Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson (top); Gabourey Sidibe in Precious (middle); Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (bottom)
AFI FEST 2009, the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, kicks off next Friday, Oct. 30, with a screening of Wes Anderson's animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox, featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Owen Wilson, among others.
Other gala presentations include Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, starring Christopher Plummer — who'll be the recipient of this year's AFI FEST Lifetime Achievement Award — and featuring Heath Ledger's last performance; Kirk Jones' Everybody's Fine, starring Robert De Niro in this remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's melodrama about a widower on his way to meet his family; and Sundance 2009 winner Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, a coming-of-age drama directed by Lee Daniels, and starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, and Mariah Carey.
The festival, which runs until Nov. 7, will showcase 67 features (54 narrative, 13 documentary) and 26 shorts for a total of 93 films from 32 countries.
AFI FEST 2009 is headquartered at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. All screenings from October 30–November 5 will take place at the Grauman’s Chinese and Mann Chinese 6 theaters in Hollywood with the final two days of the Festival (November 6-7) screening at the Laemmle’s Monica 4-plex in Santa Monica.
Free tickets to all Festival screenings are available online at AFI.com/AFIFEST or by phone at 866-AFI-FEST beginning October 16, at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatre (6925 Hollywood Blvd.), in the Hollywood and Highland Center beginning October 26, and on the day of scheduled screenings via Rush Lines. Early entry to all screenings can be secured by becoming a patron of the Festival and purchasing an AFI FEST Patron Pass. For more details, visit AFI.com.