It’s time to celebrate cinema. With nightly red carpets, exclusive galas and special film screenings, the 2017 AFI FEST is at the center of the entertainment universe—and AT&T is a big part of it. Reminder, AFI stands for American Film Institute.

As a top sponsor of the festival for the 9th straight year, we’re ready to turn down the house lights and let the film roll.

Exclusive events

We’re hosting and sponsoring several events this year during AFI FEST, including:

  • Screenings of some of the most highly anticipated films
  • A Gala screening and after party for the film “The Disaster Artist,” directed and produced by James Franco. The film stars James and his brother Dave Franco in a biographical comedy-drama about filmmaker Tommy Wiseau. 
  • The screening and after party of western film, “The Ballad of Lefty Brown,” which stars Bill Pullman, Jim Caviezel, Kathy Baker, Tommy Flanagan and Peter Fonda. The film will also premiere exclusively on DIRECTV CINEMA Dec. 9 before its theaters on Dec. 12. Catch it there for 30 days.

DIRECTV, IndieWire and AFI will also host The Directors Table luncheon. AFI Conservatory Fellows will have the chance to chat with various film directors for an intimate mentoring session. Directors, including Jarod Moshe (“The Ballad of Lefty Brown”), Anton Egoyan (“The Devil’s Knot”), Patricia Rozema (“Into the Forest”) and Chad Hartigan (“Morris from America”), will be there.

The Conservatory film program at the American Film Institute identifies and serves future leaders in the art of motion pictures.

Don’t worry if you’re not in L.A. You can celebrate cinema at home right along with us. DIRECTV CINEMA brings you exclusive access to select new releases before they hit theaters. In fact, DIRECTV CINEMA has released 60+ films selected right from the festival circuit – from some of today’s best directors and starring award-winning actors. For details, go to DIRECTV.com/Cinema.

The 31st AFI FEST kicks off today and runs through Nov. 16. For more info on our sponsorship of the festival, to see the full schedule of events and for all ticket information, go to AFI.com/AFIFEST.

Follow us on Twitter, @att, to keep track of all the action at this year’s AFI FEST. And join the conversation online using #AFIFEST.

Whether you plan to drive to AFI FEST or your local theater, remember to always keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone. You can take the pledge against distracted driving anytime at ItCanWait.com or at valet stations throughout the festival.