The Circuit

AFI FEST 2008 has announced its full lineup with honors going to actress Tilda Swinton and helmer Danny Boyle.  Boyle will be feted after a screening of his latest film, "Slumdog Millionaire" while Swinton gets a career achievement honor.

The 22nd edition of the fest will open with the world preem of Joe Wright's "The Soloist" (pictured) and close with Edward Zwick's "Defiance".  In between is a decidedly international selection of fest faves with few world premieres.

Artistic Director Rose Kuo said, “This year’s selection of international films shows a commitment to cinematic innovation and a renewal of a tradition of realism in cinema."

Following that trend, the World Cinema section includes a number of pics with stark themes including Cannes winner "The Class" about the French school system, Matteo Garrone's Italian crime pic "Gomorrah," and Steve McQueen's "Hunger" dramatizing Bobby Sands' hunger strike in an Irish prison. 

The Narrative competition will see Alejandro Tocar's coming-of-ager "Acne" (pictured), Yemil Sefani's family drama "Lake Tahoe," and one of the few world preems in Rafael Monserrate's comedy "Poundcake."  The docu competish has Kief Davidson's boxing doc "Kassim The Dream" and Alexandra Westmeier's "Alone in Four Walls," about the Russian juvie system. 

Helmer Michael Almereyda will preem his experimental pic "Paradise" in the Alt Film program while the Homage to XStream program will unspool Jia Zhangke's "24 City" and Yu Lik-wai's "Plastic City."

Getting special screening slots are Paul Schrader's "Adam Resurrected," Rian Johnson's "The Brothers Bloom," and Kelly Reichardt's "Wendy and Lucy," starring Michelle Williams.


FULL LINEUP

GALAS

THE SOLOIST (World Premiere)
CHE 
THE WRESTLER
DEFIANCE (World Premiere)


SPECIAL SCREENINGS

ADAM RESURRECTED
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
A CHRISTMAS TALE
HOT DOG
IDIOTS AND ANGELS
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD
SUGAR
TOKYO!
TWO LOVERS
WENDY AND LUCY

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

FOOD FIGHT
TRUTH IN 24
THE WORLD WE WANT

WORLD CINEMA

ACHILLES AND THE TORTOISE
AFTERSCHOOL
BIRDSONG
THE CHASER
THE CLASS
DIVIZIONZ
EVERLASTING MOMENTS
FINALLY, LILLIAN AND DAN
GOMORRAH
A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK & SEXY
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE WEIRD
HUNGER
I’M GONNA EXPLODE
KISSES
A NECESSARY
O’HORTEN
A QUIET LITTLE MARRIAGE
REVANCHE
SKIN
SUMMER HOURS
THREE BLIND MICE
TWO-LEGGED HORSE
VISIONEEERS
WAITING FOR SANCHO
WALTZ WITH
WELLNESS
WORLD’S APART

ARGENTINE SHOWCASE

BLOOD APPEARS (LA SANGRE BROTA)
HEADLESS WOMAN (LA MUJER SIN CABEZA)
IMAGINADORES
LA VIE DES MORTS
LION’S DEN (LEONERA)
LIVERPOOL
RABIA (LA RABIA)

HOMAGE TO XSTREAM

24 CITY
PERFECT LIFE (WAMMEI SHENHUO)
PLASTIC CITY (DANGKOU)

KAZAKHSTAN SHOWCASE

CHOUGA
NATIVE DANCER
TULPAN

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION

3 WOMEN
ACNE
BETTER THINGS
THE DESERT WITHIN
THE HIGHER FORCE
INVOLUNTARY
LAKE TAHOE
NILOOFAR
NIRVANA
POUNDCAKE
PROPER EYES
THE REST OF THE NIGHT

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

ALONE IN FOUR WALLS
IMAGINADORES
INTIMACIES OF SHAKESPEARE AND VICTOR HUGO
KASSIM THE DREAM
THE LAST DAYS OF SHISHMAREF
PINDORAMA - THE TRUE STORY OF THE SEVEN DWARVES
UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US

DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE

AGILE, MOBILE, HOSTILE: A YEAR WITH
GOGOL BORDELLO NON-STOP
HI MY NAME IS RYAN
OF ALL THE THINGS
PLAYING COLUMBINE
PRODIGAL SONS
WITCH HUNT

ALT_CINEMA

BEFORE THE FALL
DEADGIRL
GACHI BOY WRESTLING WITH A MEMORY
THE JUCHE IDEA
PARADISE
STILL ORANGUTANS
TIME CRIMES

MILESTONES

THE HUSTLER (1961) (Paul Newman MILESTONE)
MAJOR DUNDEE (1965) (Charlton Heston MILESTONE)
NED KELLY (2003) (Heath Ledger MILESTONE)
ROUTINE PLEASURES (1986) (Manny Farber MILESTONE)
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999) (Anthony Minghella MILESTONE)
THEY SHOOT HORSES DON’T THEY (1969) (Sydney Pollack MILESTONE)