Pedro Almodovar Announced as Guest Artistic Director of AFI FEST 2011

Today the American Film Institute announced that Pedro Almodovar will serve as the Guest Artistic Director of the 25th Annual AFI FEST that runs November 3 through 10, 2011 in Hollywood. The AFI FEST screenings will take place in the historic Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Positioned to kick off the awards season, the AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi also coincides with the American Film Market (AFM), which runs November 2 through 9 in Santa Monica.

Celebrating both the 25th year of the festival and the 25th year of Almodovar’s production company, El Deseo S.A., will be a screening of his 1986 acclaimed film, “Law of Desire,” starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. In today’s press release, Almodovar stated, “I have an enormous respect for AFI FEST, which has always been very generous with me, so I am very honored to be its Guest Artistic Director this year. This will give me the chance to present a selection of some of my favorite films along with one of my own, “Law of Desire,” on its 25th anniversary. I’m looking forward to being in LA this November with my AFI FEST friends.”

Almdovar’s sidebar of films (mentioned above) that have inspired his work will be announced in October. Many of Almodovar’s films have screened at previous editions of AFI FEST, including “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!,” “High Heels,” “All About My Mother,” “Volver,” and “Broken Embraces” to name a few. Festival Director, Jacqueline Lyanga, states, “Almodovar’s work embodies the cross-pollination of cinematic influences that fuel contemporary world cinema. Almodovar’s latest, “The Skin I Live In” opens in LA/NY on October 14.

Announcements of the film selections for AFI FEST 2011 will be made in the Fall. Lovers of film and those who want to sponsor AFI may want to purchase a Patron Package for the festival, which becomes available in September. Check back at the AFI FEST website (AFI.com/AFIFEST) for further details. Also to note, for the third year, AFI will offer a select amount of Free Tickets to all screenings, including galas. Details about getting tickets will be posted on the AFI FEST website closer to the date of the festival (keep checking back). Fall is in the air; awards season is just around the corner. It’s a perfect time to start looking forward to AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi.

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