Posted by Larry Gleeson
AFI FEST 2025 PRESENTED BY CANVA ANNOUNCES FULL FESTIVAL LINEUP
World Cinema Spotlights Embrace Movies by Paolo Sorrentino, Werner Herzog, Kaouther Ben-Hania, Ildikó Enyedi, and Charlie Kaufman, Plus World Premieres by William Means, Joan Bofill Amargós as A part of a Program of Extra Than 160 Movies
Official Choices Symbolize 56 Nations and Embrace 19 Greatest Worldwide Function Oscar® Submissions
Passes and Ticket Bundles Out there Now
Tickets on Sale October 6
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, September 30, 2025 — In the present day, the American Movie Institute (AFI) unveiled the complete lineup of 161 movies screening at this 12 months’s AFI FEST offered by Canva, happening in Los Angeles from October 22-26. Passes are actually accessible at FEST.AFI.com. 10-ticket bundles are additionally on sale, with ticket choice opening Friday, October 3. Particular person tickets will probably be accessible beginning Monday, October 6.
This 12 months’s pageant lineup contains 7 Crimson Carpet Premieres, 12 Particular Screenings, 14 Luminaries choices, 15 Discovery movies, 20 World Cinema choices, 15 Documentaries, 6 After Darkish titles, 44 movies within the Brief Movie Competitors, and 23 movies from the AFI Conservatory Showcase offered by AMC Networks. There are 5 World Premieres, 5 North American Premieres and 5 U.S. Premieres. Of the official choices, 39% are directed by ladies and 29% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Rounding out the spectacular slate of already introduced titles are highlights reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch’s Venice Golden Lion Winner FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER; Kaouther Ben-Hania’s Venice Silver Lion Jury Prize winner THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB; Werner Herzog’s GHOST ELEPHANTS; Charlie Kaufman’s extremely anticipated brief movie HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST, starring Oscar®-nominee Jessie Buckley; Paolo Sorrentino’s LA GRAZIA; Mascha Schilinski’s SOUND OF FALLING; Charlie Polinger’s (AFI Class of 2017) THE PLAGUE, starring Joel Edgerton; Ildikó Enyedi’s SILENT FRIEND; Shih-Ching Tsou’s LEFT-HANDED GIRL, co-produced, co-written and edited by Sean Baker; plus the World Premieres of William Means’ (AFI Class of 2021) function debut JUNKIE, government produced by Patty Jenkins (AFI Class of 2000), and Joan Bofill Amargós’ documentary THE HANGING OF STUART CORNFELD, a portrait of movie producer Stuart Cornfeld (AFI Class of 2000) that includes shut associates and collaborators, together with Jack Black, Mel Brooks, David Cronenberg, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh and Ben Stiller.
Extra highlights embrace a number of extremely anticipated worldwide titles making their U.S. or North American Premieres, together with Singaporean filmmaker Siyou Tan’s (AFI DWW+ Class of 2019) Toronto-premiered debut function AMOEBA; Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari’s Venice-debuted DIVINE COMEDY; Thai filmmaker Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s San Sebastián-premiered MORTE CUCINA; Armenian filmmaker Tamara Stepanyan’s MY ARMENIAN PHANTOMS, Armenia’s Greatest Worldwide Function Oscar® submission; Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Berlin-debuted OLMO, produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Eréndira Núñez Larios; Oscar®-nominated documentarian Daniel Raim’s (AFI Class of 1999) Venice-premiered THE OZU DIARIES; German filmmaker Julian Radlmaier’s Locarno-premiered PHANTOMS OF JULY; UK filmmaker Oscar Hudson’s Venice Critics’ Week Award Winner STRAIGHT CIRCLE; and French filmmaker Stéphane Demoustier’s Cannes-debuted THE GREAT ARCH, starring Claes Bang, Xavier Dolan and Swann Arlaud.
This 12 months’s version can even embrace new works from high auteurs like Fatih Akin (AMRUM), Cherien Dabis (ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (YOUNG MOTHERS), Lav Diaz (MAGELLAN), Annemarie Jacir (PALESTINE 36), Radu Jude (KONTINENTAL ‘25), Nadav Lapid (YES), Sergei Loznitsa (TWO PROSECUTORS), László Nemes (ORPHAN), François Ozon (THE STRANGER), Amanda Kramer (BY DESIGN), Hylnur Pálmason (THE LOVE THAT REMAINS), Christian Petzold (MIROIRS NO. 3), Ira Sachs (PETER HUJAR’S DAY), Lee Sang-il (KOKUHO), Hong Sang-soo (WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU), Erige Sehiri (PROMISED SKY) and Carla Simón (ROMERÍA).
Among the many different high-profile documentary choices screening at this 12 months’s pageant are Clay Tweel’s ANDY KAUFMAN IS ME; Gianfranco Rosi’s BELOW THE CLOUDS; Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus COVER-UP; Ben Proudfoot’s THE EYES OF GHANA; Brandon Kramer’s HOLDING LIAT; Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard’s I WAS BORN THIS WAY; Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s LOVE+WAR; Tamara Kotevska’s THE TALE OF SILYAN; plus Brittany Shyne’s SEEDS and Isabel Castro’s SELENA Y LOS DINOS, each Sundance award winners.
This 12 months’s program represents 56 nations and contains 19 Greatest Worldwide Function Oscar® submissions, together with ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU (Jordan), EAGLES OF THE REPUBLIC (Sweden), FIUME OR DEATH! (Croatia), HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Egypt), KOKUHO (Japan), LEFT-HANDED GIRL (Taiwan), THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (Iceland), MAGELLAN (Philippines), MY ARMENIAN PHANTOMS (Armenia), THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO (Chile), ORPHAN (Hungary), PALESTINE 36 (Palestine), A POET (Colombia), THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (Iraq), SOUND OF FALLING (Germany), THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia), A USEFUL GHOST (Thailand, THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia), and YOUNG MOTHERS (Belgium).
“With greater than 90 options and practically 70 shorts, AFI FEST 2025 will probably be our greatest program in latest reminiscence,” mentioned Todd Hitchcock, Director of AFI FEST and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Heart. “However extra importantly, this 12 months’s choice displays a variety of viewpoints, artistry and daring from filmmakers throughout the globe.”
“AFI FEST’s distinctive mixture of crimson carpet premieres, main works from established auteurs and spectacular debuts from new skills makes for an action-packed 5 days of nice cinema, which is able to spark dialog and stir creativeness,” mentioned Abbie Algar, Director of Programming, AFI FEST and AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Heart. “We stay up for welcoming the movie lovers of Los Angeles again to the enduring TCL Chinese language Theatre, in addition to, this 12 months, The Egyptian Theatre.”
Canva is the unique Presenting Sponsor of AFI FEST. FIJI Water is the pageant’s Official Water Sponsor.
As beforehand introduced, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will function Visitor Creative Director of this 12 months’s pageant. Del Toro’s chosen screenings will embrace Stanley Kubrick’s BARRY LYNDON (1975), Federico Fellini’s CASANOVA (1976), Ridley Scott’s THE DUELLISTS (1977), and Pupi Avati’s ARCANE SORCERER (1996). The pageant will open on October 22 with SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE and can shut on Sunday, October 26 with the World Premiere of SONG SUNG BLUE. Gala Screenings embrace JAY KELLY on Thursday, October 23, NUREMBERG on Friday, October 24, DEAD MAN’S WIRE on the afternoon of Saturday, October 25, and CHRISTY on the night of Saturday, October 25 and the World Premiere of THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS on the afternoon of Sunday, October 26.
AFI additionally introduced the lineup for the Particular Screenings part, which is able to embrace BAD APPLES, BUGONIA, THE CHORAL, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER, IS THIS THING ON?, A MAGNIFICENT LIFE, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, the World Premiere of NEBRASKA LIVE, REBUILDING, RENTAL FAMILY, THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE and TRAIN DREAMS.
Passes to AFI FEST 2025 are actually accessible for buy on-line at FEST.AFI.com. Festivalgoers have the chance to buy a Star Cross or improve to a Patron Cross. The AFI FEST Star Cross is a five-day move with entry to all screenings (excluding Crimson Carpet Premieres), early screening choice earlier than particular person tickets go on sale, precedence theater entry, entry to the pageant lounge, invitation to the pageant mixer to mingle with filmmakers and company, a complimentary AFI FEST tote and free Rush Line entry to all screenings. The AFI FEST Patron Cross options all the advantages of the Star Cross plus two tickets to every of the star-studded Crimson Carpet Premieres held on the historic TCL Chinese language Theatre and precedence screening choice earlier than Star passholders.
AFI FEST is acknowledged by the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences as a qualifying pageant for the Dwell Motion, Animated and Documentary Brief Movie classes for the annual Academy Awards®. AFI FEST can also be a qualifying pageant for consideration for the British Brief Movie classes of each the BAFTA Movie Awards and the British Impartial Movie Awards (BIFA).
AFI is a nonprofit, donor-powered group. Be a part of AFI’s Premiere Circle to assist the American Movie Institute and revel in entry to unique one-of-a-kind alternatives at AFI occasions, together with AFI FEST. To study extra, electronic mail Development@AFI.com.
Canva, the all-in-one visible communication and collaboration platform, returns because the unique Presenting Sponsor of AFI FEST 2025. Designed to empower leisure professionals to visualise their concepts into impactful movie and TV tasks, Canva will probably be built-in all through AFI FEST together with internet hosting business networking occasions, hands-on coaching workshops for filmmakers, and powering the pageant’s digital and printed supplies. Leisure professionals can discover sources to pitch tasks, plan shoots, and convey inventive visions to life at canva.com/leisure.
Crimson Carpet Premieres
AFI rolls out the crimson carpet for a number of the greatest movies of the pageant. Positive to be an thrilling celebration of the most effective in movie, the part delivers world-class filmmakers and artisans, and a dose of Hollywood magic that may solely be discovered on the iconic TCL Chinese language Theatre.
CHRISTY
In David Michôd’s stirring biopic CHRISTY, Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) by no means imagined life past her small-town roots in West Virginia—till she found a knack for knocking folks out. Fueled by grit, uncooked willpower, and an unshakable want to win, she expenses into the world of boxing beneath the steerage of her coach and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). However whereas Christy flaunts a fiery persona within the ring, her hardest battles unfold exterior it—confronting household, id, and a relationship that simply may develop into life-or-death. Based mostly on exceptional true occasions, Christy Martin’s story is one in all resilience, braveness, and the battle to reclaim one’s life. DIR David Michôd. SCR Mirrah Foulkes, David Michôd. CAST Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Chad L. Coleman. USA
DEAD MAN’S WIRE
Gus Van Sant returns with the unbelievable true story of an notorious 1977 kidnapping and ransom over a enterprise deal gone unhealthy, with the kidnapper (Invoice Skarsgård) demanding restitution and an apology from the mortgage dealer whose firm ripped him off. DIR Gus Van Sant. SCR Austin Kolodney. CAST Invoice Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino. USA
JAY KELLY
JAY KELLY, the brand new movie from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows well-known film actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting each his previous and current, accompanied by his devoted supervisor Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humor stuffed, epic and intimate, JAY KELLY is pitched on the intersection of life’s regrets and notable glories. DIR Noah Baumbach. SCR Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer. CAST George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer. USA
NUREMBERG
NUREMBERG chronicles the true story of the warfare crimes trials held by the Allies towards the defeated Nazi regime. The movie facilities on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), who’s tasked with figuring out whether or not Nazi prisoners are match to face trial for his or her atrocities and finds himself in a fancy battle of wits with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. DIR James Vanderbilt. SCR James Vanderbilt. CAST Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery. USA
SONG SUNG BLUE
Based mostly on a real story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) type a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s by no means too late to search out love and observe your goals. Written, directed and produced by Craig Brewer. DIR Craig Brewer. SCR Craig Brewer. CAST Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi. USA
SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE
SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary 1982 acoustic album “Nebraska,” written and recorded at a pivotal time within the younger musician’s life, on the cusp of worldwide superstardom. Starring Jeremy Allen White because the Boss and Jeremy Robust as his supervisor Jon Landau. DIR Scott Cooper. SCR Scott Cooper. CAST Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Robust, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Younger. USA
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS
Arrrr you prepared? SpongeBob and his Bikini Backside associates set sail of their greatest journey but, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS. Determined to be a giant man, SpongeBob units out to show his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman — a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate — on a seafaring comedy-adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, the place no Sponge has gone earlier than. DIR Derek Drymon. SCR Pam Brady, Matt Lieberman. CAST Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Invoice Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence. USA
* PRECEDED BY: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: CHROME ALONE 2 — LOST IN NEW JERSEY
When a mysterious toy firm exploits the Turtles’ newfound fame, the brothers observe the clues to New Jersey the place they bump into a surprising discovery. DIR Kent Seki. USA
Particular Screenings
Highlighting essentially the most acclaimed movies of the season from each grasp filmmakers and rising skills, these movies stand aside for his or her artistry and unforgettable tales, characters and performances.
BAD APPLES
On this delectably darkish satire, an beautiful Saoirse Ronan performs an overworked schoolteacher whose pupils’ research enhance after she removes a foulmouthed and violent scholar from her classroom — by inadvertently kidnapping and locking him up in her basement. DIR Jonatan Etzler. SCR Jess O’Kane. CAST Saoirse Ronan, Eddie Waller, Nia Brown, Jacob Anderson, Rakie Ayola, Robert Emms, Sean Gilder. UK
BUGONIA
Two conspiracy-obsessed younger males kidnap the high-powered CEO of a significant firm, satisfied that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. DIR Yorgos Lanthimos. SCR Will Tracy. CAST Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone. UK
IS THIS THING ON?
Bradley Cooper’s superbly affecting comedic drama stars Will Arnett and Laura Dern in standout performances as a New York couple whose separation results in main midlife self-reckoning and reinvention. When Arnett’s character makes an attempt open-mic standup at a comedy membership with confessional, self-deprecating materials, an entire new world opens for him. DIR Bradley Cooper. SCR Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell. CAST Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Scott Icenogle. USA
A MAGNIFICENT LIFE (MARCEL ET MONSIEUR PAGNOL)
In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE journal commissions a weekly column about Pagnol’s childhood, he sees this as an important alternative to return to his creative roots: writing. Realizing his reminiscence is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing outcomes of his final two performs, Pagnol begins doubting his capacity to pursue his work. That’s, till Little Marcel – the younger boy he was – seems to him as if by magic. Collectively, they’ll discover Marcel Pagnol’s unbelievable life and convey again to life his most cherished encounters and recollections. DIR Sylvain Chomet. SCR Sylvain Chomet. CAST Matthew Gravelle, Lu Corfield, Jonathan Keeble, Celyn Jones, Jess Nesling, Flora Montgomery. France, Luxembourg, Belgium
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Spanning three a long time, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Alongside charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong associates — author Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. Initially produced on Broadway in 1981, then changing into an creative cult-classic forward of its time, Merrily We Roll Alongside options a few of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and private songs. DIR Maria Friedman. SCR Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, guide by George Furth, primarily based on the unique play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. CAST Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, Crystal Pleasure Brown, Katie Rose Clarke, Reg Rogers. USA
NEBRASKA LIVE
Bruce Springsteen performs the songs from his 1982 album “Nebraska” for the primary time ever in its entirety in an intimate soundstage setting. Shot in moody black-and-white, the movie is directed by Springsteen’s longtime filmic collaborator Thom Zimny. DIR Thom Zimny. CAST Bruce Springsteen. USA
REBUILDING
Divorced and displaced Colorado rancher Dusty (Josh O’Connor) re-enters the lives of his ex-wife Ruby (Meghann Fahy) and younger daughter when he loses his household ranch to a devastating wildfire. DIR Max Walker-Silverman. SCR Max Walker-Silverman. CAST Josh O’Connor, Meghann Fahy, Amy Madigan, Kali Reis, Lily LaTorre, Nancy Morlan, Zeilyanna Martinez. USA
RENTAL FAMILY
Academy Award® winner Brendan Fraser performs an American actor in modern-day Tokyo employed by a “rental household” company to function a stand-in for purchasers. As he immerses himself in his purchasers’ worlds, he begins to type real bonds that blur the traces between efficiency and actuality. Confronting the ethical complexities of his work, he rediscovers objective, belonging, and the quiet fantastic thing about human connection. DIR HIKARI. SCR HIKARI, Stephen Blahut. CAST Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, Akira Emoto. USA, Japan
THE CHORAL
1916. As warfare rages on the Western Entrance, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has misplaced most of its males to the military. The Choral’s bold committee, decided to press forward, decides to recruit native younger males to swell their ranks. They have to additionally have interaction a brand new refrain grasp, and regardless of their suspicions that he has one thing to cover, their greatest guess appears to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) – pushed, uncompromising, and not too long ago returned from a profession in Germany. As conscription papers begin to arrive, the entire neighborhood discovers that the most effective response to the chaos that’s laying waste to their lives is to make music collectively. DIR Nicholas Hytner. SCR Alan Bennett. CAST Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, Lyndsey Marshal, Ron Prepare dinner, Amara Okereke, Emily Fairn, Shaun Thomas, Jacob Dudman, Oliver Briscombe, Taylor Uttley, Simon Russell Beale. UK
THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER
Kristen Stewart’s staggering directorial debut adapts Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir of abuse and therapeutic, anchored by a uncooked and revelatory efficiency from Imogen Poots. DIR Kristen Stewart. SCR Kristen Stewart. CAST Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Kim Gordon, Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge. USA, France, Latvia
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
A daring colonial-era musical, THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE follows visionary Shaker chief Ann Lee as she builds a radical utopian religion in 18th century America. Amanda Seyfried stars as Lee in a career-defining function. Academy Award® winner Daniel Blumberg composed the rating and authentic songs for the movie. DIR Mona Fastvold. SCR Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet. CAST Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott. UK
TRAIN DREAMS
Based mostly on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Practice Goals is the shifting portrait of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad employee who leads a lifetime of surprising depth and sweetness within the quickly altering America of the early twentieth Century. DIR Clint Bentley. SCR Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar. CAST Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider. USA
Luminaries
The newest movies from world-renowned filmmakers whose work continues to problem and encourage.
AMRUM
Germany, 1945: a 12-year-old boy on the remoted North Sea Island of Amrum begins to study the reality about his nation, which is on the precipice of complete defeat, regardless of the propaganda fed to him. Fatih Akin directs, from an autobiographical screenplay by octogenarian filmmaker Hark Bohm. DIR Fatih Akin. SCR Hark Bohm, Fatih Akin. CAST Jasper Billerbeck, Laura Tonke, Lisa Hagmeister, Kian Köppke, Diane Kruger. Germany
FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER
Winner of the Golden Lion at this 12 months’s Venice Worldwide Movie Pageant and starring Tom Waits, Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett, legendary indie auteur Jim Jarmusch’s latest work is a wry gem in regards to the timeworn drift of familial intimacy. DIR Jim Jarmusch. SCR Jim Jarmusch. CAST Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore, Luka Sabbat. USA, Eire, France
GHOST ELEPHANTS
Half nature detective documentary, half fever dream, Werner Herzog’s newest documentary journeys into Angola’s distant highlands, alongside Nationwide Geographic explorer Dr. Steve Boyes, on a quest to doc the existence of the mythic “ghost elephant.” DIR Werner Herzog. SCR Werner Herzog. CAST Steve Boyes, Werner Herzog. USA
HOW TO SHOOT A GHOST
This impressionistic brief movie, from visionary director Charlie Kaufman, stars Jessie Buckley as a ghost roaming the streets of Athens in quest of town’s previous and current. DIR Charlie Kaufman. SCR Eva H.D.. CAST Jessie Buckley, Josef Akiki, Eva H.D.. USA, Greece
KONTINENTAL ’25
Radu Jude received the Greatest Screenplay award on the 2025 Berlin Movie Pageant for this scabrous black comedy a couple of guilt-wracked civil servant’s effort to clear her conscience, as a substitute discovering that guilt is just a relative idea in modern Romania. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude. CAST Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Șerban Pavl. Romania
LA GRAZIA
Filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino reunites with actor Toni Servillo on this parable-like story of parliamentary politics and moral selections, the place Servillo’s getting older, depressive president should weigh up and resolve on a sequence of more and more tough authorized dilemmas. DIR Paolo Sorrentino. SCR Paolo Sorrentino. CAST Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Massimo Venturiello. Italy
MAGELLAN (MAGALHÃES)
Gael García Bernal stars as notorious navigator Ferdinand Magellan in Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz’s monumental story of colonialism and resistance. DIR Lav Diaz. SCR Lav Diaz. CAST Gael García Bernal, Ângela Azevedo, Amado Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Hazel Orencio. Portugal, Spain, France, Philippines, Taiwan
MIROIRS NO. 3
The survivor of a automobile crash is taken in by a close-by household on this drama of mysterious connections from director Christian Petzold and his frequent collaborator, actress Paula Beer. DIR Christian Petzold. SCR Christian Petzold. CAST Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt, Enno Trebs. Germany
PETER HUJAR’S DAY
Legendary photographer Peter Hujar (Ben Whishaw) spends a day with author Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Corridor), regaling her with the minute, gossip-filled particulars of his earlier day. Recorded in 1974, the re-discovered transcript serves as the idea for Ira Sach’s luminous ode to a bygone New York. DIR Ira Sachs. SCR Ira Sachs. CAST Rebecca Corridor, Ben Whishaw. USA, Germany
SILENT FRIEND
This century-spanning drama from Ildikó Enyedi (ON BODY AND SOUL) unites the tales of three researchers, from the identical college however separated by generations, who research the inside lifetime of vegetation and develop their sense of time and notion within the course of. DIR Ildikó Enyedi. SCR Ildikó Enyedi. CAST Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke. Germany, France, Hungary
THE STRANGER (L’ÉTRANGER)
François Ozon brings Albert Camus’ acclaimed 1942 novel to the large display screen as a sun-baked, black-and-white neo-noir, a potent mix of psychological thriller and anti-colonial critique. DIR François Ozon. SCR François Ozon. CAST Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Swann Arlaud, Denis Lavant. France, Belgium, Morocco
TWO PROSECUTORS
Set in 1937 on the peak of Josef Stalin’s Nice Purge — but chillingly related at present — Sergei Loznitsa’s darkish parable of tyranny relies on a brief story by the dissident author and scientist Georgy Demidov, who was himself imprisoned for practically 20 years. DIR Sergei Loznitsa. SCR Sergei Loznitsa. CAST Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Anatoli Beliy, Andris Keišs, Vytautas Kaniušonis. France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania
WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU
Tensions come up when a struggling, idealistic poet meets his girlfriend’s household at their idyllic, hillside countryside house in Hong Sang-soo’s newest function — a quietly profound meditation on the complexities of filial love and familial strife. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Ha Seongguk, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Kang Soyi, Park Miso. South Korea
YOUNG MOTHERS (JEUNES MÈRES)
In a Liège group house, 5 teenage moms navigate abandonment, fractured households, and the steep studying curve of parenthood — discovering surprising energy and solace in one another’s firm on this tender, unflinching drama from the Dardenne brothers. DIR Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. SCR Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. CAST Babette Verbeek, Elsa Houben, Janaina Halloy Fokan, Lucie Laruelle, Samia Hilmi. Belgium, France
Discovery
A showcase for thrilling new voices that push the boundaries of up to date cinema with cutting-edge themes and authentic visions.
A POET (UN POETA)
Winner of Cannes’ Un Sure Regard Jury Prize, Colombian director Simón Mesa Soto’s delightfully deadpan sophomore function is an absurdist tragicomedy a couple of washed-up poet mentoring a gifted teen author. DIR Simón Mesa Soto. SCR Simón Mesa Soto. CAST Ubeimar Rios, Rebeca Andrade, Guillermo Cardona, Allison Correa, Margarita Soto. Colombia, Germany, Sweden
A USEFUL GHOST (PEE CHAI DAI KA)
When Educational Ladyboy calls a repairman to repair his possessed vacuum cleaner, two interconnected tales of reincarnation unearth a heartfelt plea for the remembrance of private historical past and a biting proclamation for collective labor dissent in Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s absurdist function debut. DIR Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. SCR Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. CAST Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan. Thailand, Singapore, France, Germany
AMOEBA
At an elite all-girls Chinese language college in Singapore, 16-year-old Choo and her gang of misfits problem the authoritarian college and the strict doctrines that bind them on this sharp-witted debut from rising filmmaker Siyou Tan (AFI DWW Class of 2019). DIR Tan Siyou. SCR Tan Siyou. CAST Ranice Tay, Nicole Lee, Lim Shi-An, Genevieve Tan, Jack Kao. Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea
FANTASY LIFE
Just lately laid-off Sam Stein is a lifelong neurotic who struggles with panic assaults, however his psychological state begins altering for the higher when he begins babysitting the grandchildren of his psychiatrist. DIR Matthew Shear. SCR Matthew Shear. CAST Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban. USA
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Toha — the kid maid of an upper-class Cairo household — forges an unlikely bond along with her employer’s daughter Nelly and turns into fixated on planning her new buddy’s ninth birthday celebration. DIR Sarah Goher. SCR Sarah Goher, Mohamed Diab. CAST Doha Ramadan, Nelly Karim, Hanan Motawie, Hanan Youssef. Egypt
HONEYJOON
Within the stunning Azorean Islands, an American lady and her Persian-Kurdish mom reckon with reminiscence, exile and the sophisticated bond between them. HONEYJOON mixes humor, heartbreak and beautiful landscapes to disclose how loss can fracture — and in the end renew — the ties that maintain us collectively. DIR Lilian T. Mehrel. SCR Lilian T. Mehrel. CAST Ayden Mayeri, Amira Casar, José Condessa. USA
JUNKIE
AFI Conservatory alum William Means’ (AFI Class of 2021) spirited debut is an eccentric odyssey by means of rural America — following meth-addicted, perpetual screwup Stevie (Rocky Shay) on a quest to evade rehab, repay her money owed and reconcile along with her estranged son. DIR William Means. SCR William Means. CAST Rocky Shay, Jessica Lea Risco, Kian Morr, Rett Keeter, Drew Faulkner. USA
LUCKY LU
After his e-bike will get stolen, supply driver Lu goes on a determined journey throughout New York’s Chinatown on this visceral social realist drama about the price of the American Dream. DIR Lloyd Lee Choi. SCR Lloyd Lee Choi. CAST Chang Chen, Fala Chen, Carabelle Manna Wei. USA, Canada
MY FATHER’S SHADOW
In 1993 Lagos, on the day of the primary election in a decade, younger brothers Akin and Remi reunite with their absent father on a hasty street journey. Historical past, reminiscence and nostalgia blends right into a vividly realized work of autofiction in Nigeria’s first ever Cannes choice. DIR Akinola Davies Jr.. SCR Wale Davies, Akinola Davies Jr.. CAST Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo. Nigeria, UK
SILENT REBELLION (A BRAS-LE-CORPS)
Set in impartial Switzerland throughout World Struggle II, this triumphant debut function is a feminist coming-of-age drama that weighs the prices of braveness on two fronts: the neighboring warfare and a younger lady’s refusal to steer a life she by no means needed. DIR Marie-Elsa Sgualdo. SCR Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, Nadine Lamari. CAST Lila Gueneau, Sasha Gravat Harsch, Cyril Metzger. Switzerland, Belgium, France
SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
Mascha Schilinski’s beautiful sophomore function is a hypnotic, time-traversing portrait of 4 generations of ladies dwelling in the identical remoted German farmhouse over the course of a century. DIR Mascha Schilinski. SCR Louise Peter, Mascha Schilinski. CAST Hanna Heckt, Lena Urzendowsky, Laeni Geiseler, Lea Drinda, Susanne Wuest. Germany
THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO (LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO)
Queer love shines with contradicting exuberance in Diego Céspedes’ audacious Cannes prize-winning debut a couple of commune of crossdressers set in a reimagined desert city in Chile in the course of the daybreak of the AIDS epidemic. DIR Diego Céspedes. SCR Diego Céspedes. CAST Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán, Paula Dinamarca, Claudia Cabezas, Luis Dubó. Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium
THE PLAGUE
AFI Conservatory Alum Charlie Polinger (AFI Class of 2017) makes his hanging function debut with this poisonous story of pre-teen posturing at an all-boys’ water polo camp. Equal elements hilarious and disturbing (puberty in a nutshell), Polinger melds physique horror with a razor-sharp perception into the unconscious psyche of adolescence. DIR Charlie Polinger. SCR Charlie Polinger. CAST Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, Lucas Adler. USA, Romania
THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (MAMLAKET AL-QASAB)
Set in Nineties Iraq beneath Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian rule, Hasan Hadi’s Cannes award-winning debut follows a younger lady’s perilous quest to bake a cake to mark her college’s obligatory Presidential birthday celebrations. DIR Hasan Hadi. SCR Hasan Hadi. CAST Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheeda Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj. Iraq, USA, Qatar
WE BELIEVE YOU (ON VOUS CROIT)
Household secrets and techniques unravel over the course of an important day as a mom fights for her youngsters in a tense custody battle on this astutely layered, gripping debut function. DIR Charlotte Devillers, Arnaud Dufeys. SCR Charlotte Devillers, Arnaud Dufeys. CAST Myriem Akheddiou, Laurent Capelluto, Natali Broods, Ulysse Goffin, Adèle Pinckaers. Belgium
World Cinema
The very best in world cinema involves the film capital of the world, celebrating the range of world tradition by means of the shared language of cinema.
1001 FRAMES
Actresses in an audition for Scheherazade in “A Thousand and One Nights” endure more and more confrontational and innuendo-laden questioning from their male director in Iranian American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia’s provocative debut function. DIR Mehrnoush Alia. SCR Mehrnoush Alia. CAST Mohammad Aghebati, Mahin Sadri, Leili Rashidi, Mahsa Rezaei, Behafarid Ghaffarian. Iran, USA
ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU (اللي باقي منك)
Within the Occupied West Financial institution of the Eighties, a Palestinian teenager is swept right into a protest that modifications the course of his household’s life. Reeling from its aftermath, his mom, Hanan, shares the story that led them to that fateful second. Spanning seven a long time, this epic drama traces the hopes and heartaches of 1 uprooted household, revealing not solely the scars of displacement, however the unbreakable spirit of survival. DIR Cherien Dabis. SCR Cherien Dabis. CAST Saleh Bakri, Cherien Dabis, Adam Bakri, Maria Zreik, Mohammad Bakri. Germany, Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
CASE 137 (DOSSIER 137)
A tenacious inner affairs investigator in Paris confronts police brutality, political stress and private doubt when she takes on a controversial case involving a protester gravely injured by riot police. DIR Dominik Moll. SCR Dominik Moll, Gilles Marchand. CAST Léa Drucker, Yoann Blanc, Guslagie Malanda. France
DIVINE COMEDY (KOMEDIE ELAHI)
Notable Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari (TERRESTRIAL VERSES) blurs the traces between fiction and actuality in his newest function, which follows filmmaker Bahram Ark and producer Sadaf Asgari (as thinly veiled variations of themselves) on a mission to display screen their banned movie for an area viewers in Iran. DIR Ali Asgari. SCR Alireza Khatami, Bahram Ark, Ali Asgari. CAST Hossein Soleimani, Mohammad Soori, Amirreza Ranjbaran, Faezeh Rad. Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey
EAGLES OF THE REPUBLIC
Tarik Saleh’s newest political thriller stars Fares Fares as essentially the most well-known actor in Egypt, who is obtainable a job he can’t refuse: portraying present president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as a heroic soldier. DIR Tarik Saleh. SCR Tarik Saleh. CAST Fares Fares, Lyna Khoudri, Zineb Triki, Amr Waked, Cherien Dabis. Sweden, France, Denmark
KOKUHO
Sang-il Lee’s luxurious epic tells a decades-spanning story of devotion and sacrifice for the revered craft of Kabuki. Starting in 1964 Nagasaki and unfolding over the following 50 years, younger Kikuo (Soya Kurokawa) is taken beneath the wing of famend Kabuki maestro Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe) after his yakuza father was slain. DIR Sang-il Lee. SCR Satoko Okudera. CAST Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Nana Mori. Japan
LEFT-HANDED GIRL
Shih-Ching Tsou’s solo debut, co-written and produced by longtime collaborator Sean Baker, is a vibrant iPhone-shot portrait of Taipei as seen by means of the eyes of three generations of ladies navigating household, custom and independence. DIR Shih-Ching Tsou. SCR Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker. CAST Shih-Yuan Ma, Janel Tsai, Nina Ye, Teng-Hui Huang. Taiwan, France, USA, UK
LIVING THE LAND (SHENG XI ZHI DI)
Younger director Huo Meng (Greatest Director, 2025 Berlin Movie Pageant) confirms his expertise with this epic story of a farm household navigating life-changing occasions in ‘90s rural China, recalling the work of each early Zhang Yimou and Meng’s mentor, Jia Zhangke. DIR Huo Meng. SCR Huo Meng. CAST Wang Shang, Zhang Chuwen, Zhang Yanrong, Zhang Caixia, Cao Lingzhi. China
OLMO
On this heartfelt coming-of-age story set in 1979 New Mexico, a teen navigates household responsibility and old flame on his quest to beg, borrow and steal his option to a neighborhood social gathering. DIR Fernando Eimbcke. SCR Fernando Eimbcke, Vanesa Garnica. CAST Aivan Uttapa, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Andrea Suárez Paz, Rosa Armendariz, Melanie Frometa. USA, Mexico
ORPHAN (ÁRVA)
László Nemes, an Oscar® winner for 2015’s SON OF SAUL, returns with one other trenchant exploration of Hungary’s twentieth century historical past — this time set in 1957, only one 12 months after the united states brutally suppressed the Hungarian Rebellion. Andor (Bojtorján Barabas) longs for the return of his father, lacking for the reason that warfare, however his mom suggests his father may very well be one other man. DIR László Nemes. SCR László Nemes, Clara Royer. CAST Bojtorján Barabas, Andrea Waskovics, Grégory Gadebois, Elíz Szabó, Soma Sándor, Hermina Fátyol. Hungary, UK, France, Germany
PALESTINE 36
Annemarie Jacir’s sweeping, well timed and deeply affecting historic epic brings to life a pivotal interval in Palestinian historical past within the months main as much as the Arab Revolt of 1936. DIR Annemarie Jacir. SCR Annemarie Jacir. CAST Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Liam Cunningham, Jeremy Irons. France, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UK
PHANTOMS OF JULY (SEHNSUCHT IN SANGERHAUSEN)
An ethereal, intoxicating comedy, Julian Radlmaier’s fifth function is as gentle as a summer season breeze, however its easy pleasures disguise profound truths in regards to the ghosts of the previous and the mysteries of the current within the sleepy East German village of Sangerhausen. DIR Julian Radlmaier. SCR Julian Radlmaier. CAST Clara Schwinning, Maral Keshavarz, Henriette Confurius, Paula Schindler, Ghazal Shojaei, Kyung-Taek Lie. Germany
PIN DE FARTIE
Adapting Samuel Beckett’s iconic 1957 play “Endgame” with gleeful, reckless abandon, maverick Argentine filmmaker Alejo Moguillansky discovers moments of magic within the registers and resonances of Beckett’s textual content as repetitions, refractions, music and dance crescendo right into a glittering, literary and formal masterwork. DIR Alejo Moguillansky. SCR Luciana Acuña, Alejo Moguillansky, Mariano Llinás. CAST Santiago Gobernori, Cleo Moguillansky, Laura Paredes, Marcos Ferrante, Luciana Acuña, Maxi Prietto. Argentina
PROMISED SKY (PROMIS LE CIEL)
On this gorgeously crafted and heartfelt drama from Erige Sehiri, three Ivorian ladies’s close-knit bonds are examined when the Tunisian authorities ramps up an immigration crackdown that would goal every of them. DIR Erige Sehiri. SCR Erige Sehiri, Malika Cécile Louati, Anna Ciennik. CAST Aïssa Maiga, Debora Lobe Naney, Laetitia Ky, Estelle Kenza Dogbo, Foued Zaazaa. Tunisia, France, Qatar
ROMERÍA
Orphaned at a younger age, Marina arrives within the glittering Galician port metropolis of Vigo prepared to satisfy her father’s household for the primary time. Acclaimed Spanish auteur Carla Simón’s return to the fervent floor of her childhood is a deeply private meditation on reminiscence, id and familial fable making. DIR Carla Simón. SCR Carla Simón. CAST Llúcia Garcia, Mitch, Tristán Ulloa, Alberto Gracia, Miryam Gallego. Spain, Germany
THE CURRENTS (LAS CORRIENTES)
After leaping right into a frigid Swiss lake on a piece journey, dressmaker Lina returns to Buenos Aires a modified lady. Now deathly afraid of water, she sleepwalks by means of life unable to elucidate her malaise. With surreal thrives and bursts of absurdity, filmmaker Milagros Mumenthaler casts a beguiling, dreamlike spell that delicately examines motherhood, class and id. DIR Milagros Mumenthaler. SCR Milagros Mumenthaler. CAST Isabel Aimé González Sola, Esteban Bigliardi, Claudia Sánchez, Ernestina Gatti, Jazmín Carballo. Switzerland, Argentina
THE GREAT ARCH (L’INCONNU DE LA GRANDE ARCHE)
Stéphane Demoustier’s THE GREAT ARCH dramatizes the true story of Danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (performed brilliantly by Claes Bang), whose unbelievable Eighties design for Paris’s La Défense arch units off battles over creative imaginative and prescient and obsession versus French forms. DIR Stéphane Demoustier. SCR Stéphane Demoustier. CAST Claes Bang, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Xavier Dolan, Swann Arlaud, Michel Fou. France
THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (ÁSTIN SEM EFTIR ER)
Set towards the majestic grandeur of Iceland’s rugged panorama, filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason (GODLAND, AFI FEST 2022) pens a surprisingly delicate and poignant exploration of a crumbling marriage on the point of ending. DIR Hlynur Pálmason. SCR Hlynur Pálmason. CAST Saga Garðarsdóttir, Sverrir Guðnason, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Grímur Hlynsson, Þorgils Hlynsson. Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB
The newest movie from filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, and Tunisia’s Oscar® entry for Greatest Worldwide Function, is a daring and impressed drama that blurs the traces between fiction and documentary to recount the heartbreaking story of five-year-old Hind Rajab, a Palestinian lady murdered throughout Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip. DIR Kaouther Ben Hania. SCR Kaouther Ben Hania. CAST Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, Amer Hlehel. Tunisia, France
YES
Financially struggling musician Y has been tasked with composing a brand new anthem for a nation he morally opposes. Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s newest tour de pressure is an absurdist, boldly shocking condemnation of his homeland. DIR Nadav Lapid. SCR Nadav Lapid. CAST Ariel Bronz, Efrat Dor, Naama Preis, Alexey Serebryakov. France, Israel, Cyprus, Germany
Documentary
Highly effective real-life tales bravely advised: the themes and themes explored in documentary filmmaking are profound, and these insightful works are certain to enlighten, educate and entertain.
ANDY KAUFMAN IS ME
Equal elements icon and enigma, comic Andy Kaufman defied conference — and this illuminating documentary dives deep into the life and artwork of one of the ingenious entertainers of our time. DIR Clay Tweel. SCR Clay Tweel, Luis Lopez, Shannon E. Riggs. CAST Michael Kaufman, Carol Kaufman, David Letterman, Carol Kane, Tim Heidecker, Eric Andre, Kristin Schaal. USA
BELOW THE CLOUDS (SOTTO LE NUVOLE)
Winner of the Particular Jury Prize on the Venice Movie Pageant, documentary grasp Gianfrano Rosi (SACRO GRA, FIRE AT SEA) explores town and environment of Naples, Italy, a spot the place daily, hundreds of years of historical past echo and resonate for its folks. DIR Gianfranco Rosi. SCR Gianfranco Rosi, Marie-Pierre Muller, Carmelo Marabello. Italy
COVER-UP
Oscar® winner Laura Poitras and veteran documentarian Mark Obenhaus discover Pulitzer-winning journalist Seymour Hersh’s fearless exposés of U.S. energy abuses — from My Lai to Abu Ghraib — mixing biography, political thriller and pressing reflection on fact and press freedom. DIR Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus. CAST Seymour Hersh. USA
FIUME O MORTE!
Winner of each the Tiger Award and the FIPRESCI prize at this 12 months’s Rotterdam Movie Pageant, Croatian director Igor Bezinović’s creative hybrid documentary re-enacts scenes from Gabriele D’Annunzio’s siege and occupation of the Adriatic seaport of Fiume (now Croatia’s Rijeka) within the aftermath of World Struggle I. DIR Igor Bezinović. SCR Igor Bezinović. CAST Izet Medošević, Ćenan Beljulji, Albano Vučetić, Tihomir Buterin, Andrea Marsanich. Croatia, Italy, Slovenia
HOLDING LIAT
Brandon Kramer’s profile of an Israeli household searching for the return of their kidnapped family members who had been kidnapped in the course of the October 7 Hamas assault received the award for Greatest Documentary on the Berlin Movie Pageant. Govt produced by AFI Alum Darren Aronofsky. DIR Brandon Kramer. CAST Yehuda Beinin, Liat Beinin Atzili, Chaya Beinin, Tal Beinin. USA
I WAS BORN THIS WAY
The cultural affect of singer Carl Bean extends far past his 1977 homosexual anthem “I Was Born This Method.” Award-winning filmmaker duo Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge dive into the untold legacy of this uniquely inspirational artist whose outspoken voice and lyrics influenced a technology. DIR Daniel Junge, Sam Pollard. CAST Archbishop Carl Bean, Billy Porter, Questlove, Girl Gaga, Dionne Warwick, Rep. Maxine Waters. USA
LOVE+WAR
This gripping portrait of New York Occasions warfare photographer Lynsey Addario explores her fearless work — from the frontlines of Ukraine to the Center East and past — and the stress between motherhood and a life spent documenting battle. DIR Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin. CAST Lynsey Addario. USA
MY ARMENIAN PHANTOMS (MES FANTÔMES ARMÉNIENS)
Private memoirs and collective cinematic nostalgia converge in Tamara Stepanyan’s tender love letter to her late father and a pale previous of Soviet Armenia. DIR Tamara Stepanyan. SCR Tamara Stepanyan, Jean-Christophe Ferrari. France, Armenia
SEEDS
Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at this 12 months’s Sundance Movie Pageant, this black-and-white, engrossing and profoundly function debut from Brittany Shyne explores the lives of a multi-generational household of Black farmers whose agrarian lifestyle is threatened by historic injustices. DIR Brittany Shyne. USA
SELENA Y LOS DINOS
The life and legacy of Selena, the “Queen of Tejano Music,” is recounted on this affectionate documentary using never-before-seen archival footage from the household’s in depth private assortment. DIR Isabel Castro. USA
THE EYES OF GHANA
Two-time Oscar®-winning director Ben Proudfoot reteams with the Obamas’ Increased Grounds Productions for this documentary spotlighting the exceptional but under-recognized Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse, who captured important footage — beforehand regarded as misplaced — of the African independence actions as a private cameraman to revolutionary chief Kwame Nkrumah. DIR Ben Proudfoot. CAST Chris Hesse, Anita Afonu, Edmund Addo. USA
THE HANGING OF STUART CORNFELD
Stuart Cornfeld (AFI Class of 1975) seems to be again on his colourful profession as a inventive producer, collaborating with Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, David Cronenberg, Guillermo Del Toro and Ben Stiller, amongst others. That includes a wealth of interviews, Joan Bonfill’s intimate and insightful documentary portrait delves into the mysterious chemistry of inventive collaboration. DIR Joan Bofill Amargós. SCR Joan Bofill Amargós, Joan Marimón. CAST Stuart Cornfeld, Jack Black, Mel Brooks, David Cronenberg, Guillermo del Toro, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Stiller. USA, Spain
THE KING OF COLOR
A compelling tribute to Larry Herbert, the visionary thoughts behind the Pantone Matching System, which not solely standardized coloration throughout industries, however rippled out to alter commerce, tradition and notion itself. DIR Patrick Creadon. CAST Larry Herbert. USA
THE OZU DIARIES
Drawing from a treasure trove of archival supplies — journals, images, interviews and unseen house motion pictures — Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim affords each an intimate biography and revelatory portrait of prolific Japanese grasp Yasujiro Ounces, one in all cinema’s most authentic and enduring auteurs. DIR Daniel Raim. SCR Daniel Raim. CAST Yasujiro Ounces, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, Luc Dardenne, Tsai Ming-liang, Kyoko Kagawa. USA
THE TALE OF SILYAN
In a Macedonian village, Nikola, a fledgling middle-aged farmer, is left behind after his household immigrates to Germany, and shortly varieties a poignant bond with an injured stork. Tamara Kotevska (HONEYLAND) weaves folklore, hanging photographs and intimate statement right into a poetic documentary about loss, resilience, and the fragile thread binding people to nature. DIR Tamara Kotevska. CAST Nikola Conev, Jana Coneva, Aleksandra Coneva, Aleksandar Conev, Ilina Coneva. North Macedonia
After Darkish
Take a stroll on the wild aspect and tune in to the late-night vibes of those adventurous choices, celebrating the pleasures of style cinema and uncategorizable originality.
BY DESIGN
In Amanda Kramer’s fantastical, avant-garde curiosity BY DESIGN, Camille (Juliette Lewis) — motivated by deep-seated envy — makes a fateful want to be simply as fascinating as an exquisitely costly wood chair. DIR Amanda Kramer. SCR Amanda Kramer. CAST Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Clifton Collins Jr. USA
ENDLESS COOKIE
Written and directed by half-brothers Seth and Peter Scriver, one a resident of Toronto, the opposite a resident of Shamattawa First Nation within the far north of Manitoba, ENDLESS COOKIE is a kooky, ramshackle rumination on collective remembering and household bonds. Followers of Grownup Swim will enjoyment of its surreal animation and subversive humor. DIR Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver. SCR Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver. CAST Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver, Kristin “Cookie” Scriver, Dezray “Dez” Scriver, Ada Scriver. Canada
FUCKTOYS
Intercourse employee A.P. (performed by breakout author/director/producer/star Annapurna Sriram) wants a thousand {dollars} and a child lamb to interrupt a curse, setting her on a quest for a number of fast paydays and an entire lot of misadventure in Trashtown, USA. DIR Annapurna Sriram. SCR Annapurna Sriram. CAST Annapurna Sriram, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud, Massive Freedia, Brandon Flynn. USA
MĀRAMA
Taratoa Stappard’s haunting and visceral debut function — a gothic revenge horror filtered by means of a Māori lens — melds the chills of a haunted home thriller with a stark exploration of Britain’s darkish colonial legacy. DIR Taratoa Stappard. SCR Taratoa Stappard. CAST Ariāna Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers, Evelyn Towersey, Erroll Shand. New Zealand
MORTE CUCINA
Deliciously tense with luxurious cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Thai New Wave author/director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s (LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE) newest function is an revolutionary, culinary tackle the rape-revenge thriller. DIR Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. SCR Pen-ek Ratanaruang. CAST Bella Boonsang, Kris Srepoomseth, Punika Ranschaya, Nopachai Chaiyanam, Wisit Junloon. Thailand
STRAIGHT CIRCLE
Winner of the highest prize at Venice Critics’ Week, Oscar Hudson’s debut function is a surrealist anti-war satire about two troopers stationed at a fictional desert border who lose their grip on actuality. DIR Oscar Hudson. SCR Oscar Hudson. CAST Elliott Tittensor, Luke Tittensor, Neil Maskell. UK
Visitor Creative Director
In a particular Highlight part, AFI FEST honors Oscar®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro — who most not too long ago wrote and directed his spectacular re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s gothic horror story FRANKENSTEIN — and who has chosen 4 of his favourite movies to current to AFI FEST audiences: BARRY LYNDON, FELLINI’S CASANOVA, THE DUELLISTS and ARCANE SORCERER. Movies will display screen all through the pageant, with introductions by del Toro.
BARRY LYNDON
Stanley Kubrick’s visually beautiful, Academy Award®-winning 18th-century epic — which marks its fiftieth anniversary this 12 months — follows the rise of a reluctant conscript (Ryan O’Neal) by means of warfare, romance and intrigue throughout Europe. DIR Stanley Kubrick. SCR Stanley Kubrick. CAST Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Kruger, Diana Koerner, Homosexual Hamilton. USA
FELLINI’S CASANOVA
Federico Fellini’s notorious 1976 tackle Giacomo Casanova’s story is a visible and sonic spectacle — a lavish, hallucinatory reimagining of the legendary Venetian seducer’s life, starring Donald Sutherland and set to an unforgettable rating by Nino Rota. DIR Federico Fellini, SCR Federico Fellini, Bernardino Zapponi. CAST Donald Sutherland, Tina Aumont. Italy
THE ARCANE SORCERER
A private favourite of Guillermo del Toro, this richly atmospheric, religious horror movie follows a disgraced seminary scholar as he takes refuge with an excommunicated monsignor with a penchant for the occult. Compelled to take part in more and more macabre rituals and assessments, Giacomo is consumed by the sinister — as apparitions, ghosts and lethal rumors begin to accumulate.DIR Pupi Avati, SCR Pupi Avati, CAST Carlo Cecchi, Stefano Dionisi, Arnaldo Ninchi, Andrea Scorzoni, Consuelo Ferrara. Italy
THE DUELLISTS
Ridley Scott’s hanging Cannes prize-winning debut function is a visually arresting story of honor, obsession and satisfaction chronicling the 16-year feud between two French officers (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel) towards the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. DIR Ridley Scott, SCR Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, CAST Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines. USA
Brief Movie Competitors
The brief movie program highlights distinctive voices from around the globe, from each rising and established filmmakers. These brief movies push the type of storytelling in creative, difficult and surprising methods – all in 40 minutes or much less.
After Darkish Shorts
MY WONDERFUL LIFE
Grace Lee, an overworked mother in Singapore, collapses at work. She will get admitted into the hospital the place she finds newfound freedom as a affected person. DIR Calleen Koh. Singapore
LAST CALL
Claudia, a fast-riding bike insurgent, indulges in her worst vices to keep away from confrontation with a mysterious serpent lady who faucets into her most grotesque fantasies. DIR Winnie Cheung. USA
THE FISHERMAN
A religious fisherman has his religion examined as a sequence of supernatural phenomena plague him and his household. DIR Calvin Brown. USA
WATER SPORTS
Jelson and Ipe, college students deeply in love, endure trials of the thoughts and physique as they put together to outlive a world devastated by local weather change. DIR Whammy Alcazaren. Philippines
MR. OGRE’S CASTLE
A bunch of youngsters enjoys a bootleg keep at an opulent villa whereas the mysterious proprietor is away. Their social gathering will get spoiled when a CCTV digicam operator calls to tell the police. DIR Maxime Chudeau. USA
DEMONS TO DIAMONDS
Within the chilly enterprise district of La Défense, the place metal towers pierce a stressed sky and CCTV watches each shadow, a wave of suicides exposes the fractures of a crumbling society. DIR Valentin Noujaïm. France
Animation Shorts 1
OSTRICH
A sparrow sees photographs of ostriches all over the place. In awe of the ostriches with their lengthy necks, dazzling eyes and muscular legs, the little hen desires to be similar to them. DIR Marie Kenov. Switzerland
CARCASSONNE-ACAPULCO
As flight 7836 reaches cruising velocity above the Atlantic Ocean, the pilot, co-pilot and flight attendant are startled by an surprising knock on the door — inflicting chaos and confusion to ensue. DIR Marjorie Caup, Olivier Héraud. France
APPLE GATHERERS
APPLE GATHERERS exhibits the loneliness and dissatisfaction in a labour-intensive world and the temporary reprieve we have now in moments of actual human connection. The second is fleeting, but highly effective. DIR Danielle Rhoda Addae-Boateng. UK
SNOW BEAR
Set in a quickly altering world, SNOW BEAR tells the story of a polar bear in an unforgiving atmosphere on his quest to discover a buddy. DIR Aaron Blaise. USA
PETRA AND THE SUN (PETRA Y EL SOL)
Throughout a heavy snowmelt within the Andes, Petra discovers the superbly preserved corpse of a misplaced mountaineer — bringing him to her wood chalet and sparking an surprising romantic story. DIR Malu Furche, Stefania Malacchini. Chile
S THE WOLF
A middle-aged man displays on his tumultuous adolescence by means of intricate and deeply private musings all tied to his hair rising or receding. Over time, we accumulate which means into the bigger journey of his life. DIR Sameh Alaa. France
DOLLHOUSE ELEPHANT
In a world that calls for neighborhood participation, particular person wishes inevitably collide. A bunch of neighbors, every targeted on their very own targets, should study to speak and take into account each other. DIR Jenny Jokela. Finland
9 MILLION COLORS (9 MILIONŮ BAREV)
The ocean is paradise for Fran the shrimp. For blind fish Milva, it’s a battle to outlive. Fran sees Milva as stunning and desires her to see the ocean in the identical method. DIR Bára Anna. Czech Republic, Germany, Norway
Animation Shorts 2
DORMILÓN
In a quest to develop into the performer of his goals, Dormilón, a starry-eyed and middle-aged janitor dwelling in an deserted theater, should confront his nightmares face-to-face. DIR Olivia Marie Valdez. USA
DOG ALONE (CÃO SOZINHO)
After the demise of its proprietor and its companions, a canine is left alone. Howls day and evening disturbing all of the neighborhood. In the home subsequent door, a widowed man’s granddaughter returns from London. DIR Marta Reis Andrade. Portugal | France
FOREVERGREEN
A joyful journey that includes an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns severe when the cub is tempted by the attract of simple meals. DIR Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears. USA
MINE!
Within the early twentieth century Midwest USA, deep underground, a gaggle of coal miners make an unbelievable discovery. DIR Lou Morton. USA
DESI OON
Via the story of Balu Mama and his revered flock of Deccani sheep, Desi Oon contrasts a wealthy heritage with the trendy neglect of India’s native sheep and wool business. DIR Suresh Eriyat. India
AMARELO BANANA
After yet one more evening of insomnia, a person comes throughout a wierd neighborhood dwelling in his constructing and discovers an elaborate phantasm they’ve created. DIR Alexandre Sousa. Portugal, Hungary
ONCE IN A BODY
Whereas coping with a wierd being that lives within her, a lady seeks reconciliation along with her sister over an incident from their adolescence. DIR María Cristina Pérez González. Colombia
MURMURATION (ZWERMEN)
An aged man realizes that he’s all of a sudden turning right into a hen. DIR Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger. Netherlands
Documentary Shorts 1
MY MEMORY-WALLS (MES MURS-MÉMOIRE)
Rose G. Lévesque, an nearly nonagenarian painter and poet, painted the story of her life on her home’s partitions to rework it right into a museum. DIR Axel Robin. Canada
LOCAL ONE
The Amazon Labor Union launches a nationwide strike throughout peak vacation purchasing season. LOCAL ONE takes us into the primary days of the strike at two Amazon warehouses in NYC. DIR Stephen Maing, Brett Story. USA
MEMENTO MORI (ZINC)
As rhythmic machines press zinc sheets into coffins, manufacturing facility employees mirror on their very own mortality. Does each day contact with demise heighten their consciousness of life’s impermanence? DIR Ainara Vera. USA
BENEATH WHICH RIVERS FLOW (ابراهيم)
Ibrahim is tethered to the river, reeds and buffalo he tends, however because the rivers dry and the panorama withers, he faces unrelenting forces threatening the one life he’s ever identified. DIR Ali Yahya. Iraq
BIG MONEY: A SPIRITUAL MANIFESTO
Oscar® and Grammy®-winning musician Jon Batiste crafts an album with legendary producer No ID — mixing pleasure, lineage, alchemy and protest into one thing deeply private. DIR David Henry Gerson. USA
WELCOME HOME FRECKLES
After 4 years aside, a daughter returns house to confront the unresolved household conflicts and violence that plagued her childhood, discovering the generational cycle of abuse solely she will break. DIR Huiju Park. UK, South Korea
Documentary Shorts 2
PAVILHÃO
Set in Rio de Janeiro, Aleksia wanders on a journey by means of time — unveiling the origins of samba and its emergence from resilience, pleasure, spirituality and resistance of her Afro-Brazilian neighborhood. DIR Victoria Fiore. Brazil
CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG (如你所愿)
In a wrestle of affection, legacy and perception, a southwest Chinese language household tries to purge an undesirable entity from their queer inheritor. DIR Hao Zhou. Germany, USA
LONG LIVE LIVIA
An animator discusses a scene from the TV sequence, THE SOPRANOS, whereas meticulously crafting stop-motion recreations of his household’s house motion pictures. DIR Zach Dorn. USA
LAB MAN
LAB MAN is a docu-portrait about Arturo Arnold, a grasp of emulsion who processes all of the 8mm and 16mm movement image movie for a busy movie lab in North Hollywood. DIR Neil Butler. USA
SHANTI RIDES SHOTGUN
On Manhattan’s jam-packed streets, NYC’s most iconic driving teacher prepares college students for the street forward. DIR Charles Frank. USA
AL BASATEEN (THE ORCHARDS)
In 2015, the Basateen al-Razi district of Damascus was destroyed as punishment for the inhabitants’s rebellion towards Bashar al-Assad’s regime. A decade later, recollections are woke up, resisting deliberate erasure. DIR Antoine Chapon. France
Dwell Motion Shorts
POSTER BOY
Within the cutthroat world of Nineties boy bands, a determined 16-year-old dancer betrays his greatest buddy and bandmates in a misguided try to safe his spot within the limelight. DIR India Opzoomer. Canada
NERVOUS ENERGY
On the cusp of success/failure, two unhinged feminine filmmakers resolve to interrupt up with their boyfriends and for as soon as, make a daring determination with their lives. DIR Eve Liu. USA
STRANGER, BROTHER
When self-absorbed and lonely millennial Adam wakes to search out his estranged half-brother on his doorstep one morning, he should face the household he’s been operating from. DIR Annelise Hickey. Australia
COYOTES
A Palestinian surgeon drives house after a protracted evening shift, however little does she know {that a} commute by means of a desolate West Financial institution street will change her ceaselessly. DIRECTOR Mentioned Zagha. France, Palestine, Jordan
CASI SEPTIEMBRE
Alejandra struggles with the concern of abandonment. Residing year-round along with her household in a tenting resort, a blossoming romance with a vacationer brings her latent insecurities to the floor. DIR Lucía G. Romero. Spain
Dwell Motion Shorts 2
THE SINGERS
On this movie adaptation of a Nineteenth-century brief story written by Ivan Turgenev, downtrodden patrons commiserating at a lowly pub join unexpectedly by means of an impromptu sing-off. DIR Sam Davis. USA
THE MAN OF SHIT (L’HOMME DE MERDE)
Between school and her luxurious resort job, Fernanda wonders if she’ll ever obtain one thing significant in life. The arrival of The Man of Shit will give her an surprising alternative. DIR Sorel França. France
RED EGG & GINGER
Hannah, a half-white, half-Chinese language teenager, meets her new child, 100% Chinese language half-sister at a conventional Chinese language occasion, forcing Hannah to query her cultural id and the place she matches in her household. DIR Olivia Owyeung. UK
MAJONEZË
Elyria follows the strict guidelines imposed by her father, hiding her anger with obedience. A strong want for rise up grows in her day-to-day that results in a obligatory act of revolution. DIR Giulia Grandinetti. Italy
MERMAIDS (GORGONES)
Summer season holidays in Greece. Below the scorched solar, a flirt pushes two reverse buddy teams on a journey of sexual discovery, lust, consent and full transformation. DIR Dimitris Tsakaleas, Lida Vartzioti. Greece
AFI Conservatory Showcase
A group of brief narrative movies from the latest graduates of the world-renowned AFI Conservatory.
CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 1
THE APPLE PICKER’S SON
Afaaq, a Kashmiri boy with supernatural powers, learns his father will probably be selecting apples in a war-torn area of Kashmir. Afaaq should cease him from leaving earlier than the apples ripen and the harvest begins. DIR Yang Zimik. SCRYang Zimik, Dulguun Bayasgalan, PRODUCER Cathy Ni, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Liz Mealey, EDITOR Shiyi Xie and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Oscar O’Neill. USA
JIA
Jia loves her bestie Nina greater than something, however when Nina tells Jia she desires to attend the varsity dance with a boy and never with Jia as deliberate, a alternative is made that modifications their friendship ceaselessly. DIR Samantha Mandich, SCRSamantha Mandich, PRODUCER Paloma Pinto, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rebecca Richard, EDITOR Sydney Sullivan, and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Natalie Peracchio. USA
PATAKHA
Radha, an 11-year-old lady in rural India, loses her backpack on her first day of labor at a manufacturing facility. She journeys to retrieve the varsity bag and with it, her goals for the long run. DIR Rohit Relan, SCR Umut Ipek, PRODUCER Tiffany Wu, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Brooke Mueller, EDITOR Siddharth Lal and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Reem Alshaini. USA
BEWARE THE WOLVES
Throughout an prolonged keep, Carlisle and his older sister endure strict therapy from their grandmother and ailing grandfather. When Carlisle witnesses a disturbing violation, he should forge a path for his or her escape. DIR Alex Bush, SCR Alex Bush, Annabel Newland, PRODUCER Ilias Kyriakidis, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Matthew Rove Roveto, EDITOR Vaishnavi Upadhyay and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Demie Cao. USA
CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 2
DOG SEES GOD
When a meteor lands in his yard, killing his beloved canine, suburban misfit Atticus channels his grief into his garage-punk band as he wrestles with teenage angst, fractured household dynamics and a rising authorities presence in his neighborhood. DIR Yana Gladkikh, SCR Alex Bush, Ilias Kyriakidis, PRODUCER Andrew Svistunov, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Junxiong Joshua Zhu, EDITOR Zheyu Ian Jiang
and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Shengtao Anakin Li. USA
AZUL
Struggling to deal with her sister’s surprising passing, 17-year-old Azul finds solace in an surprising place: a girl Lowrider Automotive Membership. DIR Santos Arrué, SCR Santos Arrué, PRODUCER Yoko Chen, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alexandra Geneviève Agar, EDITOR Lu Li and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jessica Burnam. USA
BEHIND THE MASK
After a well-known actor’s demise, his estranged daughter seems to be for closure at his home. She discovers a magical theater masks that whisks her again in time to a grand stage the place she comes face-to-face with him as a younger man. DIR Catherine Andre, SCR Catherine Andre, PRODUCER Becca E. Davis, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Simran Sawhney, EDITOR Matthew Gelzer and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Irena Weaver. USA
OLDMAN’S BLUES
Grappling with dementia, eighty-year-old Kang longs to return to China. When a yellow crane seems, reminiscence and actuality blur — guiding his spirit house in a ultimate goodbye seen solely by his granddaughter. DIR Ziyi Zeng, SCR Ziyi Zeng, PRODUCER Tianyu Yang, Ali Buckner, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Keren Paldi, EDITOR Ann Zhao and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Tang Hu. USA
TEEN MARY
Teen Mary will get pregnant by Nazareth’s greatest participant, Gabriel. Dealing with demise, she and her homosexual BFF Joseph hatch a plan: persuade everybody that God is the daddy, turning scandal into scripture to outlive. DIR Ali Rosenthal, SCR Ali Rosenthal, PRODUCER Bridger Zadina, Hector Martinez, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jodi Savitz, EDITOR Carter Huang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Abbie Vance. USA
CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 3
MARASCHINO
When a former centerfold suffers a breakdown on her associate’s birthday, she should outwit her sensible house system on a blood-soaked path to having her personal cake and consuming it, too. DIR Alyssa Cody Garcia, SCR Alyssa Cody Garcia, Simona Galant, PRODUCER Simona Galant, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Mads Fridolin Vejlby, EDITOR Qiqi Deng and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Maui McDonald. USA
POOLBOY
Kaspar is a medical tech recognized with terminal most cancers and 6 months to stay. Confronting mortality, he quits his job to pursue his childhood dream of changing into a Los Angeles pool boy. DIRHaoran Ma, SCR Ben Keeshin, PRODUCER Zhedan Deng, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Simon Gulergun, EDITOR Yu Solar and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Xuefei Rong. USA
FINDING YIYI
After dropping her mom’s cherished dumpling recipe, 65-year-old YiYi embarks on a journey to piece it again collectively, main her to reconnect with a childhood buddy and discover the connection they by no means had. DIR Kim Caicedo, SCR Kim Caicedo, Bao Le Cheok, PRODUCER Michelle Levinger, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bao Le Cheok, EDITOR Attila Tayefeh and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Zaina Tripp. USA
CLUB RATS
When younger golfer Penny wins the membership championship on a doubtful hole-in-one, her standing and popularity are known as into query. Main the cost is Penny’s former lover and fiercest rival, inflicting her to doubt the reality. DIR Grace Francis Godvin, SCR Grace Francis Godvin, PRODUCER Chenning Yang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jasper Khadjenouri, EDITOR Daniel Elder and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Juliana Newman. USA
NIGHT FEEDS
An Arab American mom struggles with postpartum as an evening nurse unsettles her, and warfare floods her screens. This psychological horror the place nightmare bleeds into actuality paints a visceral portrait of motherhood in our time. DIR Rana Roy, SCR Rana Roy, PRODUCER Adia Ivey, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Julia Maixer, EDITOR Joan Mao and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Janhvi Gupta. USA
CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 4
SONG OF SILENCE
In a war-torn 2071 America, Greta should shield a lethal secret in a hidden village of ladies, forcing her to decide on between her solely son’s life and the protection of her neighborhood. DIR Vasilisa Kuzmina, SCR Vasilisa Kuzmina, Daisy Anderson, PRODUCER Qiuping Han, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Dominika Podczaska, EDITOR Yuntong Hazel Dai and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Elli Kypriadis. USA
THE END IS AT HAND
A reclusive telephone repairman discovers a pulsing, slime-covered organism rising inside a mysterious system. When it disappears from his desk, he searches for it — however the extra he seems to be, the extra he dreads what he’ll discover. DIR Japhet Velazquez
SCR Sam Gallen, PRODUCER Sam Gallen, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Diana Dahllund, EDITOR Junwu Tan and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Yuheng Kuang. USA
BEST EYES
Whereas commuting between her inside metropolis neighborhood and elite personal college, a biracial teen varieties a friendship that challenges the model of herself her mom believes will hold her protected — main her towards self-acceptance. DIR Kira Powell, SCR Kira Powell, Lauren Thomas, PRODUCER Tara Austin, Bonnie von Duyke, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Udit Nijhawan, EDITOR Sharon Shen and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Disha Shah. USA
YOU & ME, CHAZ & RODNEY
Greatest associates Elisa and Valerie set out on an journey to Rodney’s home with plans to hook up for the primary time. However because the evening progresses, the curious 13-year-olds are confronted by their very own shifting friendship. DIR Lillian Lion, SCR Lillian Lion, Cecilia Cereijido-Bloche, PRODUCER Yang Qian, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jessica Hayes, EDITOR Elise Beers and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Nicole Baroudi. USA
IRON LAKE
On a scouting journey within the Nineties, a risky teenager expresses secret emotions for an additional boy. When he’s rejected, he’ll go to darkish lengths to maintain his secret hidden. DIR Grant Swanson, SCR Grant Swanson, PRODUCER Annine Fan Zhang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Ioana Vasile, EDITOR Yuchen Bobby Fang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Emily Henninger. USA
CONSERVATORY SHOWCASE 5
JOE HUNT
After his father’s mysterious demise, thirteen-year-old William turns to his imaginary hero, Joe Hunt, for steerage. As they seek for solutions, the road between protector and menace blurs, forcing William to query who he can actually belief. DIR Matthew Genecov, SCR Matthew Genecov, PRODUCER Muqing Evelyn Tang, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Yoshihisa Toda, EDITOR Yiming Wang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Zixi Roey Zhang. USA
TĀ 他
In a bleak, dystopian trendy metropolis, an agent of the underworld intersects with the lives of these misplaced in despair — guiding them on a surreal, transformative journey into demise and past. DIR Jiyuan Ler, SCR Jiyuan Ler, Jack Ruefli, PRODUCER Jack Ruefli, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Arman Meinecke, EDITOR Anushri Srinivasan and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Jing Chen. USA
PAPER BOY
An artist escapes right into a fragile paper world. As his creativeness grows into huge cities and not possible creatures, fantasy blurs with actuality. Because it collapses, he should face the truths he’s hidden and the load they carry. DIR Saulius Baradinskas, SCR Saulius Baradinskas, Juan-Arturo Maldonado, PRODUCER Ella Danna, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Nyssa Glück, EDITOR Wenzhe Brandon Li and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Bing Yi Liao. USA
DANDELION
In Seventies Los Angeles, rebellious queer teen Margaret will get thrown out of yet one more foster placement and finds herself within the firm of a social employee tasked with discovering her a brand new house. DIR Fiona Obertinca, SCR Corey Pinchoff, PRODUCER Tori Ichikowitz, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce Wang, EDITOR Jing Ace Wang and PRODUCTION DESIGNER Ana Visuetti.
In regards to the American Movie Institute (AFI)
The American Movie Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit group with a mandate to champion the shifting picture as an artwork type. Established in 1967, AFI launched the primary complete historical past of American movie and sparked the motion for movie preservation in america. In 1969, AFI opened the doorways of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to coach 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 as one of many high movie faculties in America. AFI’s enduring traditions embrace the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the check of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the inventive ensembles of essentially the most excellent display screen tales of the 12 months; and scholarly efforts such because the AFI Catalog of Function Movies and the AFI Archive that protect movie historical past for future generations. AFI exhibition packages embrace AFI FEST Offered by Canva and year-round exhibition on the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Heart in Maryland. AFI Film Membership is a vacation spot for film lovers from around the globe to have a good time and interact with the artwork type daily. Different pioneering packages embrace workshops aimed toward elevating rising storytellers and expertise, together with AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop. Examine all of those packages and extra at AFI.com and observe us on social media at Fb.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, X.com/AmericanFilm, TikTok.com/@americanfilminstitute and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.
About AFI FEST
Now in its thirty ninth 12 months, AFI FEST is a world-class occasion, showcasing the most effective movies from throughout the globe. This 12 months’s version takes place in Los Angeles from October 22-26, 2025. With an revolutionary slate of programming, the five-day pageant presents screenings, panels and conversations, that includes each grasp filmmakers and new cinematic voices. AFI FEST contains high-profile movies with Q&As that includes the movies’ solid and crew and a strong lineup of fiction and nonfiction options and shorts, offering a one-of-a-kind expertise for film followers. Extra info is offered at FEST.AFI.com. Join with AFI’s movie pageant at Fb.com/AFIFEST, Twitter.com/AFIFEST, Instagram/AmericanFilmInstitute, TikTok/@AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.
About Canva
Launched in 2013, Canva is the world’s main all-in-one platform for visible communication and collaboration. Constructed to empower everybody to design, the corporate serves the inventive and design wants of enterprises, small companies, shoppers, and college students in additional than 190 nations worldwide. Whether or not you’re a novice taking your first steps in design, or a inventive skilled searching for highly effective instruments, Canva ensures customers have what they should rework an thought into one thing stunning. Underpinned by the world’s most complete library of designer-made content material, Canva is powered by a collection of merchandise and proprietary AI instruments which elevate how people and groups create, collaborate, and talk with ease.
Press contact:
American Movie Institute
Shari Mesulam shari@themesulamgroup.com
Associated