AFI FEST 2020: ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’ to close, ‘The Father’ lands in Special Presentations

Erik Anderson September 21, 2020

(L-R): Timothy Leary and Joanna Harcourt-Smith in MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY (Joanna Harcourt-Smith/Courtesy of Showtime)

Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced that the 34th edition of AFI FEST presented by Audi will close with the World Premiere of the Showtime Documentary Films’ MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY. The film is directed by Academy Award^®-winning director Errol Morris and explores the dark side of the Timothy Leary saga, and how his doomed relationship with Joanna Harcourt-Smith put the final nail in the coffin of the 1960s counterculture.

The World Premieres of PINK SKIES AHEAD (DIR Kelly Oxford), THE REAGANS (DIR Matt Tyrnauer) and REALLY LOVE (DIR Angel Kristi Williams), in addition to THE FATHER (DIR Florian Zeller), FIREBALL (DIR Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer) and A SUITABLE BOY (DIR Mira Nair) will screen as Special Presentations at this year’s festival.

“Celebrating the diversity of great cinematic storytelling, our Special Presentations offer our audience the opportunity to experience new stories and new voices at this year’s AFI FEST,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI Festivals. ”From first-time directors and established masters to fiction and nonfiction to series, these outstanding projects films affirm the vitality and creativity of our resilient film community.”

Closing Night

MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY – Directed by Errol Morris, the film looks at why Leary, the High Priest of LSD, became a narc in 1974 and seemingly abandoned the millions he urged to turn on, tune in and drop out. Was his “perfect love” Joanna Harcourt-Smith a government pawn, as suggested by Allen Ginsberg? Or was she simply a rich, beautiful, young woman out for the adventure of a lifetime? Morris and Harcourt-Smith reexamine this chaotic period of her life and explore the mystery of the Leary saga: his period of exile, reimprisonment and subsequent cooperation with the authorities. Devotion or selfishness? Perfect love or outright betrayal? Destiny or manipulation? The film is inspired by Harcourt-Smith’s memoir, TRIPPING THE BARDO WITH TIMOTHY LEARY: MY PSYCHEDELIC LOVE STORY.

Special Presentations

THE FATHER – Living alone in London and nearing 80 years old, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) has refused another nurse that his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) has set up for him. Exuberant and independent, Anthony has struggled with his memory beginning to slip away. Anne announces she is moving to Paris with a new boyfriend, but later in the living room Anthony sees a stranger claiming to be Anne’s husband. Who is this man? Confusion sets in. Academy Award®-winner Hopkins delivers a brilliant performance of a man with dementia, creating a powerful cinematic experience of memory and loss. Based on his award-winning play, Florian Zeller has crafted a moving and insightful portrait of a cruel disease and the heartbreak it brings.

FIREBALL – Leave it to Werner Herzog to interrupt a world-renowned planetary scientist who has just made the simple yet astonishing statement that, “We are all stardust. Every element in our body was synthesized in other stars before it got here.” Herzog waves his hand in front of the camera. The scientist looks momentarily perplexed and then Herzog blurts out: “I think I am not stardust. I am Bavarian!” After a pregnant pause, the scientist bursts into laughter. It is a quintessentially Herzogian moment. In this fascinating and delightful scientific, cultural and philosophical treasure hunt, Herzog and his co-director, the volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, crisscross the globe, seeking answers to the great mysteries locked inside the flaming balls of interplanetary debris that have hurled themselves at our defenseless planet for billions of years.

PINK SKIES AHEAD – Los Angeles, 1998. After dropping out of college and moving back home to live with her parents, Winona is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Skeptical of her doctor’s opinion — she hasn’t had a panic attack after all —Winona carries on with her wild lifestyle. Only when things begin to truly unravel around her, does she reluctantly decide to see a therapist and face her truths. Jessica Barden gives a magnetic performance as the passionate and struggling Winona. The directorial debut film of Kelly Oxford, based on her essay “No Real Danger,” PINK SKIES AHEAD is a powerful and empathetic portrait of mental health often hidden beneath the surface.

REALLY LOVE – Set in a gentrifying Washington, DC, a rising Black artist, Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe), spends most of his days pouring his heart into his paintings but still struggles to find his place in the prestigious and competitive art world. At a gallery show, Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing), an impressive and intelligent law student, catches his eye. A chance encounter is one thing, but the stars align and they meet again, leading to a whirlwind romance. When both Isaiah and Stevie hit crossroads in their careers, they are forced to consider if their relationship is a love for a season or a love for a lifetime. In director Angel Kristi Williams’s debut feature, she delivers a poignant look at the sacrifices we make for careers and life-changing relationships. This well-crafted script by Felicia Pride and Williams is complemented by an impeccable soundtrack and incredible art.

THE REAGANS – Directed by Matt Tyrnauer, this four-part Showtime series focuses on the rise and reign of America’s ultimate power couple: Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Chock full of evocative archival footage and illuminating contemporary interviews, THE REAGANS asserts Nancy’s central role in her husband’s career, shines a light on the darker aspects of the Reagans’ climb to power and provides a revelatory perspective on how the political tactics used in the ‘60s and ‘70s are a progenitor of our current national politics.

A SUITABLE BOY – 1951. In a newly independent India, passionate literature student Lata Mehra defies tradition, and her meddling mother’s wish to choose her a husband. Torn between family duty and the excitement of romance, Lata embarks on a journey of love and heartache as three very different men try to win her heart. Also threatening to break with tradition is the charming but directionless Maan Kapoor, whose romantic entanglements begin to jeopardize his father’s political career. As Lata and Maan attempt to shape their futures, India too is coming of age. Only a few years after independence from British colonial rule, tensions are high as its people prepare to campaign and vote in their first democratic general election. A Lookout Point production for the BBC, internationally distributed by BBC Studios.

AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

AFI FEST 2020 will take place online October 15-22, 2020 and will open with the World Premiere of I’M YOUR WOMAN (DIR Julia Hart).

Audi returns for the 17th year as the exclusive Presenting Sponsor of AFI FEST, enabling the festival to host the very best of world cinema. Audi and their visionary support reflect a continuing commitment to create opportunities for equality in film and television. Audi also supports AFI through the Audi Fellowship for Women, a full-tuition scholarship created in 2017 to support promising female directors entering the AFI Conservatory. This Fellowship is part of the Audi commitment to drive progress and a landmark investment in the future of the storytelling community.

Audi is the exclusive presenting sponsor of AFI FEST 2020. Additional top sponsors include AT&T and APPLE.

The full festival lineup and schedule will be unveiled in October. Passes will be available at FEST.AFI.com on September 28. Individual tickets will be available for purchase for AFI members and for the general public on October 7.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.