Karen Idelson This year’s AFI Fest is back in full glory, featuring a rich lineup of critical favorites plus a slate of five films curated by guest artistic director Greta Gerwig, whose latest film, “Barbie” has grossed $1.4 billion.

Returning to Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre and screening films from October 25-29, the event will feature Gerwig’s curated list of films: “All That Jazz,” “An American in Paris,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” and “Wings of Desire.” AFI Fest will also screen the U.S.

premiere of “Lee,” starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet, who is a producer on the project as well. The biopic follows the life of Lee Miller, a wartime photographer who documented the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, London Blitz and liberation of Paris during WW II. “I think AFI Fest and all film festivals are monuments to the inspirational power of film, the healing restorative power of film, to lift us above the day-to-day issues, and they allow us to dream together,” says Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “Ultimately, I think these festivals remind us of our common humanity.” At this year’s AFI Fest, the 37th edition of the festival, the program features more than 140 titles, including 16 in the World Cinema section, 14 documentaries and 42 in the short film competition, plus 30 films in the AFI Conservatory Showcase presented by AMC Networks.

The program represents work from 49 countries and includes 20 entries vying for the international film Oscar.World premieres include “Leave the World Behind,” written and helmed by Sam Esmail (AFI Class of 2004) and starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali.

AFI Fest: Guest Artistic Director Greta Gerwig Curates Personal Lineup, U.S. Premiere of ‘Lee’ Among Screenings

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