AFI FEST - Canadian Films Screening November 4, 2010

AFI FEST 2010 presented by AUDI: November 4 - 11th, 2010

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Mann 6 Theatre, the Egyptian Theatre and the Roosevelt Hotel
ALL REGULAR SCREENINGS ARE FREE!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BARNEY’S VERSION
Canada | Italy | DIR Richard J. Lewis
Saturday, November 6th, 8:00 pm -- Egyptian - Lloyd Rigler Theatre
CAST: Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman

Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, BARNEY'S VERSION is the warm, wise and witty story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney's candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman), and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman). Giamatti and Hoffman deliver such utterly believable performances as the bickering, irascible, skirt-chasing father and son that we are hard put not to fall in love with them. Meanwhile director Richard Lewis lets the surprising twists of this picaresque tale unfold with remarkable empathy, nuance and grace. BARNEY'S VERSION takes us through the many highs — and a few too many lows — of a long and colorful life with an unlikely hero at its center, the unforgettable Barney Panofsky.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEARTBEATS (LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES)
Canada | DIR Xavier Dolan
Screenings: Friday, November 5, 7:15 pm, Mann Theatre #3

When best friends Marie and Francis befriend the boyishly handsome, self-possessed Nicolas, not only is the dynamic of their friendship upended, but their very identities are called into question. With infuriatingly mixed messages from Nicolas — is he straight or gay, just having fun or searching for a soulmate — and their individual desires and anxieties running riot, Marie and Francis enter into a frantic, all-consuming competition for his affection. By turns hilarious, touching, and acerbic, Xavier Dolan’s second feature is utterly watchable, resonating with honesty and a sophisticated understanding of just how maddening infatuation can be. Lead performances by Monia Chokri, Niels Schneider and Dolan himself are virtually flawless: the perfect vehicles for Dolan’s articulate and entertaining exploration of love, friendship and power. Hip without being pretentious, stylized but plausible, at once satirical and sincere, HEARTBEATS further establishes Dolan as an undeniable talent and leaves his audience wondering what he’ll bring next.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CASINO JACK
Canada | DIR George Hickenlooper
Screenings: Monday, November 8, 7:00 pm, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
CAST: Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Rachelle Lefevre

Kevin Spacey gives the performance of a lifetime in CASINO JACK, a riotous new film about a man hell-bent on acquiring all that the good life has to offer. Inspired by true events, the film lays bare the wild excesses of double-dealing lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Aided by his business partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), Jack parlays his clout over some of the world's most powerful men in order to build a personal empire of wealth and influence. When the two enlist a mob-connected buddy (Jon Lovitz) to help with one of their illegal schemes, they soon find themselves in over their heads, entrenched in a world of mafia assassins, murder and a scandal that spins so out of control it makes worldwide headlines. With a boldly assured hand, director George Hickenlooper returns Spacey to the type of role that made him famous — a cool-headed, articulate snake charmer whose ambition knows no limits.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi takes place November 4 - 11 in the heart of historic downtown Hollywood at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the neighboring Mann 6 Theater (in the Hollywood and Highland Center), the Egyptian Theatre and the Roosevelt Hotel.

Free tickets are available to all regular festival movies. A limited number of free tickets are also available to evening red carpet galas. Get your tickets starting THURSDAY OCTOBER 28 at AFI.com or AFI.com/AFIFEST, or by calling 1-866-AFI-FEST. You can also obtain tickets by going to the Festival Box Office located at the Mann 6 Theatre starting on October 26th, or on the day of the screenings via rush lines.

Official Website: http://www.afi.com/afifest