The 5 Biggest Things We're Looking Forward to at 2015 AFI Film Fest
This year’s annual AFI Fest, put on by the American Film Institute in Hollywood, is so jam-packed it requires an interactive schedule to guide attendees. While we could take a few hours to go over everything and the kitchen sink (there are upwards of 100 films being shown) let’s just count off the weeklong festival’s five top highlights:
1. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt steam up the big screen in a big way.
By the Sea, co-starring Jolie and Pitt and also written and directed by Jolie, involves a couple in the 1970s struggling to save their marriage while on a seaside vacation. Does its R rating, for “strong sexuality” and “nudity,” mean Brad and Angie will out-steam their love scenes in 2005’s PG-13 Mr. & Mrs. Smith — the last time they appeared onscreen together? We’ll know tonight when the film’s world premiere kicks off AFI Fest on opening night.
2. Miners’ historic heroism gets theatrical replay.
Starring Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche, and Gabriel Byrne, The 33 recounts the harrowing true of the 2010 Copiapó mining accident that left a group of Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days. Expect lots of attention on Monday’s star-studded world premiere.
3. Will Smith gets serious about football injuries.
In Concussion, Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, an émigré from Nigeria who discovered the severe danger of traumatic head injuries among NFL football players, only to face backlash from the league. Concussion premieres Tuesday at AFI Fest.
4. That other Brad Pitt movie.
The Big Short, inspired by the true tale of small-time financial whizzes who race to cash in on the eminent housing market catastrophe of the 2000s, features an A-list cast of Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Melissa Leo, and Marisa Tomei, along with a cameo from Selena Gomez. The film, written and directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step Brothers), premires during the festival’s closing night gala on Nov. 12.
5. An abundance of virtual reality.
A good portion of this year’s festival is devoted to immersive storytelling and virtual reality (VR). VR films, including Evolution of Verse by Chris Milk, and The Mission by Matthew Gratzner, will be screened (or should we say goggled?) Festgoers can also catch Fast & Furious director Justin Lin’s 360-degree movie on the Google Spotlight Stories app. It’s called Help, and puts viewers in downtown L.A. during an alien attack.
