Andrew Haigh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sterling Hampton IV, Agnieszka Holland, Tatiana Huezo, Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Radu Jude, Aki Kaurismäki, Javier Mariscal, Rosine Mbakam, Steve McQueen, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Christos Nikou, Alice Rohrwacher, Hong Sang-soo, Angela Schanelec, Neo Sora, Fernando Trueba, Sean Wang, Wim Wenders, Roger Ross Williams and Frederick Wiseman.
For sponsorship opportunities at AFI FEST 2024, email [email protected].
To learn more about AFI FEST, visit FEST.AFI.com.
About the American Film Institute (AFI)
The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked the #1 film school in America. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.
About AFI FEST
Now in its 38th year, AFI FEST is a world-class event, showcasing the best films from across the globe. This year’s edition takes place in Los Angeles from October 23-27, 2024. With an innovative slate of programming, the five-day festival presents screenings, panels and conversations, featuring both master filmmakers and new cinematic voices. AFI FEST includes high-profile films with Q&As featuring the films’ cast and crew and a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for movie fans. Additional information about AFI FEST is available FEST.AFI.com. Connect with AFI FEST at Facebook.com/AFIFEST, Twitter.com/AFIFEST, Instagram/AmericanFilmInstitute, TikTok/@AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.
Press contact:
American Film Institute: Shari Mesulam, [email protected]