Los Angeles, U.S.A — On September 27, The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that Hitchcock, starring Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins, will have its World Premiere on Thursday, November 1, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi.

The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi and also stars Toni Collette, Danny Huston and Michael Stuhlbarg. From a screenplay by John J. McLaughlin, the film is based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. Hitchcock is produced by Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock and Joe Medjuck of Montecito Picture Company, along with Tom Thayer and Alan Barnette. Fox Searchlight Pictures will release the film this November.

Hitchcock, a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock, and his wife and partner, Alma Reville, takes place during the making of the distinguished director’s seminal 1960 movie, ‘Psycho’.

“AFI’s history with Alfred Hitchcock is a proud one, from a Master Seminar at the AFI Conservatory in 1970 to his receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979,” said Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute.  “We are honored to celebrate his lasting legacy with the World Premiere of Hitchcock – a bloody valentine to his creative genius and the inspired woman at his side.”

“Alfred Hitchcock’s signature style has made him one of the most influential directors in the world,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director, AFI FEST. ”This film pulls back the curtain and takes us behind-the-scenes of his lifelong collaboration with his wife Alma during the making of his 1960 masterpiece Psycho – it’s the perfect film to welcome our audience of movie-lovers with on opening night.”

Alfred Hitchcock has a rich legacy at the American Film Institute. He was the recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979, the highest honor for a career in film, and four of his movies rank among the greatest films of all time on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list: ‘Vertigo’ (#9), ‘Psycho’ (#14), ‘Rear Window’ (#48) and ‘North by Northwest’ (#55).

In addition, ‘Psycho’ was ranked #1 on AFI’s list of most heart pounding American films and, in a serendipitous turn, the Norman Bates character portrayed by Anthony Perkins in ‘Psycho’ was ranked #2 on AFI’s Top Villains list – just behind Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.

Producer Tom Pollock also has an accomplished history with the American Film Institute. He received a Doctorate of Communication Arts, honoris causa in 2007 from the American Film Institute’s AFI Conservatory, and he serves as a Vice Chair on the American Film Institute’s Board of Trustees, which is comprised of leaders of the motion picture and television communities. Pollock has been an AFI Trustee since 1985, serving as Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees from 1996-1999 and Chair of the AFI Board of Directors from 1999-2001.

Hitchcock stars acclaimed actor Anthony Hopkins, who has been honored with an Academy Award for his lead performance in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and acclaimed actress Helen Mirren, who has been honored with an Academy Award for her lead performance in ‘The Queen’. Mirren also has ties with the American Film Institute – she was presented with a Doctorate of Fine Arts, honoris causa from the AFI Conservatory in 2011.

For the fourth consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all screenings, but only the Star Patron Package and Marquee Patron Package will provide reserved seating at the World Premiere opening night gala of Hitchcock. These and other AFI FEST Patron Packages and Passes – which can include access to sold-out galas and other high-demand films and events – are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST. The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization, and Patron Packages are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Free individual tickets to AFI FEST screenings and galas will be available to AFI members onWednesday, October 24 in a 24-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on October 25. In addition, AFI members Two Star level and above receive a 10% discount on all Patron Packages and Passes.  Information about AFI Membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

AFI FEST, celebrating its 26th year, will take place November 1 through 8 in Hollywood, California, at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. As previously announced, the Official World Premiere of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is the festival’s closing night gala, and the full festival line-up will be unveiled in October.

Audi is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; AT&T; Hewlett-Packard (HP); Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; Levi’s; Stella Artois; New Amsterdam Vodka; The American Film Market (AFM); and The Chinese Theatre, among many others.

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New York, U.S.A. – The Adrienne Shelly Foundation (ASF) announced on July 31, 2012 that in continuing its mission of supporting women filmmakers it has awarded five new production grants.

ASF is a non-profit organization named in honor of the late actor, writer and director Adrienne Shelly, whose life was tragically cut short on November 1, 2006.

The five grants, awarded in conjunction with ASF partners Columbia University, Boston University, Tribeca All Access, Women in Film Finishing Fund and American Film Institute, are presented each year to talented women filmmakers to help support their artistic achievements and aid in the advancement of their careers, while remembering the legacy that Adrienne left behind.

The five new 2012 grant honorees are:

• Natasha Johns-Messenger – awarded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Best Female Director Award through Columbia University for her film ‘Blackwood’.
• Anika Poitier – awarded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Production Grant through the American Film Institute for her film ‘Black Irish’. Poitier is the daughter of famed actor, writer and director Sir Sidney Poitier.
• Kim Rideout – awarded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Production Grant through Boston University for her film ‘The Dog House’.
• Rose Troche – awarded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Filmmaker Grant through Tribeca All Access for her film ‘Xanadu’.
• Christina Eliopoulos – awarded the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Grant through the Women in Film Finishing Fund for her film ‘Demon on Wheels’.

“Each year we set out to find talented, committed women filmmakers who possess a similar passion, spirit and vision for which Adrienne was known.

This year’s recipients perfectly embody the values and vision of ASF and we couldn’t be more proud to shine a spotlight on the exceptional work that they’ve done,” said ASF founder and executive director Andy Ostroy.

“We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with some of the industry’s finest academic and filmmaking institutions and help these talented women pursue their filmmaking dreams.”

About The Adrienne Shelly Foundation

Formed in January 2007, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation supports the artistic achievements of female filmmakers through a series of scholarships and grants, distributed through partnerships with Women in Film, IFP, Nantucket Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, Columbia University, Boston University, American Film Institute and Rooftop Films. Since its inception, it has awarded over thirty grants to female filmmakers all over the world.

For more information, please visit www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org.

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The American Film Institute (AFI), in conjunction with USA Network and Universal Pictures, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of  TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at the White House on Thursday, April 5 and with the nation on Saturday, April 7.

AFI was created in the White House Rose Garden in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson set a national mandate to “bring together leading artists of the film industry, outstanding educators and young men and women who wish to pursue the art form as their life’s work.”

President Obama will introduce the film at a special screening in the White House Family Theater with an audience that includes children from DC area schools as well as Mary Badham, who portrayed Scout in the film; Gregory Peck’s family, including wife Veronique; and AFI Trustees Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman of Sony Corporation, Ron Meyer, President and COO of Universal Studios and Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO.

Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, is also expected to attend. President Obama will then celebrate the film with the nation through a special primetime broadcast onUSA Network at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on April 7.

“I’m deeply honored that President Obama will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by introducing it to a national audience,” said Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel on which the movie is based. “I believe it remains the best translation of a book to film ever made, and I’m proud to know that Gregory Peck’s portrayal of Atticus Finch lives on – in a world that needs him now more than ever.”

“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is an American treasure – a film of family and fatherhood, justice and equality – all so richly embodied in the character of Atticus Finch,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO.  “We are honored to screen the film in the White House, where AFI was born, and to partner with USA Network and Universal Pictures to inspire generations of movie lovers to discover and rediscover this classic American film.”

AFI proposed the anniversary celebration to the White House in early January and learned last month that President Obama would be available to participate on April 5 – a timely date as it marks the late Gregory Peck’s 96th birthday. Peck had a long association with the American Film Institute, serving as Founding Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1969, and receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award– the highest honor for a career in film – in 1989.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ranks 25th on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list of greatest American films, and AFI named Atticus Finch the greatest hero in this history of American film when it announced itsAFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains list in 2003.

AFI also recognized the film for its #1 ranking of Best Courtroom Dramas in AFI’s 10 Top 10 list and its #2 ranking on AFI’s 100 Years…100 CheersAmerica’s Most Inspiring Films list, just behind IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The film, which premiered in Los Angeles on Christmas day in 1962 and opened wide in 1963, was directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Alan J. Pakula.

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