25 must-see films playing at this year’s AFI Fest

AFI Fest is the final film festival of this year. Here are the 25 features you should keep on your radar come awards time

The leaves are changing, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it, and, if you’re a film critic, the end of the year signifies prepping for the Academy Awards. The American Film Institute presents AFI Fest every year, releasing several of the films remaining that might end up on the Oscar shortlist come February.

This year Culturess will be on the ground at AFI Fest, reviewing movies, covering red carpet events, and trying to gaze into the crystal ball and decide what movies could come home with the Academy gold. Several of their gala features include possible Oscar contenders, two of which are highly anticipated works from female filmmakers. On the Basis of Sex and Mary Queen of Scots will be receiving their world premieres in light of continued controversy about their quality due to their absence from other film festivals. Will they receive praise when they’re finally revealed to the masses? Others, such as Green Book, Roma and Vox Lux are continuing their festival circuit after receiving early acclaim at previous events.

AFI Fest this year seems to be keyed into what’s happening in the world. Several of the movies on this list look at rape culture and a world associated closely with the #MeToo movement. Several of the features are also directed by women, hoping to balance the scales in the wake of continued outcry over how male-dominated the directorial field is. The festival also includes quite a few amazing works of genre cinema, particularly during their midnight movies slate.

So let’s look at the 25 movies you should keep your eyes peeled for at this year’s AFI Film Festival, and visit Culturess regularly during Nov. 8-16 for our on-the-ground coverage.