My film festival trek continues this week! AFI Fest presented by Audi begins today, and there’s a lot to look forward to at this virtual film festival. Over 120 titles will be featured at this year’s AFI Fest from October 15 to October 22 featuring movies from many genres and many parts of the world. Diversity in filmmaking and storytelling seems to be a prevalent theme in this year’s lineup, as 53% of the featured films are directed by women, 39% are directed by minorities of brown heritage, and 17% are directed by people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The selection of films cover a variety of categories, which are World Cinema, New Auteurs, Documentary, Cinema’s Legacy, Short Film Competition, Meet the Press Film Festival at AFI FEST and the AFI Conservatory Showcase sections at FEST.

The festival opens tonight with the world premiere of I’m Your Woman, a crime drama based in the 1970’s by Julia Hart and starring Rachael Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arinze Kene, and James McMenamin. AFI Fest will then close on October 22 with My Psychedelic Love Story, another world premiere event based in the 1970’s era, but this time in documentary form examining the drug crime decisions Timothy Leary made through the eyes of his lover. And on October 19, AFI will feature a (now sold out) one night only drive-in screening of One Night In Miami… at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

As you can see, there’s a lot to take in at AFI Fest, so if you’re looking for which films you should have on your radar, you’re in luck! I’ve got a selection of films picked out that I’m really looking forward to seeing. These films stand out to me because of the compelling stories they’re wanting to convey and the cast and filmmakers involved in the projects.

So, without further ado, here are the ten films I’m most excited to check out at AFI Fest 2020:

The Intruder (El Profugo)

It’s October, so naturally I’m drawn to thrillers this time of year. Not to be confused with the 2019 mainstream home invasion film of the same name or this year’s South Korean mystery/thriller Intruder, this is a Spanish language film about a voice actor named Ines (Erica Rivas - The Sleepwalker, Wild Tales) who experiences a horrific event while on holiday. After this, returning to normal life becomes difficult as she begins to notice strange things happening more often.

It’s a premise I’ve easily drawn to. With a trailer that hits a chilling and unsettling tone, there seems to be a fascinating story and a good mystery to be experienced in The Intruder. Director Natalia Meta seems to show a lot of promise as a filmmaker in this sophomore project, and I’m hoping the mystery and suspense lives up to the expectations I have for this film. 

I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)

Director Heidi Ewing uses her narrative feature film debut to tell a poignant story about Ivan (Armando Espitia) and Gerardo (Christian Vazquez), two characters who fall in love and attempt to overcome homophobia, racism, injustice, and the struggle of undocumented immigration, all prevalent and timely social issues that are in desperate need of these kind of intimate stories.

Although Heidi comes from a background of documentary filmmaking, I think her experience in that space  is going to help convey this story in I Carry You With Me in a compelling way.  This movie won the “Next” Audience Award and the Next Innovator Award at Sundance this year, and by all accounts looks to be a beautiful and important film worthy of praise.

The Boy Behind The Door

I love experiencing thriller mysteries, and The Boy Behind the Door seems right up my alley. In what promises to be a tense and suspenseful fight for survival, The Boy Behind the Door follows a kidnapped boy named Bobby (Lonnie Chavis) as he scours through the darkness in an unknown home for his best friend, Kevin (Ezra Dewey).

The premise alone is enough to draw me to this movie. But the trailer solidifies the exact tone I want out of a suspense thriller. And it’s only appropriate that co-writers and co-directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell are described as childhood best friends, which I imagine helped influence this story. And with Justin having extensive experience behind the scenes of major mainstream films in their post production, The Boy Behind The Door could turn out to be the sleeper hit of the year.

Shadow In The Cloud

Thrills continue with Shadow In The Cloud, as Chloe Grace Moretz (If I Stay, The 5th Wave) plays a female pilot during WWII with top secret cargo. She ends up on a bomber plane at the last minute with an all-male crew. Mid-flight, they encounter a shadow in the clouds and have to figure out if it’s an oncoming Japanese fleet, or something worse.

With young mainstream headliners like Chloe Grace Moretz and Nick Robinson (Love, Simon, Jurassic World) director Roseanne Liang seems to have assembled a strong cast for this interesting thriller. And with a synopsis that describes Chloe’s character as “a badass to be reckoned with”, I’m excited to see her play in her wheelhouse, and I’m excited to see how this story plays out.

No Ordinary Man

USA Premiere

Billy Tipton, American Jazz musician, passed away in 1989. For decades leading up to Billy’s death, he lived his life as a trans man, and No Ordinary Man utilizes a combination of in-person interviews, archival television content, and reenactments from trans-masculine actors to dive deep into Billy’s story and explore issues of identity when in the public eye.

This was a film I wasn’t able to catch at the Vancouver International Film Festival, but was praised by my friend and film critic Leanne McLaren in our conversation covering VIFF 2020 favorites. No Ordinary Man seems like an important documentary for exploring talent and identity through Jazz musician Billy Tipton’s story, and I’m excited to see what revelations unfold through this presentation.

Farewell Amor

Walter and Esther fell in love during a civil war in Angola. They had a child, but ended up being separated when Walter left for New York to build a stable life for the family. Little did they know that it’d be 17 years before the family would be reunited, now that they’re back together, things for the family don't go the way they planned.

Farewell Amor presents an interesting and intricate premise that demonstrates how one story has many sides to it. As a feature length narrative debut for director Ekwa Msangi, Farewell Amor seems to demonstrate confidence and assuredness in her ability to tell an authentic story that addresses many familial and social conflicts.

She Paradise

World Premiere

Here’s another culturally rich film I’m excited to check out. She Paradise is about a girl - Sparkle (Onessa Nestor) - in Trinidad who discovers an interest in dance to Soca music when she encounters a free-spirited dance crew. Her interactions with this crew brings her out of her shell, but also leads her to precarious situations that are traumatic, yet help her grow in this coming-of-age tale.

The feature might only be 75 minutes long, but there seems to be a strong, vibrant theatrical experience involved with She Paradise. Not only is this director Maya Cozier’s feature film debut, but AFI is also the world premiere of this film. I’m excited to see how this story plays out and what kind of conversations this film will generate.

Wolfwalkers

USA Premiere

With exquisite animation style and a proven record of captivating storytelling, directing duo Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart present an enchanting Irish tale about a young girl, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), is sent to hunt wolves with her father, Bill (Sean Bean - Lord of the Rings, Possessor). Robyn, however, sneaks out into the forest inhabited by the wolves alone and ends up befriending Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a wild girl raised by the wolfpack. From there, a magical metamorphosis happens to Robyn, as she becomes a wolf herself, building up to an epic final battle between the wolves and the local residents.

I am a fan of Tomm and Ross work in this distinguished animation space. Wolfwalkers is classified as the third part of their Irish folklore trilogy, and if the duo stay true to form in their style of storytelling, I already know I’m going to be impressed with this project.

Sound of Metal

This film sees Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Venom) don another role of a musician with a deteriorating health condition. While he plays the rap artist Zed in the film Mogul Mowgli - a role that sees Zed’s career upended after being diagnosed with a terminal brain condition - Sound of Metal tells the story of a heavy metal drummer named Ruben who begins to lose his hearing.

After experiencing Riz’s incredible performance in Mogul Mowgli at VIFF, I have no doubt he’s going to shine in this compelling role as well. Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, Thoroughbreds) is also someone who draws me to this film. But ultimately, I think Sound of Metal is going to be a compelling movie as a whole and a great flagship film for awareness of the challenges among the deaf community. 

The Father

And finally, my most anticipated movie at AFI Fest is this: The Father. Anthony, played by Anthony Hopkins, is nearly 80 years old, living alone, and extremely opposed to being cared for by nurses. But his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) has decided to move out of London, and Anthony’s memory is failing, causing confusion that makes him question what is real. 

Demand for this movie is high, as I experienced it sell out rapidly both at VIFF and here at AFI Fest. But that makes sense, with a headlining cast that includes Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), and Imogen Poots (The Art of Self Defense, Castle In The Ground) among others, director Florian Zeller has phenomenal talent and an incredible story to work with. This film seems like it’s going to be one of the best films I experience at AFI - and maybe even in all of 2020.

So, these are ten of the films I’m looking forward to checking out over the next week at AFI Fest. Many of these films include virtual Q&A discussions with the filmmakers and actors of the film, adding a little extra value to your $8 or $15 ticket purchase.

But it’s important to point out that in addition to this incredible lineup of films, AFI Fest presented by Audi will also feature their AFI Summit. This is an incredible series of talks with filmmakers and industry leaders about topics that bring important conversation out of the movies and into the spotlight. You can find information about each of these talks here and here. I anticipate attending some of these talks and am excited to see what is discussed and how movies help perpetuate these inspiring topics.

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