AFI Fest sets 157 films for 40th edition, from Wildwood to Being Heumann
AFI Fest will screen 157 films for its 40th edition in Hollywood this October.
The American Film Institute announced the complete programme for the festival, presented by Canva, which will run Oct. 21-25, according to Variety. The count is 157 titles. The 40th edition marks four decades for the festival.
The festival will open with the U.S. premiere of animated feature Wildwood. A U.S. premiere means a first public screening in the United States. It will close with Being Heumann, a biographical drama, which holds the final-night slot.
Five titles will get red-carpet premieres, the festival's formal evening showcases with introductions and press coverage. They include I Play Rocky, The Mosquito Bowl and Ray Gunn, according to Variety. Two red-carpet titles are yet to be detailed in the announced list. Each premiere is positioned as a centrepiece screening.
The wider programme is organised in sections by type of film. It includes 12 special screenings, 13 luminaries selections, 18 discovery titles, 16 world cinema selections and 17 documentaries, alongside the red-carpet slots. In festival language, those labels sort the work. Special screenings and luminaries focus on established names, discovery points to newer filmmakers, world cinema gathers international work, and documentaries are non-fiction films.
Special screenings will feature work starring Pedro Pascal, Andrew Scott, Ava DuVernay and Sam Rockwell, according to ABC7 Chicago. The line-up also includes Behemoth. Two late additions, Bunker and Wild Horse Nine, joined the slate, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. All three titles sit within the full 157-film count.
Screenings will centre on the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, according to AFI. The cinema complex is the festival's main base for the five days. Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro serves as Guest Artistic Director, according to the festival site. The role involves shaping part of the programme and appearing at events.
What makes this stand out is the shape. An animated opener for families and a real-life story to close give the five days clear bookends. For fans, this means choice within a short window. Awards-season titles sit beside discovery work and world cinema, all within a few blocks in Hollywood.
