37th AFI Fest to feature world premieres of ‘Leave the World Behind’ and ‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’

Ray Richmond
·4 min read
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The world premiere of the Sam Esmail-directed Netflix feature “Leave the World Behind” starring Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali along with four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke will open the 37th AFI Fest on October 25, while the world premiere of the Amazon Studios documentary “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” while play as a centerpiece film at the festival on October 27. Additionally, “Maestro,” the Leonard Bernstein biopic from Netflix that’s directed by and starring Bradley Cooper and co-starring Carey Mulligan, will close the fest on October 29. All will be screened at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

AFI Fest runs October 25-29 and will include a curated selection of red carpet premieres, special screenings, world cinema, documentaries and shorts.

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Here is the full lineup:

  • “Leave the World Behind” – In this apocalyptic thriller, Amanda (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world. (Begins streaming December 8 on Netflix.)

  • “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” – A new documentary about the life and career of the billionaire writer, actor, filmmaker, studio head and media tycoon Tyler Perry is directed by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz and is a joint venture of Amazon Studios and Bekele Films. It’s described as “a nod to Perry’s mother’s love and a tender, intimate portrait of visionary and innovator Perry.” Perry’s mother Willie Maxine Perry died in 2009. (Begins streaming November 17 on Prime Video.)

  • “Maestro” – The Leonard Bernstein biopic focuses on the legendary composer of “West Side Story” and his relationship with wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. Bradley Cooper portrays Bernstein, Carey Mulligan his wife. (Has a limited theatrical release on November 22 before hitting streaming over Netflix beginning December 20.)

  • Albert Brooks: Defending My Life – Lifelong friends Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks enjoy an intimate conversation about Brooks’ life and career.

  • “All of Us Strangers” – The latest from director Andrew Haigh is a moving, metaphysical ghost story that explores love, loss and memory. Stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy.

  • “American Fiction” – Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut stars Jeffrey Wright in a razor-smart satire that confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Also features Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. The Toronto Audience Award winner at this month’s Toronto International Film Festival.

  • “The Bikeriders” – The rise and fall of a Chicago motorcycle gang is given epic treatment in director Jeff Nichols’ film, featuring Tom Hardy, Austin Butler and Jodie Comer.

  • “The End We Start From” – BAFTA award-winning British director Mahalia Belo makes her feature debut with a tense and unexpected survival thriller starring Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Mark Strong, Katherine Waterston and Benedict Cumberbatch.

  • “Fingernails” – Greek director Christos Nikou makes his English-language debut with this lo-fi sci-fi feature about the clash between our over-reliance on technology and the primal drive to find true love. It stars Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White, Luke Wilson and Annie Murphy.

  • “Freud’s Last Session” – Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode deliver crafty performances as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, two great minds whose intellectual sparring demonstrates both men’s formidable strengths and emotional vulnerabilities. From director Matthew Brown.

  • “Memory” – Haunted by their past, Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) and Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) have a chance encounter that opens new possibilities for their future in this heart-wrenching melodrama by Mexican director Michel Franco. The cast also features Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Jessica Harper and Josh Charles.

  • “Quiz Lady” – In this heartfelt and hilarious comedy, Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star as mismatched sisters who go on a cross-country road trip to appear on the legendary game show “Can’t Stop the Quiz.” The director Jessica Yu. The extended cast includes Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale and Will Ferrell.

  • “Society of the Snow (La Sociedad de la Nieve)” – Director J.A. Bayona brings thrills and emotional gravitas to the tragic, true story of the crashed Uruguayan Flight 571 in this ferocious Spanish-language survival epic, Spain’s Oscar® submission for Best International Feature. The cast features Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, Esteban Bigliardi and Diego Vegezzi.

Tickets for AFI Fest are available for purchase beginning October 2 at https://fest.afi.com/tickets.

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