AFI Fest 2023 Announces Lineup

The last big festival of the year is the AFI Film Fest. It is well positioned to push some films into the race that might have been left behind. The big get is Freud’s Last Session, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode deliver crafty performances as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, as the World Premiere. No trailer for the film yet, but here is a look at the play. The fest takes place October 25-October 29. Whether the actors strike will be over by then is a different question. Passes are now available at their site.

Here is the full lineup:

RED CARPET PREMIERES

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND

In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (MR. ROBOT), Amanda (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world. DIR Sam Esmail. SCR Sam Esmail. CAST Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, Kevin Bacon. USA

MAESTRO
MAESTRO is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). A love letter to life and art, MAESTRO at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love. The film reunites Cooper with Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique (AFI Class of 1992) and is co-written by Cooper and Oscar® winner Josh Singer (SPOTLIGHT). Produced by Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Cooper, Fred Berner and Amy Durning. DIR Bradley Cooper. SCR Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer. CAST Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton, Miriam Shor. USA

MAXINE’S BABY: THE TYLER PERRY STORY

MAXINE’S BABY: THE TYLER PERRY STORY, directed by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz, grants the audience unfettered access to the inner world of Tyler Perry, whose story has never fully been told, as he becomes a father and a media mogul with a mission to pave his own road to the top. The film is a profound lesson on remembering where you came from to know where you want to go. Bekele produced the film under her Bekele Films banner alongside Jasmine K. White and Asante White. DIR Gelila Bekele, Armani Ortiz. SCR Gelila Bekele. USA

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Showcasing the most acclaimed films of the season from an exciting combination of international auteurs and emerging talents, this section features unparalleled and unforgettable stories, characters and performances.

ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE
Lifelong friends, Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks, enjoy an intimate conversation about Brooks’ life and career. DIR Rob Reiner. USA

ALL OF US STRANGERS
The latest from director Andrew Haigh (45 YEARS, WEEKEND) is a moving, metaphysical ghost story that explores love, loss and memory. DIR Andrew Haigh. SCR Andrew Haigh. CAST Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy. UK

AMERICAN FICTION
Cord Jefferson’s (SUCCESSION, WATCHMEN) hilarious directorial debut stars Jeffrey Wright in a razor smart satire which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. DIR Cord Jefferson. SCR Cord Jefferson. CAST Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown. USA

THE BIKERIDERS
The rise and fall of a Chicago motorcycle gang is given epic treatment in Jeff Nichols’ magnificent THE BIKERIDERS, featuring Tom Hardy, Austin Butler and Jodie Comer in career-best performances. DIR Jeff Nichols. SCR Jeff Nichols. CAST Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus. USA

THE END WE START FROM
BAFTA award-winning British director Mahalia Belo (THE LONG SONG) makes her feature debut with a tense and unexpected survival thriller starring Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Mark Strong, Katherine Waterston and Benedict Cumberbatch. DIR Mahalia Belo. SCR Alice Birch. CAST Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Katherine Waterston, Gina Mckee, Nina Sosanya, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch. UK

FINGERNAILS
Greek director Christos Nikou makes a bold English-language debut with this charming lo-fi sci-fi about the clash between our over-reliance on technology and the primal drive to find true love. DIR Christos Nikou. SCR Christos Nikou, Sam Steiner, Stavros Raptis. CAST Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, Luke Wilson, Annie Murphy. USA

FREUD’S LAST SESSION
Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode deliver crafty performances as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, two great minds whose intellectual sparring demonstrates both men’s formidable strengths and emotional vulnerabilities. DIR Matthew Brown. SCR Mark St. Germain. CAST Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode. USA

MEMORY
Haunted by their past, Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) and Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) have a chance encounter that opens new possibilities for their future in this heart-wrenching melodrama by Mexican provocateur Michel Franco. DIR Michel Franco. SCR Michel Franco. CAST Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Jessica Harper, Josh Charles. USA, Mexico

QUIZ LADY
In this heartfelt and hilarious comedy, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star as mismatched sisters who go on a cross-country road trip to appear on the legendary game show CAN’T STOP THE QUIZ. DIR Jessica Yu. SCR Jen D’Angelo. CAST Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, Will Ferrell. USA

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (LA SOCIEDAD DE LA NIEVE)
Triumphantly returning to Spanish language cinema, J.A. Bayona brings breathless thrills and emotional gravitas to the tragic, true story of the crashed Uruguayan Flight 571 in this ferocious survival epic. Spain’s Oscar^® submission for Best International Feature. DIR J.A. Bayona. SCR J.A. Bayona, Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marques, Nicolás Casariego. CAST Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, Esteban Bigliardi, Diego Vegezzi. Uruguay, Spain

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