AFI Fest Sets Nicole Kidman Tribute with ‘Destroyer’ Gala

The 2018 AFI Fest will host An Evening With Nicole Kidman. The event will include a conversation with the Academy Award-winning actress (The Hours) in a tribute to her career, followed by a Gala screening of her latest film, Annapurna Pictures’ Destroyer, on Tuesday, November 13th, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

The news comes right on the heels of the announcement of some major shakeups at Annapurna, including its president Chelsea Barnard stepping down and the studio dropping two high-profile films from its roster, including the all-star Roger Ailes/Fox News pic that is set to star Kidman. 

Director Karyn Kusama’s Destroyer is a crime thriller starring Kidman in as hardened detective Erin Bell, worn down to the nub by the rigors of her job and the aftermath of an undercover FBI sting gone horribly wrong. When an old nemesis (Toby Kebbell) resurfaces, Erin, haunted by guilt and loss, becomes hell-bent on finding him — seizing her last shot at redemption.

Review: Nicole Kidman in ‘Destroyer’ (★★★½)

The film is written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (AFI Conservatory Class of 1995), both of whom also produced alongside Fred Berger.

It was announced last week that Denzel Washington would be receiving the AFI Fest’s 47th Life Achievement Award. 

AFI Fest will run November 8-15 in various venues in Hollywood. Mimi Leder’s On the Basis of Sex will have its world premiere as the opening night film, and Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots will have its world premiere as the closing night film.

• Author
• Recent Posts

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.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• 2024 North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) Winners: ‘Anora’ Named Best Film Among its Six Awards - December 21, 2024
• 2024 Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) Nominations - December 21, 2024