AFI Fest wrapped its 38th edition this Sunday as the last of the major festivals in the fall preceding awards voting. AFI is an amazing organization in the heart of Hollywood. The festival echoed its mission statement as a leading institution that supports filmmakers, promotes film culture, and preserves film heritage. The AFI Fest showcased many of the best festival films to Los Angeles audiences. It debuted several films with Red Carpet Premieres, hosted documentaries, and shorts, and had some interesting Q&As with filmmakers.
Music by John Williams kicked off the festivities on October 23rd with a heartfelt intro by Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg. Spielberg, who’s worked with Williams 29 times over the past 50, years said, “This is the greatest partner I have ever had in the creative arts”. The Laurent Bouzereau-directed film is a loving tribute to one of the most beloved composers in film history. It gives a lot of background about an artist, who though his work is well known, aspects of his life were not. Bouzereau had amazing access to not only Williams but his frequent collaborators like Spielberg, who provided many of the film’s most touching moments.
Hard Truths, which had already played several festivals, is an impressive character study of a woman played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in a tour de force performance as an angry and depressed woman who fights with everyone. This film, written and directed by legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh, tackles some weighty issues while keeping a lean and entertaining pace. This will certainly be a contender for Best Actress.
In a special tribute to the career of Robert Zemeckis, he was interviewed by his friend and frequent collaborator, American icon Tom Hanks. It was an animated dialogue that showcased Hanks’ uncanny ability to entertain. Overall, it was a warm and fitting tribute to Zemeckis that highlighted many of his most famous films particularly his collaborations with Hanks (Forrest Gump, Cast Away).
Bird is the latest by filmmaker and AFI alumni Andrea Arnold. It did not disappoint. A classic coming-of-age story told in a very unique way with exciting edits and experimental photography that brought a childhood set in Northern Kent. The music alone creates life. Nykiya Adams plays Bailey whom we follow on a journey through her world of public housing, which is fraught with problems, but the movie is fairly upbeat as we see the protagonist survive impossible situations. Barry Keoghan is excellent as her young father and Franz Rogowski shines as the title character, who is an otherworldly presence that sets the tone for its conclusion.
The AFI Conservatory Showcase featured several accomplished films by many young student filmmakers. A standout was The Hicks Happy Hour directed by Kate McCarthy. The story takes place in the world of 1970s variety shows. The tale of a family of performers struck the perfect tone of sentimentality mixed with humorous bits, exploring themes of how we perform even when we are not on stage.
Maria is the latest film by Pablo Larraín, following the last days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas. Maria is played by another legend, Angelina Jolie, in her best performance in years. Expect awards conversation this season. As moderator and Larraín fan, Award Winning Filmmaker Barry Jenkins stated this film had an interesting balance of classic film mixed with lots of experimentation. Maria features stunning cinematography by Ed Lachman, gorgeous Costumes by Massimo Cantini Parrini, and fantastic production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas.
The latest Wallace & Gromit film was fun and breezy. The documentary about Richard ‘Cheech’ Marin and Tommy Chong, entitled Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie, was also great fun and certainly shed light on these talented and popular performers. The film includes new interviews with the duo and some of their collaborators mixed with many excellent clips of them throughout their career together.
One interesting aspect that is included is how much prominent critics were dismissive of their work. Surprising given the fact their first five films are comedy classics that should be shown in repertories and get the prestige treatment from boutique home video labels. Directed by David Bushell, who celebrates their accomplishments while featuring their complicated relationship in a very fair light, never taking sides. They were a force of nature that brought an eclectic mix of styles to a broad audience and became synonymous with marijuana culture, which is now stronger than ever.
It was a fun and well-curated event with loads of magical special guests, screenings, and the unifying and undying love of film. As always, you can’t see everything… I’m still hoping to see Devo, The Order, I’m Still Here, September 5, The Shrouds, Heretic, and The Room Next Door to name a few.
AFI Fest will return with another event in 2025.
