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AFI Fest Presented By Audi Celebrates 20 Years November 1-12, 2006
35 YEARS SINCE FAMED PRECURSOR FILMEX FOUNDED IN 1971
FILMEX Alum Peter Bogdanovich Performs His One-Man Show, 24-Hour Movie Marathon Charity Fundraiser, Additional Festival Day, Web Timeline and Database Project Among Planned Activities
LOS ANGELES, CA, August 28, 2006—Inviting one and all to “Take the Journey,” AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival today unveiled plans for celebrating 20 years of AFI FEST and 15 years of FILMEX through a series of commemorative events, series and special programs throughout the eleven day festival. AFI FEST 2006 will be held from November 1-12, 2006 and will be headquartered once again at ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood.
“In 2006, as AFI FEST celebrates 20 years as a program of the American Film Institute, it will also be re-connecting with its FILMEX legacy,” says Christian Gaines, Director of AFI FEST. “Celebrating the art of filmmaking is at the heart of AFI’s national mandate. Our Festival has done this proudly for more than 20 years—and we think the future will be even more exciting. AFI believes in the importance of the communal activity of going to the movies. AFI FEST looks forward to delivering one of the best examples of that experience in 2006.”
“This is much more than a history lesson, this is history in the making, and recognizing the legacy that “the Garys” (FILMEX founders Gary Essert and Gary Abraham) created is long overdue,” says Tom Pollock, partner of the Montecito Picture Company, former FILMEX co-founder and Chairman, former Chairman of AFI’s Board of Directors and current Vice Chair and former Chair of Universal Studios. “Whether it was Luis Bunuel’s first-ever appearance in the United States with DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGOISE (1972), Alfred Hitchcock arriving in a Universal tour bus for the premiere of FAMILY PLOT (1976), or Laurence Olivier’s last public appearance with A LITTLE ROMANCE (1979), FILMEX and AFI FEST have always been critical Los Angeles forums for celebration and discovery. Now’s the time to honor this astonishing legacy.”
AFI FEST emerged in 1987 when the American Film Institute adopted the venerated FILMEX: Los Angeles Film Exposition. FILMEX was founded in 1971 and dramatically expanded the audience for alternative film events in Los Angeles, becoming at its peak in the mid-seventies the largest public film event in the world and one of only a handful of film festivals in the United States. While film festivals have multiplied throughout the world, FILMEX is still venerated for its range of films and all-encompassing and ambitious aesthetic.
LOS ANGELES DEBUT OF PETER BOGDANOVICH’S SACRED MONSTERS:
At the 2004 Telluride Film Festival and in an encore performance the following year, director, actor and dead-on raconteur Peter Bogdanovich brought down the house with Sacred Monsters, a fascinating first-person account of the legends he has encountered throughout his career in Hollywood.
Not many people can claim friendships with Cary Grant, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, or testier relationships with filmmaking icons John Ford and Howard Hawks. Bogdanovich, 66, hasn't only "done that" by making films such as THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and PAPER MOON. He has also "been there" with many of the greats, as interviewer and sometimes as accomplice. Sacred Monsters is a formal presentation of what Bogdanovich has done for years at parties and in several books—provide a first-person anecdotal history of Hollywood.
For the first time, Bogdanovich will bring Sacred Monsters to Los Angeles, performing the one-man show as part of AFI FEST’s 20 years celebration (his THE LAST PICTURE SHOW premiered on November 4, 1971 at the inaugural FILMEX). Sacred Monsters will be presented one-night only on November 9, 2006 at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theatre.
“I have a fond place in my heart for AFI FEST and FILMEX for many reasons,” says Peter Bogdanovich. “The impact it had on my life—and on everybody who makes pictures—is, and continues to be, enormous.”
24-HOUR MOVIE MARATHON CHARITY FUNDRAISER
AFI’s Hollywood Campus will host a 24-hour Movie Marathon kicking off at noon on Saturday, November 11 with a screening of THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. The retrospective program, which will showcase both popular as well as lesser-known titles from FILMEX and AFI FEST, will play back-to-back for 24 hours at AFI’s Mark Goodson Theatre, before a dedicated group of ‘passport’-holding audience members. These ‘Movie Marathoners’ will raise money for the Global Fund by encouraging family and friends to sponsor them through each film screened in the 24-hour Marathon. The Global Fund was created to finance a dramatic turn-around in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. More information about the Global Fund is available at theglobalfund.org.
“Movie marathons were a programming staple in the FILMEX days, but the increasingly frantic pace of our modern lives frames it more as a nice idea but a tough commitment.” explains AFI FEST Director Christian Gaines. “By offering participants the opportunity to raise money for the Global Fund, we’re giving people a chance to make a contribution to a relevant cause—and see some superb films in the process.”
FILMEX AND AFI FEST TEAM UP WITH BASELINE STUDIOSYSTEMS FOR INTERNET ‘TIMESPINE’ AND DATABASE PROJECT
Following extensive research in AFI, Academy and UCLA archives, AFI FEST researchers will launch a Web site in the Fall which offers users the ability to search FILMEX (1971 – 1985) and AFI FEST (1987 – 2006) through a Flash-driven site featuring graphics, photos, film clips, news clippings and memorable moments from the Festivals.
In an unprecedented and ambitious archiving project, official AFI database provider Baseline StudioSystems is also developing an accompanying searchable database allowing complete access to over 6,000 AFI FEST and FILMEX titles dating back to 1971. "We are thrilled to assist AFI in building a database that commemorates the rich and diverse history of AFI FEST. Creating this searchable database ensures that the hard work of all people and companies involved in the creation of these wonderful films will be forever recognized. We look forward to continuing to grow the database as AFI FEST furthers its rich legacy," says Rafi Gordon, President of Baseline StudioSystems.
EXTRA FESTIVAL DAY:
To accommodate the additional anniversary activities, AFI FEST has added an extra day to the Festival—expanding the event to twelve nights and eleven days—kicking off with Opening Night on Wednesday, November 1, 2006 instead of the traditional Thursday opening. AFI FEST will announce the Opening Night film as well as its other Gala selections in the next few weeks.
About AFI FEST:
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Celebrating 20 years as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi will span 11 days in November, featuring international competitions of brand new films from emerging filmmakers, global showcases of the latest work from the great film masters and nightly red-carpet gala premieres.
In 2005, with 129 films from 44 countries, AFI FEST was host to 522 filmmakers and guests from 35 countries. More than 60,000 attendees descended upon the AFI FEST Village in the heart of Hollywood for hundreds of screenings, receptions and special events, with the majority of activity headquartered the state-of-the-art ArcLight Hollywood complex.
The American Film Market (AFM), November 1 – 9, 2006 is the market partner of AFI FEST. Together, AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival/market event in North America. As the largest motion picture trade event in the world, AFM draws film community leaders from around the globe. Each year over 8,000 attendees converge on Santa Monica for deal making, screenings, seminars, networking and parties. For more information, visit www.americanfilmmarket.com.
Additional information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com. |
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