..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

October 29, 2006

For Immediate Release:

AFI FEST 2006 PRESENTED BY AUDI ANNOUNCES TWO CENTERPIECE GALAS

DARREN ARONOFSKY'S THE FOUNTAIN
&
DAVID LYNCH'S INLAND EMPIRE

AN EVENING WITH ED ZWICK ANNOUNCED
FEATURING A FIRST LOOK AT FOOTAGE FROM BLOOD DIAMOND

ALL THREE ARE AFI CONSERVATORY ALUMNI

FESTIVAL LINEUP ALSO ANNOUNCED

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 3, 2006 - AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival announces two Centerpiece Galas: Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz and David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE starring Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons and Justin Theroux. Additionally, AN EVENING WITH ED ZWICK has been added to the Festival's program this year. All three filmmakers are alumni of the AFI Conservatory's directing program.

THE FOUNTAIN will screen as an AFI Centerpiece Gala on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Written and directed by Aronofsky, THE FOUNTAIN is an odyssey about one man's eternal struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th-century Spain, when a conquistador, Tomas (Hugh Jackman), commences a search for the Fountain of Youth, the legendary entity believed to grant immortality. As a modern-day scientist, Jackman plays a man who desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife, Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Traveling through deep space as a 26th century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries that have consumed him for a millennium. The three stories converge into one truth, as the Thomas of all periods - warrior, scientist and explorer - comes to terms with life, love, death and rebirth. A Warner Bros. Pictures and Regency Enterprises release, the film is a Protozoa Pictures / New Regency production. The film is produced by Eric Watson, Arnon Milchan and Iain Smith and executive produced by Nick Wechsler. It will open nationwide on November 22nd.

In 1994, Aronofsky received an M.F.A. in Directing from the American Film Institute. Aronofsky made his feature film directorial debut with the acclaimed independent feature , which he also wrote. The film brought him several honors, including the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. His second film, the critically acclaimed REQUIEM FOR A DREAM premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and captivated both critics and audiences and went on to earn five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including one for Best Feature and one for Aronofsky for Best Director. For her work in the film, Ellen Burstyn won the Spirit Award for Best Actress and earned Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. In 1996, Aronofsky and producing partner Eric Watson formed the production company Protozoa Pictures.

INLAND EMPIRE will play as a Centerpiece Gala at AFI FEST on Friday, November 3. Set in his hometown, Los Angeles, Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE stars Laura Dern as an actress (Nikki) cast in a film directed by Jeremy Irons (Kingsley). Nikki learns that the script is a remake of a movie that was never finished because the original leads were murdered. Filming begins and Dern's character (Sue) starts to break down. Reality and her film character become intertwined. Nikki and Sue become difficult to separate or tell apart and a terrifying odyssey begins. The film also stars Harry Dean Stanton, Julia Ormond, Diane Ladd, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, Nastassja Kinski and Laura Harring.

Lynch got his start when he was accepted as a directing fellow in 1970 and received a grant from AFI to make a 34-minute film, THE GRANDMOTHER (1970). Over the next five years working in and around AFI's Center for Advanced Film Studies (now the AFI Conservatory), Lynch created ERASERHEAD (1977). The success of ERASERHEAD brought Lynch to the attention of Mel Brooks who recruited him to direct what subsequently became THE ELEPHANT MAN. The film was a critical and box-office success and earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Screenplay nominations for Lynch. Other groundbreaking projects followed including BLUE VELVET (1986) for which he received a Best Director Academy Award nomination, WILD AT HEART, LOST HIGHWAY, the television series TWIN PEAKS and MULHOLLAND DRIVE which earned Lynch his third Best Director Academy nomination in 2002.

AFI FEST 2006 is also proud to announce AN EVENING WITH ED ZWICK which will take place at the ArcLight on Wednesday, November 8. Utilizing never before seen extended clips from his upcoming film BLOOD DIAMOND, award-winning filmmaker and AFI graduate Ed Zwick will recount the challenges of directing the film. Along the way, he will compare the experience with his work on his previous films.

For the past two years, Ed Zwick has been working on perhaps his most ambitious film project to date. Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990s Sierra Leone, BLOOD DIAMOND is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a South African mercenary, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman, who come together in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. BLOOD DIAMOND will be released nationwide on December15 by Warner Bros.

Zwick was accepted as a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute in 1975. His AFI short film, won first place in the student film competition at the 1976 Chicago Film Festival. Zwick made his feature film directorial debut on ABOUT LAST NIGHT… He went on to direct such films as the multiple Academy Award-winning Civil War drama GLORY, the Academy Award-winning (for cinematography) feature LEGENDS OF THE FALL, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, THE SIEGE and THE LAST SAMURAI. In addition, Zwick was one of the producers on TRAFFIC, the winner of four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He also won an Academy Award as a producer on 1999's Best Picture SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE.

Aronofsky, Lynch and Zwick are all past recipients of AFI's prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal which recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of a graduate of the AFI Conservatory or of the Directing Workshop for Women who symbolizes the legacy of Franklin Schaffner. Schaffner, over the course of a remarkable 40-year career, earned a total of 28 Academy Award nominations and the directing Oscar for PATTON in 1970. Schaffner's association with AFI began in 1975, with his election to the Board of Trustees, and lasted until his death in 1989.

This year's AFI FEST is heavily populated with AFI Conservatory alumni filmmakers. Additional films with alumni include; DRAMA/MEX (DIR Gerardo Naranjo), YOUR LIFE IN 65' (DIR Maria Ripoll), WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY (DIR/SCR Goran Dukic, PROD/ACT Michal Lazarev, ED Jonathan Alberts, PD Linda Sena), DANIKA (DP Darko Suvak, ED Danny Rafic), BUG (DP Michael Grady, PD Franco Carbone), THE DEAD GIRL (DP Michael Grady), TV JUNKIE (DIR Michael Cain), VENUS (DP Haris Zambarloukos), as well as the previously mentioned THE FOUNTAIN (PROD Eric Watson, DP Matthew Libatique), and short films APPARENT HORIZON (an AFI thesis film with DIR Thymaya Payne, PROD Patricia Lee West, DP Bobby Shore, ED Cindy Thoennessen, PD Maya Sigel), MOTHER (an AFI Directing Workshop for Women film with DIR Sian Heder, DP Paula Huidobro), FOURTEEN (DIR Nicole Barnette), and I WANT TO BE A PILOT (DIR Diego Quemada-Diez).

AFI FEST 2006's overall lineup will showcase a total of 111 features (91 narrative, 20 documentary) and 36 shorts (33 narrative, 3 documentary) for a total of 147 films from 45 different countries. Of the fims, 22 are World Premieres including AFI FEST's Closing Night film to be announced at a later date, 30 are North American Premieres and 28 are US Premieres.

The breakdown by section is Galas (5), Special Presentations (12), International Feature Competition (12), International Documentary Competition (12), Latin Cinema Series (10), World Cinema (17), American Directions (10), Asian New Classics (8) and the International Shorts Competition (36). Additionally, the Festival introduces three new sections: African Voices (6), Dark Horizons (6) and World Cinema (17)

The African Voices Cinema Series is designed to amplify the diverse voices of the African continent through the creative work of directors, producers and writers of the African Diaspora, who were also born in Africa, and who play the ultimate role in communicating the culture, politics, and the vision of a people through film. With the introduction of African Voices, AFI FEST intends to build on its 20 year legacy of presenting international cinema to the international film community. The aim is to create an opportunity for African filmmakers to present their work on a global scale, while providing African filmmakers with access to industry resources in a structured environment.

Dark Horizons was created for films that are pushing the envelope and uses the tools of genre filmmaking to explore much deeper socio-political and human issues. The films in this section will screen in late night slots on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

World Cinema was formed for the films that are not covered in AFI's other regional sections, African, Asian, Latin and American.

"This is a very exciting year for us. We noticed a lot of emerging trends really hitting their stride. The films in the new late-night movie section Dark Horizons seemed to be pushing some classic genre elements to the limits. We also noticed a thriving, exciting film industry in Africa so we created the African Voices section. There are really original story-telling techniques coming from that part of the world," said AFI FEST's Director of Programming Nancy Collet.

This year's lineup has 11 films that have been chosen as their country's Oscar submission. Some of them include: Algeria's DAYS OF GLORY, Australia's TEN CANOES, Austria's GRBAVICA, Egypt's THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING, Hong Kong's THE BANQUET, Denmark's AFTER THE WEDDING, Germany's THE LIVES OF OTHERS, Hungary's WHITE PALMS, Spain's VOLVER and Sweden's FALKENBERG FAREWELL.

The FEST is headquartered at ArcLight Hollywood, where most of the international Festival's activities will take place. As previously announced, AFI FEST 2006 will be celebrating 20 years with plans to celebrate AFI FEST and 15 years of FILMEX through a series of commemorative events, series and special programs throughout the 11-day Festival. As part of the anniversary celebration, approximately a dozen movies will be programmed to play during the 24-Hour Movie Marathon, raising money for The Global Fund, an organization created to finance the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. Movie Marathons were a programming staple of FILMEX. At press time, confirmed titles in the AFI FEST/FILMEX 24-Hour Movie Marathon & Fundraiser include THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, CAT PEOPLE, THE END, FLASH GORDON, RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS 7 and THE WIZ, with more titles confirmed in the coming weeks.

AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi will run November 1-12, 2006. Passes are on sale now and individual event tickets go on sale on Friday, October 13, 2006. To order passes, tickets or for more information, visit www.AFI.com or call 1.866.AFI.FEST.

AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi's complete lineup follows:

GALAS
Opening Night Gala-BOBBY (US Premiere) Cast: Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood. DIR/SCR Emilio Estevez PROD Michel Litvak, Edward Bass, Holly Wiersma. USA.

Centerpiece Gala-THE FOUNTAIN Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ellen Burstyn, Rachel Weisz DIR/SCR Darren Aronofsky PROD Eric Watson, Arnon Milchan, Iain Smith. USA.

Centerpiece Gala-INLAND EMPIRE Cast: Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeremy Irons, Terryn Westbrook, Julia Ormond, Peter J. Lucas, Grace Zabriskie, Ian Abercrombie, Diane Ladd, William H. Macy, Karolina Gruszka, Krzysztof Majchrzak, Mary Steenburgen, Nastassja Kinski, Laura Harring, Voices: Naomi Watts, Scott Coffey, DIR/SCR/ED David Lynch, PROD Mary Sweeney, David Lynch. USA.

Centerpiece Gala--VOLVER Cast: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave, DIR/SCR Pedro Almodóvar, PROD Esther García. Spain.

Closing Night Gala- To be announced at a later date.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
AIR GUITAR NATION Documentary. DIR Alexandra Lipsitz PROD, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Anna Barber. USA.

BEAUTIFUL OHIO (World Premiere) Cast: William Hurt, Rita Wilson, Julianna Margulies, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Call, Brett Davern, Ilo Orleans. DIR Chad Lowe, SCR Ethan Canin, PROD Hilary Swank, Chad Lowe, Mark Burton. USA.

BROKEN (World Premiere) Cast: Heather Graham, Jeremy Sisto, Randall Batinkoff, Jake Busey, Michael Goojian, Linda Hamilton, Tess Harper, Bianca Lawson, Mark Sheppard. DIR Alan White, SCR Drew Pillsbury, STORY Jeff Lester, Drew Pillsbury, PROD Brian Etting, Jerry Wayne. USA.

BUG Cast: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick, Jr. DIR William Friedkin, SCR Tracy Letts, PROD Kimberly C. Anderson, Michael Burns, Gary Huckabay. USA.

COME EARLY MORNING Cast: Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Blake Nelson, Diane Ladd, Stacey Keach. DIR/SCR Joey Lauren Adams PROD Julie Yorn, Holly Wiersma, Ed Bass. USA.

THE DEAD GIRL (World Premiere) Cast: Josh Brolin, Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, James Franco, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Beth Hurt, Brittany Murphy, Giovanni Ribisi, Mary Steenburgen, Kerry Washington, Piper Laurie. DIR/SCR Karen Moncrieff, PROD Henry Winterstern, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi. USA.

THE HISTORY BOYS (North American Premiere) Cast: Richard Griffiths, Clive Merrison, Frances De La Tour. DIR Nicholas Hytner, SCR Alan Bennett, PROD Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones. UK.

HOLLYWOOD DREAMS (World Premiere) Cast: Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, Zack Norman, David Proval, Karen Black, Melissa Leo. DIR/SCR Henry Jaglom PROD Rosemary Marks. USA.

LIES & ALIBIS Cast: Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn, Selma Blair, James Brolin, Sam Elliot, Henry Rollins, John Leguizamo, Debi Mazar, Sharon Lawrence, Deborah Unger. DIR Kurt Mattilla, Matt Checkowski, SCR Noah Hawley, PROD Patrick Wachserger, Erik Feig, Robert Hayward, David Garrett, James D. Stern, Paul Hellerman. USA.

MY NAME IS JACKIE BEAT Documentary. DIR/DP Randolph Mark Viverito, PROD Elizabeth Viverito Escobar. USA.
.
TV JUNKIE Documentary. DIR/PROD Michael Cain, ED/CO DIR Matt Radecki. USA.

VENUS Cast: Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Jodie Whittaker, Richard Griffiths, Vanessa Redgrave. DIR Roger Michell, SCR Hanif Kureishi, PROD Kevin Loader. UK.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION
2:37 / TWO THIRTY SEVEN (US Premiere) Cast: Teresa Palmer, Joel Mackenzie, Frank Sweet, Clementine Mellor, Charles Baird, Sam Harris, Marni Spilane, Sarah Hudson, Chris Olver, Xavier Samuel, Gary Sweet, Daniel Whyte. DIR/SCR Murali K. Thalluri, PROD Kent Smith, Murali K. Thalluri, Nick Matthews. Australia.

THE ART OF CRYING (US Premiere) Cast: Jannik Lorenzen, Jesper Asholt, Julie Kolbeck, Hanne Hedelund, Thomas Knuth-Winterfeldt. DIR Peter Schønau Fog SCR Bo hr. Hansen NOVEL Erling Jepsen, PROD Thomas Stenderup. Denmark.

CASHBACK (US Premiere) Cast: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Shaun Evans, Michelle Ryan, Stuart Goodwin, Michael Dixon, Michael Lambourne, Marc Pickering. DIR/SCR Sean Ellis. PROD Lene Bausager and Sean Ellis. UK.

DRAMA/MEX (US Premiere) Cast: Miriana Moro, Fernando Becerril, Diana García, Emilio Valdés, Juan Pablo Castañeda. DIR/SCR Gerardo Naranjo PROD Gabriel García Bernal, Gabriel Garcia, Santiago Paredes, Miriana Moro. Mexico.

FALKENBERG FAREWELL (US Premiere) Cast: Holger Eriksson, David Johnson, John Axel Eriksson, Jesper Ganslandt, Jörgen Svensson DIR Jesper Ganslandt. SCR Jesper Ganslandt and Fredrik Wenzel PROD Anna Anthony. Sweden/Denmark.

FISSURES (World Premiere) Cast: Emile Dequenne, Ludmila Mikael, Mathieu Demy, Jacques Spesser. DIR/SCR Alante Kavite PROD Antoine Simkine. France.

FROZEN DAYS (North American Premiere) Cast: Anat Klausner, Uli Sternberg, Sandra Sade, Pini Tabger, Maor Cohen DIR/SCR Danny Lerner PROD Alan Lerner, Danny Lerner, Assaf Rav. Isreal.

GLUE (US Premiere) Cast: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Nahuel Viale, Ines Efron, Verónica Llinás, Florencia Braier DIR/SCR Alexis Dos Santos, PROD Alexis Dos Santos, Soledad Gatti-Pascual. Argentina/UK.

GRBAVICA (North American Premiere) Cast: Mirjana Karanovic, Luna Mijovic, Leon Lucev, Kenan Catic, Jasna Ornela Berry DIR/SCR Jasmila Îbaniç PROD Barbara Albert, Damir Ibrahimoviç, Bruno Wagner. Bosnia-Herzegovina/Austria/Germany/Croatia.

SECRET LIFE OF HAPPY PEOPLE (US Premiere) Cast: Gilbert Sicotte, Marc Paquet, Catherine de Lean, Marie Gignac, Gilles Renaud, Anne Dorval, Maxime Denommee, Gabriel Arcand, Hubert Proulx, Marc Beland, Mariane Lalumiere. DIR/SCR Stephane Lapointe PROD Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal. Canada.

UNDER THE ICE (US Premiere) Cast: Bibiana Beglau, Sandra Borgmann, Dirk Borchardt, Adreian Wahlen, Nicole Merced Muller, Barbara Focke, Thorsten Merten, Susanne Lothar. DIR Aelrun Goette SCR Thomas Stiller PROD Ernest Ludwig Ganzert, Milena Maitz. Germany.

WHO LOVES THE SUN (North American Premiere) Cast: Lukas Haas, Molly Parker, Adam Scott, R.H. Thomson, Wendy Crewson. DIR/SCR Matt Bissonnette PROD Corey Marr. Canada.

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
BACK HOME (World Premiere) DIR J.B. Rutagarama. PROD Linda Vester. USA.

BLINDSIGHT (US Premiere) DIR Lucy Walker. PROD Sybill Robson Orr. UK/Tibet.

BUDDHA'S LOST CHILDREN (US Premiere) DIR Mark Verkerk. PROD Ton Okkerse. The Netherlands/France.

GIRL 27 (World Premiere) DIR/SCR David Stenn. PROD Lindsay Webster and TLR Productions, LLC. USA.

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON (US Premiere) DIR AJ Schnack. PROD Shirley Moyers, Noah Khoshbin, Chris Green. Documentary. USA.

MOTHERLAND AFGHANISTAN (World Premiere) DIR Sedika Mojadidi. PROD Jenny Raskin, Catherine Gund, Sedika Mojadidi. USA.

NEXT: A PRIMER ON URBAN PAINTING (US Premiere) DIR/PROD Pablo Aravena. PROD agnès b, Nadja Romain, Love Streams Production agnès b. Canada/France.
NO SWEAT (World Premiere) DIR/SCR Amie Williams. PROD Amie Williams. USA.

SCREAMERS (World Premiere) DIR Carla Garapedian. PROD Nick de Grunwald, Tim Swain, Carla Garapedian, Peter McAlevey. UK.

SEARCHING FOR ORSON (World Premiere) DIR Jakov and Dominik Sedlar. NARRATOR Peter Bogdanovich, SCR Dominik Sedlar. PROD Jakov Sedlar, Richard Weiner. Croatia.

SHAME (US Premiere) DIR Mohammed Naqvi. PROD Mohammed Naqvi and Jill Schneider. Pakistan/USA.

THE TRAVELING CINEMA (North American Premiere) DIR/SCR Marcin Sauter. PROD Zbignlew Domagalski. Poland.

WORLD CINEMA
12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST Cast: Mircea Andreescu, Teodor Corban, Ion Sapdaru. DIR/SCR/PROD Corneliu Porumboiu. Romania.

AFTER THE WEDDING Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rolf Lassgård. DIR Susanne Bier. SCR Ander Thomas Jensen. PROD Sisse Graum Jørgensen. Denmark.

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE (North American Premiere) Cast: Ana Geislerová, Jana Brejchová, Jirí Schmitzer, Josef Abrhám, Roman Luknár. DIR Jan Hrebejk. SCR Petr Jarchovsky. PROD Ond?ej Trojan. Czech Republic.

THE BOTHERSOME MAN Cast: Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Petronella Barker, Per Schaanning, Birgitte Larsen, Johannes Joner. DIR Jens Lien. SCR Per Schreiner. PROD Jørgen Storm Rosenberg. Norway.

A CRUDE AWAKENING - THE OILCRASH Documentary. DIR/SCR/PROD Ray McCormack, Basil Gelpke. Switzerland.

FOUR MINUTES (US Premiere) Cast: Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, Richy Müller, Jasmin Tabatabai. DIR/SCR Chris Kraus. PROD Meike Kordes, Alexandra Kordes. Germany.

THE JOURNEY (US Premiere) Cast: Nana Patekar, Rekha Ganeshan, Deepti Naval, Nakul Vaid. DIR/SCR Goutam Ghosh. PROD Vipin Vhora, Agnidev Chatterjee. India.

THE LAST DAYS OF YASSER ARAFAT (North American Premiere) Documentary. DIR/SCR/PROD Sherine Salama. Australia.

THE LIVES OF OTHERS Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muehe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme, Hans Uwe Bauer. DIR/ SCR Florian Henkel von Donnersmarck. PROD Quiren Berg and Max Wiedemann. Germany.

OFFSIDE Cast: Sima Mobarak Shahi, Safar Samandar, Shayesteh Irani, M. Kheyrabadi, Ida Sadeghi. DIR Jafar Panahi. SCR Shadmehr Rastin and Jafar Panahi. PROD Khiyabaneh Vali Assr., Khiyabane Fereshteh, Khiyabaneh Vali Assr. Iran.

OUR LAND (North American Premiere) Cast: Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Paolo Briguglia, Massimo Venturiello, Emilio Solfrizzi, Claudia Gerini, Giovanna Di Rauso, Sergio Rubini, Marisa Eugeni, Alisa Bistrova, Daniela Mazzacane, Maurizio Rega. DIR Sergio Rubini. SCR Angelo Pasquini, Carla Cavaluzzi, Sergio Rubini. PROD Domenico Procacci. Italy.

SOAP Cast: Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Frank Thiel, Elsebeth Steentoft. DIR Pernille Fischer Christensen. SCR Kim Fupz Aakeson. PROD Lars Bredo Rahbek. Denmark.

TEN CANOES Cast: Crusoe Kurddal, Jamie Gulpilil, David Gulpilil, Richard Birrinbirrin, Peter Minygululu, Frances Djulibing. DIR Rolf De Heer. SCR Rolf de Heer. PROD Rolf de Heer and Julie Ryan. Australia.

TRANSYLVANIA (US Premiere) Cast: Asia Argento, Amira Casar, Birol Unel. DIR/SCR Tony Gatlif. France.

VITUS (North American Premiere) Cast: Bruno Ganz, Frbrizio Borsani, Toe Gheorghiu, Julika jekkins, Urs Jucker. DIR Fredi M. Murer. SCR Peter Luisi, Fredi M. Murer, Lukas B. Suter. PROD Christian Davi, Christof Neracher, Fredi M Murer. Switzerland.

WHICH ONE OF US (North American Premiere) Cast: DIR/SCR Charles Belmont PROD Fabienne Vonier. France.

WHITE PALMS (US Premiere) Cast: Orion Radies, Silas Radies, Zoltán Miklós Hajdu, Kyle Shewfelt, Gheorghe Dinica. DIR/SCR Szabolcs Hajdu. PROD Iván Angelusz, Gábor Kovács, Ági Pataki, Péter Reich. Hungary/France.

AMERICAN DIRECTIONS
BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOKYO (World Premiere) Cast: David Boyle, Jayson Watabe, Rachel Morihiro, Drew Knight, Pepe Serna, Michael Yama, James Kyson Lee, Sonny Saito, Bobby Suetsugu, Naohiro Takita, Yuta Kinjo, Kei Miyara, Hiroshi Watanabe, Michael Birkeland, Jonna Tamases. DIR/SCR David Boyle, PROD Duane Andersen, Megan Boyle.

COMIC EVANGELISTS (World Premiere) Cast: Adam Carter, Allison Hendrix, Dann Sytsma, Eli Rix, James Sanford, Jenn Moubray, Kate Walker, Steve Peterson, Scott Piebenga, Tara Sytsma. DIR Daniel Jones, Dann Sytsma, SCR Adam Carter, Allison Hendrix, Daniel Jones, Dann Sytsma, Eli Rix, James Sanford, Jenn Moubray, Kate Walker, Steve Peterson, Tara Sytsma, PROD Daniel Jones, Dann Sytsma.

DISAPPEARANCES Cast: Kris Kristofferson, Genevieve Bujold, Gary Farmer, William Sanderson, Lothaire Bluteau, Luis Guzman. DIR/SCR Jay Craven, PROD Jay Craven, Hathalee Higgs.

FORGIVEN Cast: Paul Fitzgerald, Susan Floyd, Russell Hornsby, Kate Jennings Grant. DIR/SCR Paul Fitzgerald, PROD Kelly Miller.

FULL GROWN MEN Cast: Matt McGrath, Judah Friedlander, Alan Cumming, Amy Sedaris, Deborah Harry, Joie Lee. DIR David Munro SCR David Munro, Xandra Castleton, PROD Brian Benson, Xandra Castleton, David Munro.

LIFE AFTER TOMORROW Documentary featuring: Julie Stevens, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martha Byrne, Allison Smith, Danielle Brisebois. DIR/PROD, Julie Stevens, Gil Cates, Jr.

SOMEBODIES Cast: Hadjii, Kaira Whitehead, Tyler Craig, Patt Brown, Nick Lewis, Carlos Davis, Nard Holston, IronE Singleton. DIR/SCR Hadjii, PROD Pamela Kohn, Nathaniel Kohn

SPECIAL Cast: Michael Rapaport, Paul Blackthorne, Josh Peck, Robert Baker, Jack Kehler, Alexandra Holden, Ian Bohen. DIR/SCR Jeremy Passmore, Hal Haberman, PROD Ed Parks, Frank Mele.

STEPHANIE DALEY Cast: Tilda Swinton, Amber Tamblyn, Timothy Hutton, Denis O'Hare, Melissa Leo, Jim Gaffigan. DIR/SCR Hilary Brougher, PROD Jen Roskind, Samara Koffler, Lynette Howell.

WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY Cast: Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham, John Hawkes, Tom Waits, Will Arnett, Leslie Bibb, Mikal P Lazarev, Mark Boone. DIR/SCR Goran Dukic PROD Tatiana Kelly, Mika P. Lazarev, Chris Coen, Adam Sherman.

ASIAN NEW CLASSICS
THE BANQUET (US Premiere) Cast: DIR Feng Xiaogang, SCR Sheng Heyu, Qiu Gangjian, PROD Wang Zhongjun, John Chong. China, Hong Kong.

ELECTION Cast: Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Cheung Siu-fai, DIR Johnnie To, SCR Yau Nai-hoi, Yip Tin-shing PROD Dennis Law, Johnnie To. Hong Kong/China.

FAMILY TIES (North American Premiere) Cast: Bon Tae-Gyu,Kong Hyo-Jin,Uhm Tae-Woong,Ko Doo-Sim,Moon So-Ri. DIR Kim Tae-yong, SCR Kim Tae-yong, Sung Ki- yeong, PRODBae Yong-kook, Jung Tae-Woon. Korea.

LUXURY CAR (North American Premiere) Cast: Tian Yuan, Wu You Cai, Li Yi Qing, Huang He, DIR/SCR Wang Chao. PROD Sylvain Bursztejn, Zhou Wei Si. France/China.

MEMORIES OF TOMORROW (World Premiere) Cast: Ken Watanabe, Kanako Higuchi, Kenji Sakaguchi, Kazue Fukiishi, Asami Mizukawa, Noritake Kinashi, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Eriko Watanabe, Teruyuki Kagawa, Hideju Otaki. DIR Yukihiko Tsutsumi, SCRHakaru Sunamoto. Japan.

THE ROAD (US Premiere) Cast: Zhang Jingchu, Fan Wei, Nie YuanDIR Zhang Jiarui, SCR Zhang Jiarui, Yuan Daju, PROD Ling Li. China.

TIME (North American Premiere) Cast: Sung Hyun-ah, Ha Jung-woo, Park Ji-yun. DIR/SCR/PROD Kim Ki-duk. Korea.

TRIAD ELECTION Cast: Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Cheung Siu-fai, Lam Ka-tung. DIR Johnnie To, SCR Yau Nai-hoi, Yip Tin-shing, PROD Dennis Law, Johnnie To. Hong Kong/China.

LATIN CINEMA SERIES
AMERICAN VISA (North American Premiere) Cast: Demian Bichir, Kate Del Castillo, Jorge Ortiz, Claudio Lobo, Alberto Echeverry. DIR/SCR/PROD Juan Carlos Valdivia, PROD Alejandro Gonzalez - Padilla, Felipe Galdo, Oscar Quintela. Bolivia/Mexico.

ANTONIA (US Premiere) Cast: Negra Li, Leilah Moreno, Cindy, Quelynah, Thaíde. DIR Tata Amaral, SCR Roberto Moreira, Tata Amaral, PROD Geórgia Costa Araújo, Tata Amaral. Brazil.

DARKBLUEALMOSTBLACK Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Marta Etura, Antonio de la Torre, Héctor Colomé, Raúl Arévalo, Eva Pallarés. DIR/SCR Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, PROD José Antonio Félez. Spain.

FEAST OF THE GOAT (North American Premiere) Cast: Isabella Rosallini, Tomas Milian, Paul Freeman, Stephanie Leonidas. DIR Luis Llosa, SCR Luis Llosa, Augusto Cabalda, Zachary Sklar, PROD Andress Vicente Gomez. Spain/UK.

HOW MUCH FURTHER (US Premiere) Cast: Cecilia Vallejo, Tania Martinez, Pancho Aguirre, Fausto Mino. DIR/SCR Tania Hermida, PROD Mary Palacios, Gervasio Iglesias, Tania Hermida. Ecuador.

MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD (US Premiere) Cast: Elizabeth Cervantes, Julia Urbini, Juan Carlos Colombo, Andres Montiel, Amira Aguilar. DIR/SCR Andres Leon Becker, Javier Solar PROD Angeles Castro, Hugo Rodriguez, Issa Guerra. Mexico.

NOISE Cast: Jorge Visca, Jorge Bazano, Maiana Olazabal, LucÌa Carlevari. DIR/SCR Marcelo Bertalmio, PROD Natacha López. Uruguay/Spain/Argentina.

TO PLAY AND TO FIGHT (North American Premiere) Documentary. DIR Alberto Arvelo, SCR Carlos Díaz, Alberto Arvelo, PROD Nestor L. Lopez- Duran, Pedro Mezquita, Gerardo Montilla. Venezuela.

YOUNG BLOOD (World Premiere) Cast: Javier Pereira, Oriol Vila Marc Rodriguez. CAST Javier Pereira, Oriol Vila Marc RodriguezDIR/SCR Leo Ricciardi, PROD Nicolas Tuozzo. Argentina.

YOUR LIFE IN 65' (North American Premiere) Cast: Javier Pereira, Marc Rodriguez, Oriol Vila, Tamara Arias, Nuria Gago, Irene Montala. DIR Maria Ripoll, SCR Albert Espinosa, PROD Francisco Ramos, Marta Esteban. Spain/Argentina/Italy.

AFRICAN VOICES
BAB'AZIZ (North American Premiere) Cast: Parviz Shahinkhou, Maryam Hamid, Nessim Kahloul, Mohamed Grayaa, Golshifteh Faahani, Hossein Panahi. DIR Nacer Khemir SCR Tonino Guerra PROD Cyriac Aurol, Ali-Reza Shojanoori, Lauraine Heftler. Tunisia/France/Switzerland/Iran

BUNNY CHOW: KNOW THYSELF (US Premiere) Cast: Kagiso Lediga, David Kibuuka, Kim Engelbrecht, Joey Rasdien, Keren Neumann, Angela Chow. DIR John Barker SCR David Kibuuka, Salah Sabiti, Joey Rasdien, John Barker PROD John Barker, Kagiso Lediga. South Africa

DAYS OF GLORY Cast: Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roshdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Benoit Giros, Melanie Laurent, Antoine Chappey. DIR Rachid Bouchareb SCR Olivier Lorelle, Rachid Bouchareb PROD Jean Bréhat, Jamel Debbouze. Algeria/Belgium/France/Morocco

HOMECOMING (North American Premiere) Cast: Tony Kgoroge, Siyabonga Twala, Eric Miyeni, Ntathe Moshesh, Bonnie Henna DIR Norman Maake PROD Dumisani Dlamini, David Max Brown. South Africa

SHOOT THE MESSENGER (North American Premiere) Cast: Joseph Pascale, David Oyelowo, Charles Mnene, Nikki Amuka-Bird DIR Ngozi Onwurah SCR Sharon Foster PROD Anne Pivcevic. UK

THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING Cast: Adel Imam, Nour El Sherif, Hend Sabry, Yousra, Isaad Younis, Hind Sabry, Somaya El Khashab, Ahmed Rateb. DIR Marwan Hamed SCR Waheed Hamed NOVEL Alaa Al Aswani PROD Sameh Gobran, Adel Adib. Egypt

DARK HORIZONS
AFTER... (World Premiere) Cast: Daniel Caltagirone, Flora Montgomery, Nicholas Aaron DIR David L. Cunningham SCR David L. Cunningham, Kevin Miller PROD Penelope L. Foster. USA.

ALIEN AUTOPSY (North American Premiere) Cast: Declan Donnelly, Ant McPartlin, Bill Pullman, Harry Dean Stanton, Omid Djalili, Jimmy Carr, Mike Blakeley, Matthew Blakely, John Shrapnel, David Threlfall DIR Johnny Campbell SCR William Davies PROD William Davies, Barnaby Thompson. UK.

DARK CORNERS (North American Premiere) Cast: Thora Birch, Toby Stephens, Christien Anholt DIR/SCR Ray Gower PROD Nigel Thomas. USA/UK.

DANIKA (North American Premiere) Cast: Marisa Tomei, Regina Hall, Nicki Prian, Ridge Canipe, Bailey Hughes DIR Ariel Vromen SCR Joshua Leibner PROD Lorena David, John F.K. Parenteau, Mark A. Roberts. USA.

THE HOST Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doo-na, Ko A-sung DIR Bong Joon-ho SCR Bong Joon-ho, Hah Joon-won, Baek Chul-hyun PROD Choi Yong-bae. Korea.

RE-CYCLE (North American Premiere) Cast: Lee Sin Je, Ekin Cheng, Rain Li DIR Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang SCR Pang Brothers, Pak Sing Pang, Sam Lung,Cub Chien PROD Pang Brothers. Hong Kong/Thailand.

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS COMPETITION
Shorts Program One:
APPARENT HORIZON (World Premiere) DIR/SCR Thymaya Payne. USA.
DEAR JOSH (World Premiere) DIR/SCR Brendan Gibbons. USA.
DISAPPEARING DIR Stefanie Berk. USA.
I WANT TO BE A PILOT DIR/SCR/EXEC PROD Diego Quemada-Diez. Spain/Kenya/Mexico.
MR. SCHWARTZ, MR. HAZEN AND MR. HORLOCKER (US Premiere) DIR/SCR/PROD Stefan Mueller. Germany.
NEVEL IS THE DEVIL DIR/SCR Peter Craig. USA.
THE RATSNITCH ANGEL DIR/SCR/PROD Michael Medaglia. USA.
REDEMPTITUDE DIR/SCR/PROD David & Nathan Zelner. USA.
THE TRAIN (North American Premiere) DIR Archie Ticktin. USA/UK.

Shorts Program Two:
CAN YOU HEAR ME? DIR/SCR Deva Palmier. UK.
COLOURBARS DIR/SCR Timothy Moore. Canada.
CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK Documentary DIR Kris Kristensen. USA.
FAIR TRADE (North American Premiere) DIR/SCR Michael Dreher. Germany/Morocco.
ICE FLOE DIR Louis Cedric and Barras Claude. Switzerland.
MOTHER DIR/SCR Sian Heder. USA.
NINTH STREET CHRONICLES (US Premiere) DIR/SCR Megan Martin. Canada.
SILENCER (North American Premiere) DIR Frazer Bailey. Australia.
WHEN WE ARE BIG DIR Eveline Ketterings. The Netherlands.

Shorts Program Three:
COMPLICATED STORY, SIMPLY TOLD (US Premiere) DIR Jaap Van Heusden. The Netherlands
FOURTEEN DIR Nicole Barnette. USA.
HEAVY METAL DRUMMER DIR/SCR Toby MacDonald, Luke Morris. UK.
KIDNEY THIEVES (World Premiere) DIR Toby Wilkins. USA.
LOLLYPOP DIR Kalup Linzy. USA.
ONE TOO MANY DIR Borja Cobeag. Spain.
RECALL (North American Premiere) DIR/SCR Michael Noonan. Australia.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN (North American Premiere) DIR Chris Shepherd. UK.
WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT DIR David Shrigley and Chris Shepherd. UK.

Shorts Program Four:
EYE POPPIN Documentary (World Premiere) DIR Jill Morley. USA.
FILM NOIR (North American Premiere) DIR/SCR/PROD Osbert Parker. UK.
FULL METAL SLACKS Documentary DIR/SCR Scott Calonico. USA.
HAIRLADY DIR/SCR/PROD David Birdsell. USA.
THE LONELY LIGHTS. THE COLOR OF LEMONS DIR/SCR Benjamin M Piet. USA.
MELODRAMA DIR/SCR Filip Marczewski. Poland.
PHANTOM CANYON DIR/SCR Stacey Steers. USA.
POP FOUL DIR Moon Molson. USA.
WIGALD (North American Premiere) DIR Timon Modersohn. Germany.

About AFI FEST
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Celebrating 20 years as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi will span 11 days in November, featuring international competitions of brand new films from emerging filmmakers, global showcases of the latest work from the great film masters and nightly red-carpet gala premieres.
In 2005, with 129 films from 44 countries, AFI FEST was host to 522 filmmakers and guests from 35 countries. More than 60,000 attendees gathered at the AFI FEST Village in the heart of Hollywood for hundreds of screenings, receptions and special events, with the majority of activity headquartered at the state-of-the-art ArcLight Hollywood complex.
About the AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced professional training designed to nurture the talents and enhance the skills of tomorrow's leading storytellers in the global motion picture and television professions. The curriculum focuses on narrative, visual storytelling through hands-on collaboration, taught by working professionals from the film and television communities. Master of Fine Arts degrees are granted in six filmmaking disciplines-Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. The AFI Conservatory has trained more than 3,000 artists since its founding in 1969. These graduates have, and will continue to have, a major impact on the art of film, television and digital media.
The American Film Market (AFM), November 1 - 8, 2006 is the market partner of AFI FEST. Together, AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival/market event in North America. As the largest motion picture trade event in the world, AFM draws film community leaders from around the globe. Each year over 8,000 attendees converge on Santa Monica for deal making, screenings, seminars, networking and parties. For more information, visit www.americanfilmmarket.com.
AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign Trust. AFI FEST is proud to continue its collaborative partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center.
AFI PROJECT: 20/20 is presented in cooperation with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, supported by a partnership of the Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi is sponsored in part by American Airlines, ArcLight Hollywood, Absolut Vodka, Aquafina, Best Buy, Charriol, Eastman Kodak Company, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Midway Car Rental, Moviefone, NEC and Stella Artois. The Los Angeles Times is the Festival's Presenting Media Partner. Additional media partners include Current TV, Indie 103.1, LA Weekly and Univision.
Additional information about AFI FEST is available at www.afi.com.
About Audi of America
Audi's history in America dates to 1969, when the brand was first introduced to the U.S. market. Today, a network of over 260 Audi dealers currently offers a line of premium vehicles that include the Audi A3 compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the V10-powered S6 sport sedan; the all-new Audi Q7 performance SUV; and the all-aluminum Audi A8 and S8 sedans.
Audi of America is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and markets a line of luxury cars built in plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Györ, Hungary.

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