Hit the break to check out the full list of films screening this year and if you’re not an AFI member you can begin ordering your free tickets October 30th. The festival will be taking place in Los Angeles from November 7 – 14.
GALAS
Opening Night
SAVING MR. BANKS – The extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and author P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) proceed to turn her novel into the film MARY POPPINS. DIR John Lee Hancock. SCR Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith. CAST Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Emma Thompson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak. USA. North American Premiere.
Thursday, November 7, 2013.
Centerpiece Galas
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY – In this dramatic comedy with an all-star cast, a crisis reunites the women of an Oklahoma family and reignites their dysfunction. DIR John Wells. SCR Tracy Letts. CAST Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard. USA.
Friday, November 8, 2013.
OUT OF THE FURNACE – In this all-star, griping drama, a steel mill worker (Christian Bale) searches for his brother (Casey Affleck) in one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast. DIR Scott Cooper. SCR Scott Cooper, Brad Ingelsby. CAST Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe. USA. World Premiere.
Saturday, November 9, 2013.
THE LAST EMPEROR 3D – Winner of nine Oscars®, this visually sumptuous drama has been transformed into 3-D by director Bernardo Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. This presentation will be the North American Premiere of the 3D version of the film. DIR Bernardo Bertolucci. SCR Mark Peploe, Bernardo Bertolucci. CAST John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O’Toole. China, Italy, UK, France.
Sunday, November 10, 2013.
NEBRASKA (featuring a Tribute to Bruce Dern) – Bruce Dern stars as a stubborn elderly man who travels to Nebraska with his son (Will Forte) to collect sweepstakes money in this elegant, black-and-white bittersweet journey. DIR Alexander Payne. SCR Bob Nelson. CAST Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, June Squibb. USA.
Monday, November 11, 2013.
LONE SURVIVOR – Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and survival, the film tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight to the finish. DIR/SCR Peter Berg. CAST Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Ali Suliman, Alexander Ludwig, Eric Bana. USA. World Premiere.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY – Director/actor Ben Stiller adapts James Thurber’s classic story – about a daydreamer who escapes his anonymous life through his fantasies – with sweeping scope and stirring intimacy. DIR Ben Stiller. SCR Steve Conrad. CAST Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn. USA.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013.
Closing Night
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – This epic on an intimate scale by the Coen brothers portrays a week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. DIR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. SCR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. CAST Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake. USA.
Thursday, November 14, 2013.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
HER – From the singular perspective of Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) comes HER, an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world. Set in Los Angeles in the near future, the film follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. DIR/SCR Spike Jonze. CAST Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde. USA.
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN – Nelly (Felicity Jones), a happily married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) with whom she discovered an exciting but fragile complicity. DIR Ralph Fiennes. SCR Abi Morgan. CAST Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas. United Kingdom.
JODOROWSKY’S DUNE – The story of legendary cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s staggeringly ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel DUNE. DIR Frank Pavich. USA.
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM – Based on South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography of the same name, which chronicles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild the country’s once segregated society. DIR Justin Chadwick. SCR William Nicholson. CAST Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Terry Pheto, Deon Lotz. South Africa.
THE PAST (LE PASSÉ) – Following a four year separation, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns to Paris from Tehran, upon his estranged French wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo)’s request, in order to finalize their divorce procedure so she can marry her new boyfriend Samir (Tahar Rahim). During his tense brief stay, Ahmad discovers the conflicting nature of Marie’s relationship with her teenage daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet). Ahmad’s efforts to improve this relationship soon unveil a secret from their past. DIR/SCR Asghar Farhadi. CAST Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet. France, Iran, Italy.
PHILOMENA – Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee,” PHILOMENA focuses on the efforts of Philomena Lee (Dench), mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock, something her Irish-Catholic community didn’t have the highest opinion of, and given away for adoption in the United States. In following church doctrine, she was forced to sign a contract that wouldn’t allow for any sort of inquiry into the son’s whereabouts. After starting a family years later in England and, for the most part, moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Coogan), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to discover her long-lost son. DIR Stephen Frears. SCR Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope. CAST Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Michelle Fairley, Barbara Jefford, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mare Winningham, Sophie Kennedy Clark. United Kingdom.
THE UNKNOWN KNOWN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DONALD RUMSFELD – The latest from Errol Morris focuses on former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Probing and insightful, Morris is the unequalled master of unpacking and contextualizing our recent shared history. DIR Errol Morris. USA.
WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (32 titles)
This section presents new work by many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers.
BABY BLUES – DIR/SCR Kasia Rosłaniec. Poland.
BETHLEHEM – DIR Yuval Adler. SCR Yuval Adler, Ali Waked. Isarel.
BORGMAN – DIR/SCR Alex van Warmerdam. Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark.
CHILD’S POSE – DIR Călin Peter Netzer. SCR Răzvan Rădulescu, Călin Peter Netzer. Romania.
CLOSED CURTAIN – DIR Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi. SCR Jafar Panahi. Iran.
THE CONGRESS – DIR/SCR Ari Folman. Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg.
AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN IRON PICKER – DIR/SCR Danis Tanovic. Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia.
EXHIBITION – DIR/SCR Joanna Hogg. United Kingdom.
GABRIELLE – DIR/SCR Louise Archambault. Canada.
GLORIA – DIR Sebastián Lelio. SCR Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza. Chile, Spain.
GRAND CENTRAL – DIR Rebecca Zlotowski. SCR Gaëlle Mace, Rebecca Zlotowski. France, Austria.
THE GREAT BEAUTY – DIR Paolo Sorrentino. SCR Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello. Italy, France.
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN – DIR/SCR Biyi Bandele. Nigeria, United Kingdom.
HELI – DIR Amat Escalante. SCR Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes. Mexico, France, Germany, Netherlands.
JUVENILE OFFENDER – DIR Kang Yi-kwan. SCR Kang Yi-kwan, Park Joo-young. South Korea.
LA JAULA DE ORO – DIR Diego Quemada-Diez. SCR Diego Quemada-Diez, Gibrán Portela, Lucía Carrera. Mexico, Spain.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON – DIR/SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. Japan.
THE LUNCHBOX – DIR/SCR Ritesh Batra. India, France, Germany.
MANAKAMANA – DIR Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez. Nepal, USA.
MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN – DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. Iran.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – DIR Thomas Imbach. SCR Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka, Eduard Habsburg. Switzerland, France.
THE MISSING PICTURE – DIR Rithy Panh. SCR Christophe Bataille. Cambodia, France.
MOEBIUS – DIR/SCR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea.
OMAR – DIR/SCR Hany Abu-Assad. Palestine.
OUR SUNHI – DIR/SCR Hong Sang-soo. South Korea.
THE ROCKET – DIR/SCR Kim Mordaunt. Australia.
STRANGER BY THE LAKE – DIR/SCR Alain Guiraudie. France.
TOM AT THE FARM – DIR Xavier Dolan. SCR Xavier Dolan, Michel Marc Bouchard. Canada, France.
VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR – DIR/SCR Denis Côté. Canada.
WE ARE THE BEST! – DIR/SCR Lukas Moodysson. Sweden.
WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM – DIR/SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. Romania, France.
THE WIND RISES – DIR/SCR Hayao Miyazaki. Japan.
AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS SELECTIONS (6 titles)
The American Independents section features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers.
AWFUL NICE – DIR Todd Sklar. SCR Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie. USA.
BLUE RUIN – DIR/SCR Jeremy Saulnier. USA.
BREATHE IN – DIR Drake Doremus. SCR Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones. USA.
CAUCUS – DIR AJ Schnack. USA.
CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO – DIR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Karlyn Michelson. SCR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory. USA.
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE – DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins. SCR Dutch Southern. USA.
BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (4 titles)
B FOR BOY – DIR/SCR Chika Anadu. Nigeria.
North American Premiere.
CONGRATULATIONS! – DIR/SCR Mike Brune. USA.
LITTLE BLACK SPIDERS – DIR Patrice Toye. SCR Ina Vandewijer, Patrice Toye. Belgium.
MY AFGHANISTAN – LIFE IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE – DIR/SCR Nagieb Khaja. Denmark.
MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (5 titles)
This section showcases comedy and horror programming worth staying up late for.
BIG BAD WOLVES – DIR/SCR Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshlaes. Israel.
THE GREEN INFERNO – DIR Eli Roth. SCR Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo. USA, Chile.
R100 – DIR/SCR Hitoshi Matsumoto. Japan.
THE SACRAMENT – DIR/SCR Ti West. USA.
THE STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS – DIR/SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. Belgium, France, Luxembourg.
CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (3 titles)
THE COURT JESTER (1955) – DIR/SCR Norman Panama, Melvin Frank. USA.
MARY POPPINS (1964) – DIR Robert Stevenson. SCR Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi. USA.
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) – DIR/SCR Jacques Demy. France.
PRESENTATIONS SELECTIONS (2 titles)
The Whitewater Films Roundtable
Micro-Budget Filmmaking – The New Paradigm
Producer and Director Rick Rosenthal brings the famed Whitewater Films roundtable to AFI FEST for a conversation about how micro-budget filmmaking has emerged as the new paradigm for independent filmmakers. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Rosenthal’s micro-budget film DRONES.
DRONES – DIR Rick Rosenthal. SCR Matt Witten. USA.
Michael Stevens presents HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE
Special guests join director Michael Stevens for a panel discussion about the influence of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Stevens’ HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE.
HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE – DIR Michael Stevens. SCR Sara Lukinson, Michael Stevens. USA.
