Ava DuVernay named Guest Artistic Director of AFI Fest 2022

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay will serve as Guest Artistic Director at AFI FEST 2022. DuVernay has selected three independent films amplifying the voices and vision of women directors to showcase: HELLION (2014), directed by Kat Candler and starring Academy Award-nominee Juliette Lewis and Aaron Paul; MOSQUITA Y MARI (2012), directed by Aurora Guerrero; and YELLING TO THE SKY (2011), directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Academy Award-nominee Gabourey Sidibe and Zoë Kravitz. In addition to the screenings, Ava DuVernay will moderate a special panel with the directors, who are part of the historic all-women directorial roster for the acclaimed drama series QUEEN SUGAR.    

“AFI FEST holds a special place in my heart and career. My feature directorial debut I WILL FOLLOW made its Los Angeles premiere at AFI FEST 2010,” said DuVernay. “I still remember the feeling of validation and encouragement. It meant so much to me as a first-time woman director to be seen and embraced. So, it is a true honor to be invited to serve as the Guest Artistic Director. In this position, I’ve chosen to spotlight the role of women directors in independent cinema by sharing the work of three remarkable helmers: Kat Candler, Aurora Guerrero and Victoria Mahoney. This trio of filmmakers cut their teeth in indie film and have gone onto direct dynamic work in all formats following their television debuts on my series QUEEN SUGAR. With this programming, I want to wave a flag for what can happen when women have the opportunity and support that is consistent with our male counterparts. Beautiful things blossom. My thanks to AFI FEST for agreeing with and amplifying that notion.”  

“The world looks to visionary artists to create a brighter future, and Ava DuVernay is leading the way,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO.  “We are honored to shine a proper light upon her selections – films that will inspire audiences and artists alike.”

Previous Guest Artistic Directors for AFI FEST include Pedro Almodóvar, Bernardo Bertolucci, Agnès Varda and David Lynch, an Alumnus of the AFI Conservatory.

AFI FEST 2022 will take place exclusively in person in Los Angeles from November 2-6. The festival opens with the World Premiere of the Apple Original Film documentary SELENA GOMEZ: MY MIND AND ME and the U.S. premiere of Universal Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s THE FABELMANS, directed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, will close AFI FEST 2022. The film recently world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won the TIFF People’s Choice Award.

Red carpet premieres include BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS, directed by Academy Award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu; the U.S. Premiere of GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO, directed by Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro and Emmy Award winner Mark Gustafson; IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?, directed by Elvis Mitchell; LIVING, directed by Oliver Hermanus; SHE SAID, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Maria Schrader; and THE SON, directed by Academy Award winner Florian Zeller. All films will screen at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

Passes to AFI FEST 2022 will be available starting October 3 on FEST.AFI.com. Tickets will be available starting October 11 for AFI members and October 12 for the general public.

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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.

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