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The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the full lineup for this year’s festival including Sony Pictures Classics’ “Parallel Mothers”, written and directed by Academy Award® winner Pedro Almodóvar, which will screen as a Red Carpet Premiere at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on Saturday, November 13. Individual tickets for in-person and virtual screenings are now available at FEST.AFI.com
The complete AFI FEST program includes 115 titles (48 Features, 1 Episodic, 49 Short Films and 17 Conservatory Showcase Shorts) of which 51% are directed by women, 40% directed by BIPOC filmmakers and 13% are directed by LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. This year’s program represents 50 countries and includes six World Premieres.
“We are excited to celebrate AFI FEST 2021 in person at the historic TCL Chinese theater and showcase both master filmmakers and emerging voices,” said Sarah Harris, Director of Programming, AFI Festivals. “In a time when we need movies more than ever, we look forward to audiences being inspired by the best films from around the world screening at this year’s AFI FEST.”
Returning filmmakers to FEST include Hany Abu-Assad, Andrea Arnold, Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker, Michel Franco, Miguel Gomes, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Céline Sciamma, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Zhang Yimou.
NBC News’ Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI FEST, now in its fifth year, will spotlight 15 compelling short documentaries about pressing issues facing our society. Since its launch, the Meet the Press Film Festival has showcased nearly 100 issue-based short films from nine countries, including more than a dozen Oscar® and Emmy® nominees. This year’s festival will feature five program tracks spotlighting issues from racial and gender equality, immigration and democracy to identity, criminal justice and police reform among others. Films include Bree Wayy: Promise Witness Remembrance by 2021 AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree Dawn Porter about art as a means of protesting and healing; Coded: The Hidden Love OF J.C. Leyendecker, about legendary early-20th century gay illustrator J.C. Leyendecker; and The Train Station, about the Lejac Indian Residential School by Lyana Patrick. The screenings of the films will be followed by conversations moderated by NBC News correspondents and anchors, including Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd.
The films join the previously announced titles which include Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick…BOOM!, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s KING RICHARD starring Will Smith, Academy Award® winner Halle Berry’s directorial debut BRUISED and Academy Award® winner Benjamin Cleary’s feature directorial debut SWAN SONG.
This year’s hybrid festival will feature both in-person screenings and events, as well as virtual screenings, showcasing transformative stories from groundbreaking artists.
With health and safety being top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.
Passes and individual tickets for AFI FEST 2021 are now available at FEST.AFI.com AFI members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.
