AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi ANNOUNCES PRESENTATIONS,
CONVERSATIONS AND AN ADDITIONAL SCREENING
OVER 150 GUESTS FROM 20 COUNTRIES EXPECTED TO ATTEND
FREE TICKETS TO ALL SCREENINGS NOW AVAILABLE
LOS ANGELES, CA, October 31, 2012 – AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, today announced the events and screenings in its Presentations and Conversations programs, an additional screening and some of the guests who are expected to attend this year’s festival. AFI FEST, which annually presents the best of world cinema in the movie capital of the world, will take place November 1 through 8 at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
PRESENTATIONS:
This variety of special screening events offers audiences a unique festival experience.
SUNSET BOULEVARD: DIR Billy Wilder
With restoration services by Technicolor, be among the first to experience one of Hollywood’s most beloved films as it was originally intended. A fitting release to continue Paramount’s centennial celebration, Billy Wilder’s seminal classic continues to enthrall audiences with its bizarre and tragic tale of Hollywood’s dark side.
Saturday, November 3, 3:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
LEVI’S® “SHOW US THE WAY” SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
The Levi’s® brand in partnership with AFI FEST and AFI CONSERVATORY are pleased to showcase the finalists in the “Show Us The Way” short film competition for up-and-coming filmmakers. The contest called on prospective filmmakers to submit actionable story treatments for the chance to produce a five-minute short film about a better tomorrow. The finalists of the six films are: Michele Atkins, Alexandra Brodsky, Andrea Giacomini, Jason Harper, the team of Kelly McCrillis and Bill Moldt, and Chris Olness.
Wednesday, November 7, 7:00 p.m., Chinese 6
DIRECTOR LESLIE ZEMECKIS IN CONVERSATION
A panel conversation followed by a screening of the new documentary BOUND BY FLESH.
BOUND BY FLESH tells the story of two sisters who, as well as being America’s sweethearts in the ‘30s and ‘40s and the biggest celebrities of their day, were also Siamese Twins. Here for the first time is the story of their life, a rich history of carnival and circus life, covering early American entertainment from vaudeville, burlesque, sideshows and Hollywood.
Friday, November 2, 1:30 p.m., Chinese 3
POLITICS AND THE POWER OF MUSIC
A conversation with musician and director Ariana Delawari and producer Yasmine Delawari followed by a screening of their film WE CAME HOME (U.S. Premiere).
The story of Afghanistan through Afghan-American artist, Ariana Delawari, who spends ten years traveling between Los Angeles and Afghanistan, documenting her father’s homeland through photographs, film and music. When her father is arrested by the very government he’s worked so hard to build, Ariana must decide what to do when war and corruption threaten her father’s life.
Tuesday, November 6, 7:30 p.m., Egyptian
CONVERSATIONS:
This section gives the audience an opportunity to get up close and personal with actors and directors as they candidly discuss their craft.
YOUNG HOLLYWOOD ROUNDTABLE
The Los Angeles Times returns with its very popular Young Hollywood Roundtable. Amy Kaufman sits down with four acclaimed young talents – Bella Heathcote (NOT FADE AWAY), Logan Lerman (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER), Aubrey Plaza (PARKS AND RECREATION, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (SMASHED) – for a lively, intimate discussion about life behind the scenes, the art of acting and the upcoming award season.
Friday, November 2, 7:30 p.m., Chinese 6
A SESSION WITH THE TALENT BEHIND THE SESSIONS
The Hollywood Reporter peels back the curtain, talking with director/screenwriter Ben Lewin and John Hawkes from one of this year’s awards season contenders, THE SESSIONS. Moderated by THR awards columnist/blogger Scott Feinberg.
Sunday, November 4, 1:00 p.m., Cinema Lounge, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
SPOTLIGHT
Entertainment Weekly puts a spotlight on Jack Black and his most recent film, BERNIE.
Date, time and location to be announced later this week
ADDITIONAL SCREENING:
FINAL CUT – LADIES & GENTLEMEN: DIR Pálfi György
Pálfi György’s “recycled film” is the tale of the ultimate man and the ultimate woman. What are their distinguishing marks? He is charming like Marcello Mastroianni in LA DOLCE VITA. But he’s also strapping like Brad Pitt in FIGHT CLUB. He is boyish like Leonardo DiCaprio in TITANIC and devastating like Clark Gable. He is decisive like Sean Connery as James Bond, but also a bit awkward, like Chaplin in MODERN TIMES. And what about the ultimate woman? She is certainly unpredictable and instinctive like Lollobrigida, but she’s also graceful and knows how to behave, like Audrey Hepburn. She’s girlish, like Audrey Tautou, but cool and distant like Greta Garbo. She is funny and familiar like Julia Roberts, but her smile is like Ava Gardner’s. She is divine, like Sophia Loren, and ethereal, like Liv Tyler. The celluloid heroes and heroines of more than 450 movies show us what happens when He meets Her.
Tuesday, November 6, 7:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
Wednesday, November 7, 9:45 p.m., Egyptian
FESTIVAL GUESTS:
Galas and Special Screenings guests will be announced each day of the festival.
Filmmakers expected to attend AFI FEST Regular Screenings include Tobias Lindholm (A HIJACKING), Nikolaj Arcel (A ROYAL AFFAIR), Jane Adams (ALL THE LIGHT IN THE SKY), Joel Potrykus (APE), Brandon Cronenberg (ANTIVIRAL), Cristian Mungiu (BEYOND THE HILLS), João Canijo (BLOOD OF MY BLOOD), Maja Miloš (CLIP), Rebecca Thomas (ELECTRICK CHILDREN), Raúl Fuentes (EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY…NOT ME), Antonio Mendez Esparza (HERE AND THERE), Adrián García Bogliano (HERE COMES THE DEVIL), Zach Weintraub (THE INTERNATIONAL SIGN FOR CHOKING), Don Coscarelli and Paul Giamatti (JOHN DIES AT THE END), Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg (KON-TIKI), Umut Dag (KUMA), Suzanne Clément and Melvil Poupaud (LAURENCE ANYWAYS), Drew Denny (THE MOST FUN I’VE EVER HAD WITH MY PANTS ON), David Tosh Gitonga (NAIROBI HALF LIFE), Jan-Ole Gerster (OH BOY), Elizabeth Mims and Jason Tippet (ONLY THE YOUNG), Joachim Lafosse (OUR CHILDREN), Mike Ott (PEARBLOSSOM HWY), Kim Ki-duk (PIETA), Antonio Campos and Brady Corbet (SIMON KILLER), Bob Byington and Nick Offerman (SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME), Olivier Assayas (SOMETHING IN THE AIR), Sean Baker (STARLET), Alain Gomis and Saül Williams (TEY), Bill and Turner Ross (TCHOUPITOULAS), Kim Nguyen (WAR WITCH), Jack Plotnick (WRONG) and Eran Riklis and Stephen Dorff (ZAYTOUN), among others.
For the fourth consecutive year, AFI FEST continues its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings. Registration for ticket access is now open at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Tickets are also available in-person at the AFI FEST AT&T Box Office at the Hollywood & Highland Center.
Festival attendees can avoid rush lines and gain priority entry to all regular screenings, including the Young Americans, New Auteurs, World Cinema, Midnight, Breakthrough, Guest Artistic Director and Shorts sections without a ticket by purchasing the new Cinepass Express.
The Cinepass Express and other AFI FEST passes – which can include access to sold-out high-demand films and events – are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST. The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization and passes are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Audi is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; AT&T; the Coca-Cola Company; Creative America; Hewlett-Packard (HP); Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Levi’s; Stella Artois; New Amsterdam Vodka; American Film Market (AFM); and the Chinese Theatre, among many others.
Film stills are available for press use only and can be downloaded at: flickr.com/photos/afifestpublicity/collections.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.
AFI preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage for future generations through the AFI Archive, comprised of rare footage from across the history of the moving image and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an authoritative record of American films from 1893 to the present.
AFI honors the artists and their work through a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI Awards. Celebrating its 41st year in 2013, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film while AFI Awards, the Institute’s almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers. And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI offers film enthusiasts a variety of events throughout the year, including AFI Fest presented by Audi, the Institute’s annual year-end celebration of artistic excellence in cinema; AFI Silverdocs, the largest documentary festival in the U.S.; and year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre in the Washington, DC area.
AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at its AFI Conservatory, which has been consistently recognized as one of the world’s top film schools, boasting alumni including Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Janusz KamiÅ„ski, Heidi Levitt, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Wally Pfister, Robert Richardson, Ed Zwick and so many more. AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling.
For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, twitter.com/AmericanFilm and youtube.com/AFI.
About AFI FEST presented by Audi
The American Film Institute’s annual celebration of artistic excellence, AFI FEST presented by Audi brings the audience and the entertainment community together to explore the year in global cinema through the new works of film masters, moving image icons and breakthrough talents, and it is the only film festival of its stature that is free to the public. AFI FEST mixes nightly red carpet galas of Hollywood films with new auteur works from around the world, ensuring that an extraordinary array of foreign filmmaker voices is heard. Launching awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing audiences with the very best of global cinema, right in the center of the movie-making capital of the world.
Celebrating its 26th year as a program of the American Film Institute, the festival has paid tribute to numerous influential filmmakers and artists over the years, including Pedro Almodóvar and David Lynch as Guest Artistic Directors, and has screened scores of films that have produced Oscar® nominations and wins including, most recently, THE ARTIST and A SEPARATION.
AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi will take place November 1 through 8 in the heart of Hollywood. AFI FEST is the only FIAPF-accredited film festival in the United States, and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the annual Academy Awards®.
Additional information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST, twitter.com/AFIFEST and youtube.com/AFIFEST.
About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2011, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
About AFM
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution reaches its peak every year at the American Film Market, October 31-November 7, 2012. The global film industry converges in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making on films in every stage of development and production, as well as screenings, conferences, networking and parties.
With 8,000 industry leaders from more than 70 countries, 700 screenings and the industry’s largest Conference Series, AFM is the pivotal destination for independent filmmakers, directors, financiers, industry executives, producers, talent, writers, the international media and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA). Visit AmericanFilmMarket.com and IFTA-online.org for more information.