The 2018 AFI Film Fest is set to begin on November 8th and run through November 15th. Once again the festival will be held in the heart of Hollywood. "On the Basis of Sex" has been selected to open the fest and will also make its world premiere. Felicity Jones plays Ruth Bader Ginsberg when she was a young lawyer (and long before she becomes a Supreme Court Justice) trying to bring before the US Supreme Court a case to end gender discrimination. Armie Hammer plays her husband, Martin Ginsberg and also features Justin Theroux, Sam Waterson and Kathy Bates.
While most of this year's Gala Screenings have already made a splash at other fests like the Coen Brothers' western, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", Steve McQueen's heist drama, "Widows" and the Audience Award winner at the Toronto Film Festival, "Green Book", there will be a couple of world premieres.
One is the latest film from Susanne Bier, "The Bird Box", a post-apocalyptic thriller which stars Sandra Bullock as a mother who must flee with her children to a place that might offer sanctuary. But this will have to be done blindfolded in order not to look directly at the mysterious force that has destroyed most of the world. The other is the premiere of a new Netflix series by Chuck Lorre ("Two and 1/2 Men"), "The Kominsky Method". Oscar-winners, Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin star as two old friends trying to maneuver through life in LA now that they are no longer young and appealing. The first three of the eight episode series will be screened.
Special screenings will include Pawel Pawlikowski's black & white 1950's Poland set love story, "Cold War"; "Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes", a documentary on the late Fox News executive; "Roma", Alfonso Cuaron's semi-autobiographical drama of the life of an upper-middle-class family in 1970's Mexico City; "Stan & Ollie", a bio on the career of Laurel & Hardy, the legendary Hollywood comedy team which stars John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan; and "Vox Lux", the second film from actor turned director, Brady Corbet that stars Natalie Portman as a pop star whose music video inspires a school shooting and how that links to a tragic event in her past. Ms Portman will appear after the screening on November 9th for a conversation at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
An evening to honor Nicole Kidman will be held on November 13th with a gala screening of her latest, "Destroyer", a gritty cop drama directed by Karyn Kusama. Ms Kidman will be in attendance and a discussion with the Academy-Award winner will be followed after the film.
There will be special sections at the fest which includes New Auteurs to showcase upcoming filmmakers; American Independents that will represent the best of indie film making; World Cinema which will feature some of the most celebrated International films of the year (that includes seven official Best Foreign Language Oscar submissions), Cinema's Legacy Program and Midnight line-up.
And "Mary, Queen of Scots" has been picked to be the Closing Night film. After briefly being the Queen of France before becoming a widow, Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) decides to return to her home in Scotland to claim her throne. But Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) now rules over both Scotland and England which creates an intense political rivalry and power struggle between them. This debut feature from theater director, Josie Rourke will makes it world premiere at the festival.
For the complete list of films, to get tickets (which will be free once again) or purchase a pass or gala package, please click below:
2018 AFI Fest
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