The AFI FEST 2007 is being held at the ArcLight theater complex in Hollywood.
Cyrano Fernandez (Venezuela / Spain) at 12:00 p.m. – Writer-director Alberto Arvelo transposes Cyrano de Bergerac to the slum of Caracas. Edgar Ramirez stars in the title role. Jessika Grau is the object of his affection. In Spanish with English subtitles. 100 min.
The Savages (US) at 1:00 p.m. – Laura Linney co-stars with Philip Seymour Hoffman in director-screenwriter Tamara Jenkins' comedy-drama about siblings who are brought together after their estranged father falls ill. 113 min.
Chris & Don. A Love Story (US) at 1:15 p.m. – See Chris & Don post. 90 min.
Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (US) Kent Jones' documentary follows 1940s RKO producer Val Lewton, the man in large part responsible for psychological/atmospheric horror classics such as The Cat People (right, with Simone Simon), I Walked with a Zombie, and Isle of the Dead. Narrated by Martin Scorsese. 77 min; video.
The Counterfeiters (top photo, Germany / Austria) at 3:00 p.m. – Stefan Ruzowitzky's World War II suspense-drama revolves around a black-market forger and Russian Jew (Karl Markovics) who is put in charge of a massive Nazi effort to flood Britain and the United States with counterfeit currency. Also in the cast: August Diehl, German Academy Award winner for best supporting actor Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, and August Zirner. In German with English subtitles. 99 min.
Lynch (US) at 3:45 p.m. – A trip inside David Lynch's mind, as he completes Inland Empire. The documentary is credited to "blackANDwhite," who's expected to attend the screening. Rumor has it that bAw's evil twin, COLor, will also show up. Sit tight. 84 min; video.
AFI FEST's Closing Night Gala: Love in the Time of Cholera (US) at 7:30 p.m. (at the Cinerama Dome) and 7:45 p.m. (at the ArcLight complex) – Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Liev Schreiber, Laura Harring, John Leguizamo, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Benjamin Bratt star in director Mike Newell and screenwriter Ronald Harwood's adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel. Set in Cartagena, Colombia, Love in the Time of Cholera follows a man who waits more than half a century for his one true love. Director Newell is expected to attend the screening. Tickets are $75.00. No need for subtitles as in this film's Colombia everyone apparently speaks fluent English (with Italian, Spanish, American, etc. accents). 120 min.
CHRIS & DON. A LOVE STORY at the AFI FEST 2007
AFI FEST 2007 – Saturday, Nov. 10
AFI FEST 2007 – Friday, Nov. 9
AFI FEST 2007 – Thursday, Nov. 8
Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford at LIONS FOR LAMBS Premiere
AFI FEST 2007 – Wednesday, Nov. 7
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE at the AFI FEST 2007
AFI FEST 2007 – International Shorts Competition