Lord and Miller: A Cinematic Deep Dive at AFI FEST 2026

AFI FEST 2026 welcomes "Project Hail Mary" filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller as this year's Guest Artistic Directors. The festival will feature a screening of the iconic "2001: A Space Odyssey," followed by a Q&A with Lord and Miller at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct. 24.

Lord and Miller have handpicked films that inspired their work on "Project Hail Mary," including "Harold and Maude" (1971), "The Muppet Movie" (1979) and "Rififi" (1955). The filmmakers expressed delight at the prospect of sharing their favorite films with a wider audience.

AFI FEST 2026, running from Oct. 21-25, will open with the U.S. premiere of "Wildwood," and close with "Being Heumann." The full lineup will be disclosed on Sept. 29. In the meantime, SFFilm plans to host a special screening of A24’s "Club Kid" on Nov. 2 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre.

The Virginia Film Festival has also announced its lineup for its 39th year. The festival will feature films ranging from Jesse Eisenberg’s "The Debut" to Tim Blake Nelson's "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." Prominent figures in the film industry, including Nathan Lane and Jessica Lange, are set to receive Visionary Awards, while James Gray will be honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award.