AFI Fest 2024 Lineup Sets Stage for Oscar Voting
The 40th AFI Fest announces its October 21-25 lineup of 157 films, featuring world premieres from Oscar-winning directors.
The AFI Fest 2024 lineup has been unveiled, featuring 157 films ahead of early Oscar voting in November. The 40th edition of the festival will run from October 21 to 25 in Hollywood.
Premiere highlights from acclaimed directors
The festival’s world premieres include new works from multiple Academy Award-winning filmmakers. Mike Leigh presents Tender Loving Care, starring Kate O’Flynn and Marion Bailey. Siân Heder, an AFI DWW+ alum, premieres Being Heumann with a cast featuring Ruth Madeley and Mark Ruffalo. Peter Farrelly, who won an Oscar, brings I Play Rocky starring Anthony Ippolito and AnnaSophia Robb.
Peter Berg’s The Mosquito Bowl features Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård. Brad Bird, an Oscar winner, directs the animated Ray Gunn with Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson. Travis Knight’s animated feature Wildwood has a voice cast including Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, and Mahershala Ali. Ava DuVernay will also screen her film 14th.
International and specialty sections detailed
The festival is organized into several curated sections. The Luminaries program includes 13 selections such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes prize-winner All of a Sudden and Werner Herzog’s Buckfast Tard. The Discovery section features 18 titles, while World Cinema presents 16 films. The festival will also screen 17 documentaries, three After Dark films, and four Guest Artistic Director presentations.
Short films and alumni work feature prominently. The Short Film Competition includes 45 entries. The AFI Conservatory Shows presents 24 films.
Additional notable screenings across sections include Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas and Florian Zeller’s Oscar-winning Bunker. The lineup demonstrates a commitment to diversity, with 45% of the selection directed by women and 32% by BIPOC filmmakers.
| Section | Number of Films |
|---|---|
| Luminaries | 13 |
| Discovery | 18 |
| World Cinema | 16 |
| Documentaries | 17 |
| After Dark | 3 |
| Guest Artistic Director Presentations | 4 |
| Short Film Competition | 45 |
| AFI Conservatory Shows | 24 |
| Red Carpet Premieres | 5 |
| Special Screenings | 12 |
Award-winning filmmakers and recent prize-winners featured
The lineup is filled with films from directors fresh from major international festival victories. Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love won the Silver Lion grand jury prize at Venice. Sandra Hüller, the Berlin Silver Bear winner for best actress, stars in Markus Schleinzer’s Rose.
Recent Cannes winners in the selection include Sandra Wollner’s Everytime, which took the Un Certain Regard award, and Marine Atlan’s La Gradiva, winner of the Critics’ Week grand prize. İlker Çatak’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Yellow Letters is included, as is Stephanie Ahn’s Sundance award-winner Bedford Park.
Other high-profile screenings include Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, and Ira Sachs’s The Man I Love featuring Rami Malek and Rebecca Hall. Beth de Araújo’s Josephine, which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2026 Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition, will also be presented. The festival closes just as early Oscar voting begins in November.
