FREE TICKETS TO ALL FESTIVAL PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THIS THURSDAY
Early Access to Tickets for AFI Members and AFI Conservatory Alumni This
Wednesday Festival Box Office Now Open for Pass Sales

AFI FEST presented by Audi, a showcase of the most anticipated films and performances of the year, today announced the film retrospective curated by Guest Artistic Director Pedro Almodóvar for the 25th edition of the festival. In addition to the previously announced screening of his film LAW OF DESIRE as An Evening With Pedro Almodóvar Gala presentation on Monday, November 7, Almodóvar's program of classic horror films and thrillers are EYES WITHOUT A FACE (DIR Georges Franju, 1960), LE CERCLE ROUGE (DIR Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970), NIGHTMARE ALLEY (DIR Edmund Goulding, 1947) and THE KILLERS (DIR Robert Siodmak, 1946).

Almodóvar has created comprehensive notes for these curated films that will be shared with moviegoers as part of the festival's official program guide. He describes LAW OF DESIRE as a film that embodies his voice saying, "LAW OF DESIRE is a fundamental title in my career. Even though we made it on a very modest budget, I don't think I'd change a single shot, and not because it's perfect but because I recognize myself in all of them...It's true that my palette has darkened and, in the case of the latest film, the humor has almost disappeared. Fortunately I've changed sufficiently so that no one can accuse me of repeating myself, but I'm still the same. LAW OF DESIRE shows that." He chose the other four classic films "because in some way, albeit tangentially, they have a relationship with my present."

Almodóvar will attend the festival on Monday, November 7, joined by Antonio Banderas, who has a leading role in LAW OF DESIRE. The film was the first to be produced by El Deseo S.A., the production company founded by Pedro Almodóvar and his brother, Agustín, and through which all of Almodóvar's films have since been produced. A conversation about Almodóvar's career and the history of El Deseo S.A., moderated by John Hopewell, Chief International Correspondent at Variety, will precede the screening of the film.

For the third consecutive year, AFI FEST will continue its unprecedented offer of free tickets to all
screenings and conversations. Purchasing a Patron Pass, which includes an allotment of gala tickets, or one of the festival's other passes - the Cinepass and the Special Screenings pass, which provides access to regular screenings and special screenings - enables festival-goers to avoid the rush lines at the theaters and provides early access to films. The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization. Pass purchases are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Additional information is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST, 1.888.AFI.FEST and on-site at the AT&T box office at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.

Individual tickets to AFI FEST will be available to AFI members on Wednesday, October 26 in a 24-hour advance window before they become available to the general public on October 27. In
addition, AFI members receive a 10% discount on all passes. Information about AFI membership is available at AFI.com/membership.

AFI FEST will take place November 3 through 10 in Hollywood, California, at the historic Chinese
Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is America's promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.

AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and Archive, the AFI Life Achievement Award, now in it's 40th year, AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, AFI Fest presented by Audi, celebrating its 25th edition this fall, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, AFI Silver Theatre and the AFI Conservatory, which was named the # 1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter.

Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

About AFI FEST
Celebrating its 25th year as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi will take place November 3 through 10 in the heart of Hollywood. Kicking off the awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing appreciative audiences with a festive atmosphere and the very best of global cinema, right in the center of the film capital of the world.

The American Film Market (AFM), November 2 through 9, 2011, is the market partner of AFI FEST. Together, AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival-market event in North America. AFI FEST is the only FIAPF-accredited film festival in the United States. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the annual Academy Awards®.

Audi is the festival's presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include American Airlines, the official airline of AFI; AT&T; Pepsi, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Levi's; Stella Artois and American Film Market (AFM), among many others.

Additional information about AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST, twitter.com/AFIFEST and youtube.com/AFIFEST.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

About AFM
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution reaches its peak every year at the AFM, when more than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, premieres, networking, parties and conferences. Participants come from more than 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world's press and all those who provide services to the motion
picture industry. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA). More information is online at AmericanFilmMarket.com.

AFI FEST Media Contact
Shivna Vasavada - 323.856.7663, or svasavada@afi.com

AFI FEST 2011 presented by Audi
GUEST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PEDRO ALMODÓVAR'S FILM SELECTIONS

LE CERCLE ROUGE: The "red circle" of fate ensnares Alain Delon in Jean-Pierre Melville's austere masterpiece about a Paris heist gone terribly wrong. DIR Jean-Pierre Melville. CAST Alain Delon, André Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand, Paul Crauchet, Paul Amiot, Pierre Collet, André Ekyan, Jean-Pierre Posier, François Périer. France.
Saturday, November 5, 4:00 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

EYES WITHOUT A FACE: Haunting, lyrical and elegant, EYES WITHOUT A FACE offer us Dr.Génessier (Pierre Brasseur), one of the greatest "mad doctors" in all of cinema. DIR Georges Franju.SCR Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon, Claude Sautet. CAST Pierre Brasseur, AlidaValli, Edith Scob, François Guérin, Juliette Mayniel, Alexandre Rignault, Béatrice Altariba, CharlesBlavette, Claude Brasseur. France.
Saturday, November 5, 1:30 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

THE KILLERS: Director Robert Siodmak turns Hemingway's six-page short story into a beautiful, tough, tragic thriller starring Burt Lancaster as an ex-boxer who can't outrun his fate. DIR Robert Siodmak. SCR Anthony Veiller from the short story by Ernest Hemingway. CAST Burt Lancaster, AvaGardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levine, Vince Barnett, Virgina Christine, Jack Lambert. USA.
Monday, November 5, 4:00 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian

LAW OF DESIRE: A 25th anniversary screening of Pedro Almodóvar's early masterpiece, a twisted love story featuring explosive performances from Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura. DIR/SCR Pedro Almodóvar. CAST Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas. Spain. Almodóvar and Banderas will introduce the film. A conversation about Almodóvar's career, moderated by John Hopewell, Chief International Correspondent at Variety, will precede the film.
Monday, November 7, 7:00 p.m., The Chinese

NIGHTMARE ALLEY: Tyrone Power gives a mesmerizing performance as an ambitious carnival barker with a fifth-rate circus in this terrifying and moving film noir classic. DIR Edmund Goulding. SCR Jules Furthman. CAST Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker, Taylor Holmes, Mike Mazurki, Ian Keith. USA.
Wednesday, November 9, 4:30 p.m., Rigler Theatre, Egyptian