On Oct.6, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced its 2020 Lineup for the American Film Institute FEST. Tickets become available Oct. 7 and the festival itself will go live Oct. 15 to Oct. 22. 

According to their website, AFI will be presenting 124 films. AFI offers two forms of attendance; passes and tickets. Passes range from $100 to $140 per person, where they include “passholder access” to certain films, packages, meet and greets, and much more. Tickets range from $8 to $15, depending on whether the participant wants a ticket for individual films and events or wanting to attend special presentations. 

Once a film is available for viewing, those who chose to purchase tickets will have “…48 hours to begin watching the film and then 48 hours to conclude viewing.” according to the AFI website

On their website, AFI introduces themselves as a non-profit educational organization that was created in 1967 and is “…dedicated to educating and inspiring artists and audiences through initiatives that champion the past, present, and future of the moving image.” stated on the AFI website. 

IndieWire quoted Sarah Haris, the Director of Programming for the AFI FEST, saying that “AFI FEST is committed to supporting diverse perspectives and new voices in cinema and this year is no different.”

AFI Fest will be presenting work from a wide range of creators such as women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+. 

“While we wish we were able to be together in Hollywood, this year’s festival is an opportunity to celebrate the many great films yet to be discovered by audiences across the nation,” said Haris. 

The Los Angeles Times reported on the American Film Institue on Aug.11 with Michael Lumpkin, who is the director for AFI Festivals, describing the possible trials and tribulations the virtual fest may have encountered, such as a reduction in titles.

“AFI Fest will likely only have a 10% to 20% reduction in the number of titles presented if any reduction at all,” said Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Mark Olsen.

Olsen reported that in 2019, AFI presented over 140 titles. This year AFI will only be screening 124 titles. Olsen also mentioned Lumpkin describing the result of the pandemic shifting festivals and the film industry to change. 

“…We were all in the same boat, everybody’s faced with this new reality that we had to adjust to, whether it’s festivals, filmmakers, distributors, studios — everybody. We’re all in this together and together we’re figuring this out.” said Lumpkin on the Los Angeles Times. 

Though making the festival virtual and getting hit with a reduction of titles to screen, Lumpkin added to the Los Angeles Times article that there is an advantage to making the festival online and easily accessible to those who couldn’t make it. 

AFI is not a source of entertainment, but it is also an opportunity to view art and be able to participate in conversations that arise after viewing these films. As Lumpkin stated to Olsen, “I think there is such urgency for some of these great films and voices to be heard.”. AFI is excited to provide a virtual festival for those who are staying home during COVID-19, as well as many new films for those who would like to participate.