Lord and Miller to steer AFI Fest 2026 as guest directors
Phil Lord and Chris Miller will guide AFI Fest 2026 as guest artistic directors, choosing extra screenings and leading a public talk during the festival's 40th edition, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The role is a short-term curatorial post. Guest directors pick favourite films to show alongside the main programme and help shape events for audiences and industry guests.
This year's festival, AFI Fest 2026 presented by Canva, runs Oct. 21-25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. It opens with the US premiere of Wildwood, an animated feature from director Travis Knight. Organisers will unveil the full lineup on Sept. 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lord and Miller have selected three films they say helped inspire Project Hail Mary, their space adventure starring Ryan Gosling. The picks are Hal Ashby's comedy-drama Harold and Maude, Jim Henson's road comedy The Muppet Movie and Jules Dassin's heist film Rififi. Project Hail Mary has earned more than $684 million at the worldwide box office, or ticket sales in all markets combined, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The pair will also take part in An Evening with Lord and Miller. That is a live question-and-answer session after a screening of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
What makes this stand out is the range. A Muppet road trip, a 1970s cult romance and a French crime picture do not often sit on the same festival list. For fans, this means a rare look at the older films behind a current box-office hit.
