J.C. Chandor’s only got three feature films under his belt, but there’s a good chance every single one of them will wind up with some awards season glory. His feature directorial debut, Margin Call, earned him a Best Writing Oscar nod, then All Is Lost scored Robert Redford a Best Performance nomination at the Golden Globes and now we’ve A Most Violent Year poised to earn some acclaim of its own.
The American Film Institute just announced that the movie will celebrate its world premiere as the Opening Night Gala of AFI Fest 2014. Hit the jump for more on A Most Violent Year. The film is set to hit theaters on December 31st and stars Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola and Albert Brooks.
Isaac and Chastain lead as Abel and Anna Morales, a couple trying to hit it big in New York City in 1981, one of the most violent years in the city’s history. Here’s what AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga had to say about this year’s opener:
“J.C. Chandor has put together a remarkable crime drama, which is also an immersive period piece and morality tale that resonates on an emotional level. Chandor is a talented director who takes risks with every film that he makes and A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is no exception. It is a great film with which to open the festival and begin the audience's eight-day journey through a landscape of extraordinary contemporary cinema.”
AFI Fest takes place in Hollywood, California and is due to kick off on November 6th with the A Most Violent Year screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre and wrap up on November 13th.
Here’s the official synopsis for A Most Violent Year:
Set in 1981, during one of the most crime-ridden winters in New York City's history, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR follows the lives of Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac and Chastain) as they attempt to capitalize on the American Dream, while the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.
