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Phil Lord and Chris Miller Tapped as Guest Artistic Directors for AFI Fest 2026
Phil Lord and Chris Miller have been named guest artistic directors for AFI Fest 2026, where they will curate films that influenced their work, including Project Hail Mary. The appointment will also feature a Q&A with the filmmaking duo following a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, highlighting their influence and longstanding contribution to contemporary cinema.
The festival’s 40th edition will run at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatres from 21–25 October, opening with the US premiere of Wildwood. Other scheduled films include The Mosquito Bowl and Being Heumann, while the full programme will be announced on 29 September. Lord and Miller’s selected influences include Harold and Maude, The Muppet Movie and Rififi; Project Hail Mary has earned more than $684 million worldwide.
In short
- Lord and Miller will serve as AFI Fest 2026 guest artistic directors.
- They will curate influential films and take part in a Q&A.
- AFI Fest runs in Hollywood from 21–25 October.
Explained simply
AFI Fest is an annual film festival organised by the American Film Institute, a US organisation that supports film and television. Its programme brings together new releases and older films, and includes screenings and discussions with people who make films.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are American filmmakers who work as a directing and producing team. Their credits include animated films such as The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, as well as live-action comedies; the films they choose as influences offer a view of the cinema that has shaped their work.
Guest artistic directors help shape a festival’s programme by selecting films and introducing audiences to their choices. Their role connects the festival’s screenings with the wider history of filmmaking and gives viewers a chance to hear how filmmakers discuss their influences.
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