Thursday, November 4, 2010

AFI Fest 2010


Although the American Film Institute has been involved with providing a film festival since 1971 under various names and in different formats and locations, it was as AFI Film Fest that I first started attending the festival. The last time I went to the festival when it was AFI Film Fest was in June/July 1994 where, over fifteen days, it was held at Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex in Santa Monica, California. During the festival I saw fourteen films, five sets of short films, and attended one seminar titled “Special Effects Seminar: The Creative Process”. Although the ticket price was $7.50, I bought a booklet of twenty vouchers for $100, which I exchanged for tickets; thus the tickets actually cost me $5 - a savings of 33%. Among the films I saw that year were: “Mannen På Balkongen” (“The Man On The Balcony”), “Après L’amour” (Love After Love), “The Wedding Gift”, “Der Gudene Er Døde” (“Where Gods Are Dead”), and “It’ll Have Blinking Eyes And A Moving Mouth”.

Fast forward ten years to 2004 and, sometime in the intervening years, the film festival has become simply AFI Fest. The American Film Institute has partnered with the American Film Market and the festival is now presented in November and the location of 2004’s eleven days of film is the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, California. Attending the festival for the first time in a decade, I see five films and the ticket price is $11. Those five films are: “Matia Apo Nichta” (“Eyes Of Night”), “Tell Them Who You Are”, “Duck Season”, “Crimen Ferpecto” (“Ferpect Crime”), and “Erbsen Auf Halb 6” (Peas At 5:30”).

Now it is 2010 and the AFI Fest begins today primarily at the Mann’s Chinese Theatres (other venues – Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Egyptian Theatre, and the Roosevelt Hotel) in Hollywood, California and goes through Thursday 11 November. I will see five films over the eight-day run and the tickets are free! The five films are:

The Human Resources Manager

Pulsar

Boy

Submarino

Pink Saris

This is the second year that AFI Fest has been free and located at Mann’s Chinese Theatres. I definitely enjoy the free tickets part, though I could do without the crowds and craziness of Hollywood Boulevard. Although the festival may never return further West again, I’m sure I’ll venture out to experience it as long as I’m in the neighborhood.


Image is of the AFI Fest 2010 e-mail banner

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