The American Film Institute (AFI) has just announced the full festival lineup of their 36th annual AFI Fest, featuring an expansive slate of some of the best films from across the world. The festival, hosted each year exclusively in-person in LA, will take place over the course of five days, running from November 2-6. This year's program includes Academy-nominee Luca Guadagnino's highly-anticipated Bones and All, starring Timothée Chalamet, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and so many more. The world premiere of Apple Original Film's Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me will open the festival and the U.S. premiere of Universal Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s The Fabelmans, directed by Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg, will close the 2022 AFI Fest.
This world-class event brings creators and fans from across the globe together in one place to celebrate the diverse and revolutionary works of established and rising filmmakers. AFI Fest hosts premiere screenings, as well as panels and conversations that include cast and crew, for an impressive bill of fiction, nonfiction features and shorts. This year's lineup presents 125 titles with 7 Red Carpet premieres, 6 Special Screenings, 12 Discovery, 12 World Cinema, 12 Documentary, 30 Short Film, 43 AFI Conservatory and 3 Guest Artistic Director Selections.
The 36th festival boasts that over half of the entries being honored are directed by women, 32% by BIPOC filmmakers and 11% by LGBTQIA+ creators. Representing a worldwide diverse experience, AFI Fest features 31 countries and includes 6 International Feature Oscar submissions: Alcarràs (Spain); Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico); Close (Belgium); Eo (Poland); Joyland (Pakistan) and Saint Omer (France).
AFI members will receive discounts on passes as well as tickets and other exclusive benefits. To become a member you can visit AFI.com/join/. Passes are now available for purchase at FEST.AFI.com. Individual tickets for all screenings will be available to AFI members on October 11, and to the general public on October 12. AFI Fest's Red Carpet Premieres focuses on the most anticipated films of the festival, with world-class filmmakers, actors and artisans. See below for the full rundown of every film in the 2022 AFI Fest lineup.
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Directed by Alejandro G Iñárritu and written with Nicolás Giacobone, Bardo is a black comedy that follows Mexican journalist and documentarian Silverio's existential journey home that will force him to reflect on questions about identity, success, mortality, familial bonds and history. The film stars Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid and Iker Solano.
The Fabelmans
Written and directed by Spielberg, The Fabelmans is an enchanted semi-autobiographical coming-of-age epic that follows Sammy Fabelman, a boy who falls in love with movies and filmmaking, and the turmoil within his family that shapes his future career. Joining stars Michelle Williams and Paul Dano are Seth Rogan, Gabriel Labelle, Judd Hirsch, Jeannie Berlin, David Lynch, Birdie Borria, Cooper Dodson, Gustavo Escobar, Julia Butters, Sam Rechner, Chloe East and Keeley Karsten.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinoccchio
With a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale, Pinocchio is co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson, and is set in 1930s Italy. This is a darkly whimsical, stop-motion retelling that finds Pinocchio on an epic adventure that reveals the life-giving power of love. The ensemble cast features Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton.
Living
This film is a British reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, directed by Oliver Hermanus, that follows a lonely bureaucratic pencil pusher who is struck by a newfound tenacity when he learns of his impending death. Living stars Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp and Tom Burke.
Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me
In a deeply personal documentary, Grammy-nominee and actress Selena Gomez invites fans and audiences along on an eye-opening journey as she navigates the pressures of stardom and seeks to prioritize and destigmatize conversations surrounding mental health. The documentary is directed by Alek Keshishian and co-written with Alek Keshishian and Paul Marchand.
She Said
This poignant film directed by Maria Schrader details the New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s groundbreaking story that helped propel the #Metoo movement, which shattered decades of silence around sexual assault and altered culture forever. The cast stars Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle and Samantha Morton.
The Son
With a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, and directed by the original playwright Florian Zeller, The Son explores the fraught relationship between divorced and newly-married Peter and his troubled teenage son in this affecting sequel to The Father. Starring Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern, the cast also features Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Hugh Quarshie and Anthony Hopkins.
The Special Screenings showcase the most acclaimed films of the season, with a combination of auteurs and upcoming talent, this section is full of unparalleled stories and characters, with unforgettable performances.
Bones and All
Guadagnino’s eagerly anticipated film is a story of first love between Maren, a young woman surviving on the margins of society, and Lee, a disenfranchised drifter. The two find each and themselves on an odyssey of self-discovery and liberation in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are. The cast reunites Chalamet and Guadagnino, and stars Taylor Russell, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz and Mark Rylance.
Is That Black Enough for You?!?
Written and directed by Elvis Mitchell, Is That Black Enough for You?!? constructs a personal history with portrayals of Black life in American cinema, from Oscar Micheaux to the blaxploitation era and beyond, in this joyous love letter to a community and an art.
Le Pupille
Written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón, this is a magical fable about a group of rebellious Catholic schoolgirls blessed with a Christmas cake during wartime. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Rohrwacher. The cast features Alba Rohrwacher, Greta Zuccheri Montanari, Carmen Pommella, Lady Maru, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Melissa Falasconi.
Nanny
Both written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu, Nanny is a horror thriller imbued with magical realism, African folklore and a sense of dread. The story follows Senegalese mother Aisha who's been displaced in New York City, and is suffering horrific nightmares that threaten her sanity. The cast includes Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector and Rose Decker.
Sr.
Directed by Chris Smith, this is the tender, career-spanning portrait of the irreverent, underground filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., and is told through revealing interviews with family members, including his son, actor Robert Downey Jr., and friends such as Alan Arkin, Norman Lear and Paul Thomas Anderson.
Women Talking
Directed and written by Sarah Polley, this is a riveting story where the women of an isolated religious community struggle with an epidemic of sexual abuse. The cast is a stunning ensemble that includes Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.
For the Guest Artistic Director section, AFI Fest will honor the celebrated filmmaker and Academy Award-nominee Ava DuVernay, the producer and founder of the distribution company Array, who will present three independent films that amplify the voices of women directors. Those three films are:
Hellion
This 2014 picture, written and directed by Kat Candler, chronicles the tense tale of thirteen-year-old Jacob whose obssession with motocross and heavy metal, and his delinquent behavior, get his younger brother, Wes, removed from their home and placed with their aunt. In the fallout, Jacob and his emotionally absent father, Hollis, must take responsibility for their actions. The impressive cast stars Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, and Deke Garner.
Mosquita Y Mari
From 2012 and written and directed by Aurora Guerrero, this film follows straight A student Yolanda (aka Mosquita) as she makes the decision to help her struggling classmate, tough girl Mari, with her homework. When an intense attraction evolves between the two, a yearning to explore their strange yet beautiful connection surfaces. This cast features Laura Patalano, Venecia Troncoso and Fenessa Pineda.
Yelling to the Sky
Directed by Victoria Mahoney, this tense 2011 film follows 17-year-old Sweetness O'Hara as her family is falling apart, and she is left to fend for herself in a dangerous neighborhood. Yelling to the Sky stars Zoë Kravitz, Jason Clarke and Tim Blake Nelson.
For World Cinema, AFI celebrates the contributions of global cinema. This section presents the depth and diversity of human culture as seen through the universal language of the motion picture, from the best films from around the globe.
Alcarràs
Director Carla Simón’s neorealist film follows the close-knit Solé family, who pick peaches from their rural orchard every summer, as they struggle to keep up with the changing times. The cast includes Jordi Pujol Dolcet, Anna Otín, Xènia Roset, Albert Bosch, Ainet Jounou.
Before, Now & Then
Set amid the political upheaval of 1960s Indonesia, Nana is pressured to remarry and suffer in silence as she is haunted by the past in this lyrical epic of repressed longing. Directed by Kamila Andini the movie features Happy Salma, Laura Basuki, Arswendy Bening Swara, and Ibnu Jamil.
The Eight Mountains
In this quiet epic, two friends, Pietro from the city and Bruno from a remote mountain village, navigate a lifelong friendship. Directed by Felix van Groeningen, and Charlotte Vandermeersch, the cast stars Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi, Filippo Timi, Elena Lietti, and Elisabetta Mazzullo.
Eo
A playful tribute to Au Hasard Balthazar, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, we experience the beauty and the horror of the human world through the eyes of a donkey. The cast includes Sandra Drzymalska, Tomasz Organek, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Lorenzo Zurzolo and Isabelle Huppert.
The Eternal Daughter
This haunting tale directed by Joanna Hogg stars Tilda Swinton as a mother-daughter duo returning to their former family manor - now a vacant hotel - to confront long-buried secrets. The cast also features Joseph Mydell and Carly-Sophia Davies.
The Five Devils
From French director Léa Mysius, this darkly enthralling and supernatural tale follows a young girl, Vicky, who discovers her highly attuned sense of smell can lead her to secrets from her family’s past. The Five Devils stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, Sally Dramé, Swala Emati, Moustapha Mbengue and Daphné Patakia.
Godland (Vanskabte Land/Volaða Land)
Set in the late 1800’s, an aloof, young Danish priest embarks on a treacherous voyage to Iceland that causes his mind and faith to waver in Hlynur Pálmason’s stunning new epic. The cast features Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Vic Carmen Sonne, Jacob Hauberg Lohmann and Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir.
No Bears
In his latest docu-fiction, Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi plays himself as a filmmaker who relocates to a small town to make a film about a couple attempting to flee the country. Starring Panahi, Naser Hashemi, Vahid Mobaseri, Bakhtiar Panjei and Mina Kavani.
One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin)
Mia Hansen-Løve returns with a finely observed, deeply personal tale of a mother at a crossroads grappling with familial misfortune and a passionate illicit romance. The cast includes Léa Seydoux, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, and Nicole Garcia.
Pacification
Chronicling the beguiling relationship between a French bureaucrat and a Polynesian choreographer, this hypnotic political thriller exposes colonialist corrosion on the island of Tahiti. Directed by Albert Serra, the cast features Benoît Magimel, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Marc Susini, and Matahi Pambrun.
Smoking Causes Coughing (Fumer Fait Tousser)
Quentin Dupieux returns with another delightfully absurdist comedy, featuring a team of spandex-clad vigilante superheroes called the Tobacco Forces who go on a work retreat and share bizarre stories around the campfire. The cast includes Gilles Lellouche, Anaïs Demoustier, Oulaya Amamra and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Walk Up
Successful filmmaker Byung-soo visits old friend Ms. Kim. Their afternoon encounter slowly becomes a years-long exploration of human connection in this sly, gentle study of the passage of time from modern master Hong Sang-soo. The cast features Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hye-young, Song Seon-mi, Cho Yun-hee, Park Mi-so and Shin Seok-ho.
The Discovery section highlights exciting new voices that push the boundaries of contemporary cinema with cutting-edge themes and profound original visions.
Bruiser
In Miles Warren’s piercing feature debut exploring generational violence and toxic masculinity, 14-year-old Darious strikes up an unexpected friendship with a mysterious and charismatic drifter. The cast stars Trevante Rhodes, Shamier Anderson, Jalyn Hall and Shinelle Azoroh.
Close
Director Lukas Dhont’s potent, new film explores how the intense friendship between two sensitive and affectionate 13-year-old boys is abruptly torn apart when school bullies begin mocking their closeness. Featuring Eden Dambrine, Gustav De Waele, Emilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker.
Dry Ground Burning (Mato Seco Em Chamas)
In this expansive hybrid docu-fiction of dystopia and rebellion, two sisters, leaders of a fearsome all-female gang, run a black-market gasoline operation, stealing from the authoritarian Brazilian government.Directed by Adirley Queirós and Joana Pimenta, the cast features Joana Darc Furtado, Léa Alves da Silva, Andreia Vieira, Débora Alencar and Gleide Firmino.
Human Flowers of Flesh
After becoming fascinated with the French Foreign Legion, including a member played by iconic French star Denis Lavant, Ida sets sail for Algeria on a mystical journey across the Mediterranean Sea. Directed by Helena Wittmann, the cast features Angeliki Papoulia, Ferhat Mouhali, Gustavo de Mattos Jahn, Ingo Martens and Denis Lavant.
A Hundred Flowers (Hyakka)
Adapted from director Genki Kawamura’s own novel, this intimate drama follows Izumi as he contends with his mother Yuriko’s dementia. But on his path to acceptance, he uncovers secrets from her complicated past. The film stars Masaki Suda, Mieko Harada, Masami Nagasawa and Masatoshi Nagase.
Joyland
Affable, directionless Haider lands a gig as a background dancer in a courtesan act led by a transgender dancer. Little does he anticipate the sexual rebellion he will ignite in his patriarchal Pakistani family. Directed by Saim Sadiq, the cast features Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer, Salman Peerzada and Sania Saeed.
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre brings to life this sensual adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s classic novel about the recently married Lady Chatterley who begins a passionate affair with a groundskeeper. The cast stars Emma Corrin, Jack O’Connell, Matthew Duckett and Joely Richardson.
Monica
Stoic and self-reliant Monica returns home for the first time in years to care for her ailing, estranged mother as the two confront unspoken tensions in this sensitive family drama. Directed by Andrea Pallaoro, the cast includes Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Browning, Joshua Close and Adriana Barraza.
Piaffe
When a struggling foley artist grows a horsetail out of her body, she begins a game of seduction with a botanist in this skillfully crafted study of control and eroticism from visual artist Ann Oren. The cast stars Simone Bucio, Sebastian Rudolph, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, Bjørn Melhus and Sarah Nevada Grether.
Saint Omer
This searing narrative debut from Alice Diop follows novelist Rama as she contends with her own pregnancy and a broken relationship with her mother. The cast includes Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, Aurélia Petit, and Robert Cantarella.
Trenque Lauquen
When an inquisitive woman discovers secret letters hidden in a local library, she is thrown into a labyrinth of mysteries, disappearances and an unclassified flora species in this sprawling opus from Argentine director Laura Citarella. The cast features Laura Paredes, Ezequiel Pierri, Rafael Spregelburd, Cecilia Rainero, Juliana Muras, and Elisa Carricajo.
Unrest (Unrueh)
Set amidst a local movement of anarchist watchmakers in the Swiss Jura Mountains in the 1870s, a young factory worker meets a Russian traveler and together they transform their town. Direted by Cyril Schäublin, the cast includes Clara Gostynski, Alexei Evstratov, Monika Stalder, Hélio Thiémard, and Li Tavor.
The Documentary section presents some of the most engaging and powerful real-life stories depicted in global documentary film. With subjects and themes both profound and impactful, these works are sure to enlighten, educate and entertain.
32 Sounds
This profound sensory experience from filmmaker Sam Green features an immersive, sonic tour into the history of sound science and experimental music, with original music by JD Samson. Headphones will be provided for this special binaural presentation.
Body Parts
A deep dive into the history of sex scenes in Hollywood and the treatment of actresses on set, showing the real-world impact that onscreen portrayals have after the credits roll. Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Body Parts features Jane Fonda, Rose McGowan, Joey Soloway, Angela Robinson and Karyn Kusama.
The Corridors of Power
Oscar-nominated Israeli documentarian Dror Moreh interviews important players in international politics and diplomacy, in an insightful examination of the complexities surrounding military interventionism.
De Humani Corporis Fabricac
Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab’s radical duo Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor plunge us inside the human body through the gaze of the medical institution for an intimately visceral spectatorship of life and death.
Geographies of Solitude
A richly textured, delicately meditative portrait of Sable Island and one of its lone inhabitants, conservationist Zoe Lucas, captured through a tender encounter between filmmaker and scientist, directed by Jacquelyn Mills.
Mariupolis 2
Documenting a group of Ukrainians sheltered in a Mariupol Christian church during the 2022 Russian invasion, Mariupolis 2 is a testament to human resilience and the harsh realities of war, directed by Mantas Kvedaravičius.
Rewind & Play
French-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis exhumes and re-edits raw footage from an excruciating, never-aired 1969 interview with legendary jazz pianist Thelonious Monk.
Subject
From award-winning filmmakers Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall, Subject unpacks the ethics and responsibilities in documentary filmmaking by examining important works from the past three decades and how these productions have affected the lives of their onscreen participants.
This House (Cette Maison)
Ten years after her teenage cousin’s unsolved murder, Canadian filmmaker Miryam Charles examines fractured memories of the tragedy and her family’s migration from Haiti in this enigmatic feature debut. The cast includes Schelby Jean-Baptiste, Florence Blan Mbaye, Eve Duranceau, Matthew Rankin and Yardly Kavanagh.
Turn Every Page - The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
This remarkable new documentary is a loving tribute to two titans of contemporary publishing, Robert Caro and his prolific editor Robert Gottlieb, as well as a deep dive into the books themselves, directed by Lizzie Gottlieb.
The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari
In 2019, a volcano eruption stranded 47 people in a cloud of steam and ash and claimed 22 lives. This is the story of the incredible rescue mission, directed by Rory Kennedy.
Wildcat
The Amazon rain forest becomes a refuge for a former British solider suffering from PTSD, as he connects with an American scientist, and they reintroduce orphaned baby ocelots back into the wild, directed by Melissa Lesh and Trevor Beck Frost.
The short film program highlights unique voices from around the world. From both emerging and established filmmakers, these shorts push the form of storytelling in inventive, challenging and sometimes hilarious ways — all in 40 minutes or less.
American Scar
When a wedding photographer mistakenly captures a dynamite blast at the U.S.-Mexico border, he discovers a wide-ranging environmental catastrophe that could threaten the future of animal life in North America, directed by Daniel Lombroso.
An Avocado Pit (Um Caroço de Abacate)
Larissa, a transgender woman, and Cláudio, a cisgender man, meet one night in the streets of Lisbon. Two people, two realities, dance their differences away till morning light, directed by Ary Zara.
Bedwetter (Pilona)
Lea, a 10-year-old girl, wets the bed every night. Behind this disorder, there is a hidden secret that makes her a hostile and incredulous child, directed by July Naters.
Birds
Moments in the lives of Austin teenagers during the heat of a Texas summer, directed by Katherine Propper.
Blue Room
In the Pacific Northwest, incarcerated men and women watch nature videos on loop. Blue Room is a meditation and a provocation on the human condition in prison and outside of it, directed by Merete Mueller.
Colony Collapse Disorder (הפרעת התמוטטות המושבה)
Colony Collapse Disorder is an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when bees leave their hive for no apparent reason. Between forest and city, two ambiguous lovers will go on a journey to preserve their togetherness, directed by Amos Holzman.
Creatures of the Night
Athens 2022. Angst and insomnia persist for months. Amidst all this, a charitable robber and anarchist, the Pink Bunny, is roaming the dark, empty city streets, directed by Memi Koupa.
The Debutante
A spirited young woman persuades a hyena from the London Zoo to take her place at a dinner dance held in her honor. Their plan requires a surprising amount of artistry and violence, directed by Elizabeth Hobbs.
Down Home
A sleepaway camp in Elgin, Texas, gives adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to escape societal barriers and have a good ol' time dancing, loving and feeling free, directed by Liz Moskowitz and Riley Engemoen.
Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go
Plagued by overwhelming anxiety about climate change, a filmmaker starts seeing a climate psychologist in hopes that she can find some peace of mind about the end of the world, directed by Sindha Agha.
The Flying Sailor
Two ships collide in a harbor, an explosion shatters a city, and a sailor is blasted skyward. The Flying Sailor is a contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence, directed by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis.
Hallelujah
After being stuck under the guardianship of their annoying, bookworm nephew, two brothers in Compton, CA, must decide if they are willing to accept the responsibility of being caretakers, directed by Victor Gabriel.
Haulout
Off the Russian Arctic coast in a wind-battered hut, a lonely man waits to witness an ancient gathering. But warming seas and rising temperatures bring an unexpected change, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed, directed by Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev.
How to Be a Person: How to Get an Abortion
If Alfie hadn’t dumped her, Sanam would never have booty-called Jawad. Now Sanam needs to get an abortion. How does she even do that and what will her Baba say if he finds out? Directed by Sindha Agha.
Humans Are Dumber When Crammed Up Together (Les Humains Sont Cons Quand Ils S'empilent)
Locked up in their own apartments, some neighbors tell the camera about the little troubles of life in their community. Little by little, when everything piles up, it's enough to drive one mad, directed by Laurène Fernandez.
It's Raining Frogs Outside (Ampangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likol)
The world is about to end. Maya is forced to go home to the province of Zambales. There, she confronts her childhood house that terrorizes her as frogs rain outside, directed by Maria Estela Paiso.
Kylie
A ballerina from Los Angeles speaks her truth about passion and pain in the dance industry, directed by Sterling Hampton.
Love, Barbara
A short documentary about the iconic legacy of pioneering lesbian experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer, through the lens and love of her partner of over 30 years, Florrie Burke, directed by Brydie O'Connor.
Lucienne in a World Without Solitude (Lucienne Dans Un Monde Sans Solitude)
In a world without solitude, where everyone shares their life with their double, Lucienne has a relationship with Paul, a former lover who has lost his twin, directed by Geordy Couturiau.
Melancholy of My Mother's Lullabies
A mother sings lullabies to her 12-year-old daughter in order to calm her down. When the lullabies end and the daughter comes to her senses, the reality turns out to be life-altering, difrected by Abinash Bikram Shah.
Neighbor Abdi (Buurman Abdi)
Somali-born Abdi reenacts his life, marked by war and criminality, with the help of his neighbor and filmmaker, Douwe. They embark on a candid journey through a painful history, directed by Douwe Dijkstra.
Nest
A story of siblings building a treehouse together over the course of a year. We experience the beauty and brutality of the seasons, as we follow them through their struggles and moments of joy, directed by Hlynur Pálmason.
Nice to Meet You All
Nice to Meet You All is a celebration of a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder who has survived human trafficking rings in the U.S, directed by Guen Murroni.
Not Even for a Moment Do Things Stand Still
Visitors from across the nation gather at a sea of white flags to honor loved ones lost to COVID-19. As they mourn en masse, we witness their many expressions of loss and humanity, directed by Jamie Meltzer.
On Xerxes' Throne
At the Perama shipyard, a ban on physical contact has turned human interaction into otherworldly simulations. The suppression of touch has transformed the boatyard into a charged landscape of repressed sensuality, directed by Evi Kalogiropoulou.
Sierra
A father and his son are losing the folk race. In order to win, the boy turns himself into a car tire. Loosely inspired by the director's childhood, Sierra pulls us into the surreal car racing world, directed by Sander Joon.
The Spiral
A WhatsApp audio begins, and with it, a downward spiral unfolds. The voice of a woman sinking into a health anxiety attack quickly entangles a complex labyrinth of fears and emotions, directed by María Silvia Esteve.
The Swarmers (Schwarmtiere)
Karla is new at a highly traditional boarding school. Because she breaks the nose of popular classmate Pombert on her very first day, her social decline becomes inevitable, directed by Alison Kuhn.
Yokelan, 66
In Manhattan’s Chinatown, 66-year-old widowed Yokelan goes to dance class. She wants to find love again, directed by Yi Tang.
Zoon
Small shimmering animals are in heat. A two-legged forest dweller encounters the lustful group. He and his companions snack on the little creatures and soon a feast begins, directed by Jonatan Schwenk.
The AFI Conservatory Showcase is a collection of short fiction films from the most recent graduates of the world-renowned AFI Conservatory.
And I Miss You Like A Little Kid
When a lonely depressive falls for an older punk during the early days of the pandemic, he soon finds himself trapped in his apartment with her abuse, directed by Benjamin Hosking.
Aves
After a sudden encounter with a mysterious student, a tenured ornithologist and war veteran is forced to remember the realities of his past, directed by Eli Snyder.
The Basics of Love
After getting caught amidst a robbery on New Year's Eve, Liz and Lefty, co-workers in the city sanitation department, are caught off-guard by feelings for one another that they didn't know they had, directed by Joshua Nathan.
Before You
An African American police officer, who is seven months pregnant, patrols South Mississippi on a graveyard shift that she will never forget, directed by Gia-Rayne Harris.
Black Whole
When a haunting black hole appears in their yard, a pregnant couple must face their fears of miscarriage, to eliminate the phenomenon before it consumes them, directed by Brett Calkins.
Carrion
In an isolated desert motel, a young girl digs up a rotting carcass — and later that night, something long-buried is unearthed in her mother, direted by Yvonne Zhang.
Cherubs
A reserved teenager feels seen for the first time when an older counselor at an arts camp takes her under his wing. As boundaries blur, she reckons with the consequences of self-discovery, directed by Anne-Sophie Bine.
Children of Change
In a last desperate environmental plea, a teen girl will do to her own body what we're doing to the earth, directed by Nitzan Levinson.
Chorus
After missing his wife's phone call goodbye on the morning of September 11th, a now listless and brokenhearted music teacher must harmonize with his increasingly reckless 14-year-old son, directed by Daniel J. Egbert.
Cowboy Pecan Pie
A seven-year-old boy enters an imaginary Wild West as he musters the courage to stand up to his sexual abuser, directed by Paul Cadenhead.
Cure
In the near future a fugitive finds both animosity and refuge in a secret community where people are free from a surveillance barcode burned onto every citizen, directed by Tianyu Tina Gu.
Daddy
A uniquely twisted coming-of-age story about an aspiring porn star who spends the summer of 1980 in her family’s dilapidated desert motel by sleeping with every man who passes through, directed by Jo Steinhart.
Dave the Fiance
When a life-changing accident leaves Dave in the hands of his soon-to-be father and brother-in-law, he must protect the family or risk destroying everything they have, directed by Andrew Jasperson.
Desert Dream
A young Korean foreign exchange student gets expelled and decides to spend his last day living the American Dream, directed by Dante Jiayu Liu.
The Emissaries
Three emissaries from a new wave cult seeking land to settle on are tasked with acquiring a ranch at all costs from an old couple who refuse to sell, directed by Jesse Nesser.
End of Day
When a corporate worker decides to chase his dream of being a stand-up comedian, the office transforms into a surreal nightmare that tries to convince him to stay by using his insecurities against him, directed by Alfredo Rodriguez-Allen.
The Erl King
When a young woman from a strict, religious family suddenly finds herself seduced by an ancient woodland god, she falls into a romance that threatens to consume her on the 1800s frontier, directed by Genevieve Kertesz.
Finding Vega
A coming-of-age story of a rebellious Chinese American girl named Xing who has a passionate love for the starry sky and discovers the complexities of her ill mother's love and spirit, directed by Joey Xuetong Zhao.
Fire Born
Ruby, who lost her mother at birth to gun violence, works as a cop in Los Angeles. Drawing her gun to stop a robbery, she finds herself in the same situation as when she was born, directed by Daniel Carsenty.
Five
After spending seven years in prison, Malcolm seeks to mend his relationship with his mother while devoting himself as a consistent and faithful new convert to Islam, directed by Davir Orantes.
Gorditx
Kung-fu-obsessed Ursula discovers she’s not the only outcast at an exclusive country club summer camp. With a golf tournament looming, Ursula hopes to prove her worth with the help of Chef Cormac, directed by Malik Cherifi.
Head of a Woman/ Head of a Man
A lost young man, struggling with his sense of self, encounters St. Francis of Assisi in the woods. The two share an intimate connection that forges an unwavering love, directed by Michael Dorsey.
I Thought the Earth Remembered Me
A queer love story about a terminally ill woman who journeys back to the place where she once lived with the love of her life, directed by Prem Santana.
Kiss & The Shark
In a polluted world, Kissy (11) attempts to save a beached shark by taking it home, directed by Lola Blanche Higgins.
Lane Five
A young woman struggles to care for her father with Alzheimer's, only to have him suddenly vanish from the house when her back is turned, directed by Matthew Sliger.
Magdalena
Czechoslovakia, 1971. A Slovakian woman cannot shake the demons of her horrific past as they come back to haunt her and threaten to destroy the life she's tirelessly trying to build, directed by Michael Lazovsky.
Moxie
An exclusive orgy in Los Angeles doesn’t go as planned, directed by William Venus Means.
My Life Stopped at 15
A visit to a skating rink triggers Sofia into a world where she must confront her pain in order to break free from her past, directed by Nicole Mejia.
One Man Band
A depressed organ recipient embarks on a life-changing journey to fulfill the last wish of his donor by forming an amateur band with the donor’s other two organ recipients, directed by Dekang Liu.
The Portrait
Celebrating the five-year anniversary of his clothing line, fashion designer Dorian Gray must decide whether or not to sell his company to accomplished designer Cornelius Black, directed by Razzaaq Boykin.
Ringing Rocks
A young man supporting his boyfriend's recovery from paranoid delusions takes him on a romantic getaway to an isolated desert resort, only to start questioning his own grip on reality, directed by Gus Reed.
Ritmo
Just as young love begins to blossom for a high-school boy, he is faced with an important decision: to live out his Abuela’s dream, or create his own, directed by Stacy Pascal Gaspard.
San Gabriel Valley
Ten months after she moved to the United States with her husband Qinyi, Supin learns her favorite student at the Chinese piano shop is about to leave the country, directed by Dante Jiayu Liu.
Shedding Angels
In search of an outfit for a costume party, a young man steals war uniforms from an elderly woman’s yard sale… but pays the price in the most unexpected way, directed by Freddy Macdonald.
Soredia
During an improvised trip to Ojai, a self-conscious French girl studying in the U.S. finds herself lost and desperate for a sense of belonging, directed by Julia Ponce Diaz.
Suck Hard
Reeling from an earth shattering break up, 17-year-old Zoe must confront all that is left of her first love: a cardboard box of “stuff," directed by Eva Neuwirth.
Tian Hei Hei
A young girl growing up in a Shanghainese gambling den must protect her friend and survive the violent world of petty gangsters by relying on her wits, directed by Jina Miao.
To The Dust
Living in the expanse of the Wild West, a disabled woman is forced to fight not only the elements but also her own grief when confronted with an unexpected loss, directed by Sophia Youssef.
Under the Roses
A lawyer getting a divorce goes to see an old girlfriend for what he hopes is a date, only to learn that she wants him to convince her son to forgo his dream, directed by Henry Wolf.
Waiting for Spring
A sci-fi love story about a woman on Mars trapped by grief, directed by Ryan Michael Brown.
We Were Meant To
Akil, an African American teen, has wings and one goal: to take his first flight, directed by Tari Wariebi.
Why Don't You Like Me?
A ride-share driver's five-star rating starts to suddenly go down, directed by Irina Storozhenko.
Zenaida
An undocumented Filipino-Muslim caregiver who works for an aging diva suffering from dementia, secretly borrows her glamorous wardrobe for his new drag act. Complications arise when the diva mistakes him for a thief, directed by San-San Onglatco.