Movie Premiere Press Release

AFI Fest 2004 Presented by Audi Announces Six Galas

Also Announced Is a Tribute to Pedro Almodovar

Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Zhang Yimou, Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau, Takeshi
Kaneshiro, Pedro Almodovar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Michael Radford, Al Pacino,
Jeremy Irons, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Audrey Tautou, Alejandro Amenabar and Javier
Bardem Are Among Those Scheduled to Attend

Opening Night Gala:
U.S. Premiere of Kevin Spacey's BEYOND THE SEA

Centerpiece Gala
Michael Radford's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Closing Night Gala:
U.S. Premiere of Alejandro Amenabar's THE SEA INSIDE

Other Gala Presentations:
Pedro Almodovar's BAD EDUCATION
Zhang Yimou's HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
North American Premiere of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi --
the 18th AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival -- today announced its
red-carpet gala presentations.

Los Angeles' longest-running film festival opens on November 4, 2004, with
the U.S. Premiere of BEYOND THE SEA, directed by and starring Kevin Spacey.
The Centerpiece Gala will be THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, directed by Michael
Radford. The Festival's Closing Night Gala on November 14, 2004, will be the
U.S. Premiere of THE SEA INSIDE, directed by Alejandro Amenabar.

The other Gala Presentations are HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, directed by
Zhang Yimou, and the North American Premiere of A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT,
directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

AFI FEST 2004 also announced a Tribute and Retrospective of Academy
Award(R)-winning and internationally acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodovar. As
part of the Tribute, AFI FEST 2004 will include a Gala Presentation of BAD
EDUCATION.

"We have more red-carpet galas than ever before at AFI FEST," commented
Nancy Collet, Director of Programming. "This breadth of anticipated
international titles -- from China, Spain, France, the UK and the U.S. --
seems especially appropriate in our first year aligned with the AFM."

Thursday, November 4 -- ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome
AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi kicks off with the U.S. Premiere of Kevin
Spacey's BEYOND THE SEA.

"I can't think of a better launch for BEYOND THE SEA than to open AFI's
film festival in November," says Spacey. "All of us involved in the making of
the film are so pleased to bring Bobby Darin's story to such a well respected
and attended event. We are delighted to be given such a honored slot as to
open the festival. We thank AFI for having asked us."

BEYOND THE SEA is directed by Academy Award(R) winner Kevin Spacey and
stars Kate Bosworth, John Goodman, Bob Hoskins and Brenda Blethyn. This
inspiring and uplifting film is a rags to riches story of popular crooner
Bobby Darin. Told through his own eyes, the film recounts Darin's life, from
the threatening childhood illness that gave him a life expectancy of 15 years
of age and damaged his heart forever, to his rise in the music and film
industry. By the end of his short career, he had more hits in more genres
than any other music artist except Elvis Presley and Ray Charles (Lions Gate
Films).

The Opening Night Film and Gala are presented by Audi of America, with
support from the Hollywood Sign Trust.

Saturday, November 6 -- ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Ziyi Zhang,
Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau. In this latest film from master filmmaker
Zhang Yimou (HERO), HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS explores the conflict between
honor and desire in an exquisite combination of romantic melodrama and high
operatic tragedy that features erotic dance and virtuoso martial arts
fighting. Two policemen (Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) are on the hunt for
the outlawed revolutionary group called Flying Daggers. They plan to win the
confidence of the blind daughter of the group's slain chief and then destroy
the group's new leaders. This visual treat was a hit at Cannes and features
action and emotion to stunning effect (Sony Pictures Classics).

Tuesday, November 9 -- ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome

The Centerpiece Gala Presentation will be THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, directed
by Michael Radford and starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and
Lynn Collins. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE was adapted by Michael Radford (IL
POSTINO) from Shakespeare's play. The film is set in 16th century Venice, and
centers around love, lust, money, deceit, hatred and revenge. A young man
Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) is in need of funds to woo a wealthy heiress named
Portia (Lynn Collins). He turns to Antonio (Jeremy Irons). Antonio then
turns to Shylock (Al Pacino) for a loan, believing that once his merchant ship
returns he will be able to pay Shylock back. A classic play interpreted by an
A-list cast (Sony Pictures Classics)*

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is presented by Philips Electronics

Wednesday, November 10 -- Grauman's Chinese Theatre

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (North American Premiere) is directed by Jean-
Pierre Jeunet and stars Audrey Tautou and Gaspard Ulliel. From the director
and star of AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou) comes a very
different love story, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, based on the acclaimed novel by
Sebastien Japrisot. The film is set in France near the end of World War I, in
the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power and in
the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl. It tells the story of this
young woman's relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiance,
who has disappeared. He is one of five French Soldiers believed to have been
court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied
trench into an almost-certain death in no man's land. What follows is an
investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war and
the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart (Warner
Independent Pictures).

Sunday, November 14 -- ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome

The Festival will close with the U.S. Premiere of Alejandro Amenabar's THE
SEA INSIDE.
THE SEA INSIDE is directed and co-written by Alejandro Amenabar (THE
OTHERS, OPEN YOUR EYES) and starring Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda and Lola
Duenas. This is the true story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro (Javier Bardem),
who fought for 30 years in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die with
dignity. Two women enter his life, and, instead of changing his life, their
own lives are changed in the process. This beautifully rendered film tells of

Sampedro's poignant fight for dignity, showcasing Javier Bardem's
extraordinary range as an actor (Fine Line Features).

Sunday, November 7 -- ArcLight Hollywood's Cinerama Dome

AFI FEST presents a Gala Presentation of Pedro Almodovar's BAD EDUCATION
as part of the filmmaker Tribute and Retrospective.

BAD EDUCATION is written and directed by Almodovar and stars Gael Garcia
Bernal and Fele Martinez. Two kids, Ignacio and Enrique, discover love,
cinema and fear in a religious school at the start of the '60s. Father
Manolo, the school principal and their literature teacher, is witness to and
part of these discoveries. These three characters meet twice again, at the
end of the '70s and in the '80s when they must confront the past (Sony
Pictures Classics).

Monday, November 8 -- ArcLight Hollywood

AFI FEST 2004 will present a Tribute to the Academy Award(R)-winning and
internationally acclaimed writer/director of BAD EDUCATION, whose credits
include ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, KIKA, MATADOR, TALK TO HER, TIE ME UP! TIE ME
DOWN! and WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.
The evening will feature film clips, anecdotes and a lively on-stage
conversation with this celebrated international filmmaker in a very rare Los
Angeles appearance.

For Festival ticket sales and information, please call 1.866.AFI FEST or
visit the AFI FEST Web site at http://www.AFI.com.

Now in its 18th year, AFI FEST presented by Audi -- the AFI Los Angeles
International Film Festival -- is the longest-running film festival in Los
Angeles and one of the most influential film festivals in North America. A
program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST spans 10 days each November,
featuring international competitions of new feature films, documentaries and
shorts from emerging filmmakers, global showcases of the latest work from the
great film masters and nightly red-carpet gala premieres.

Beginning this year, AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi (November 4 - 14) and
the 2004 American Film Market (November 3 - 10) have established a strategic
alliance creating a formidable festival/market combination -- the only one of
its kind in North America -- which will dramatically deepen the well of
cultural and commercial possibilities for participants at both events. For
more information on AFM, visit http://www.americanfilmmarket.com.

AFI FEST 2004 is sponsored in part by Audi of America, American Airlines,
ArcLight Hollywood, Absolut Raspberri Vodka, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel,
Philips Electronics, BEST BUY and Eastman Kodak Company.
AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi is supported in part by the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, as
well as the City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department of Los Angeles
and the Hollywood Sign Trust. AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi is proud to
continue its collaborative partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center.
Made in Germany is made possible through the cooperation and support of the
German Film Services + Marketing GMBH. New Faces In European Cinema is made
possible through the cooperation and support of the European Film Promotion.
Audi of America is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and markets
performance-oriented European luxury vehicles: the sporty A4 sedan, A4 Avant
and A4 Cabriolet models -- the perfect union of power and control; the
everyday sports car in the form of the S4 sedan, S4 Avant and S4 Cabriolet;
the birth of Audi's sports car tradition -- the TT Coupe and Roadster; the
broad range of bold A6 sedans -- the beautiful A6 Avant and the versatile
allroad quattro; and the most progressive premium luxury car, the A8 in both
extended and normal wheelbase versions. For more information about additional
Audi-related events and corporate news, visit http://www.audiusa.com.

AFI advances film, television and other forms of the moving image through
innovation in education and the recognition of excellence. AFI trains the
next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains
America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores
new digital technologies in moviemaking through AFI's New Media Ventures. As
the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN offers year-round
programming at the ArcLight Hollywood and the annual AFI FEST presented by
Audi -- The Los Angeles International Film Festival; at the AFI Silver Theatre
and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland -- including the annual
SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival -- and at the AFI
National Film Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The annual
almanac for the 21st century, AFI AWARDS honors the most outstanding motion
pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years ... series
has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And,
during the past 32 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest
honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at
AFI.com.

SOURCE AFI

Web Site: http://www.AFI.com

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