The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced the dates for AFI Fest 2023. The 37th edition of the Institute’s annual festival will take place exclusively in person on October 25-29, 2023, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. The five-day festival will once again include a curated selection of Red Carpet galas, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films.
“As we look ahead to AFI Fest, we are reminded of the power of film festivals to immerse, to inspire and to bring us together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to shining a proper light upon films from around the world that move us and to celebrating the artists that lead the way to a brighter future.”
Entries for the AFI Fest 2023 Short Film Competition program are now open and filmmakers are invited to submit fiction, documentary, experimental and animated short films. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI Fest as a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®.
SHORT FILM SUBMISSION DATES
- Early Deadline – March 2, 2023
- Official Deadline – April 13, 2023
- Final Deadline – June 1, 2023
Learn more about submitting to AFI Fest 2023 here.
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Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from singer R. Kelly, convicted of child sex crimes
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal Monday from the singer R. Kelly, who is now serving 20 years in prison after being convicted of child sex convictions in Chicago.
The Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was found guilty in 2022 of three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
His lawyers argued that a shorter statute of limitations on child sex crime prosecutions should have applied to offenses dating back to the 1990s. Current law permits charges while an accuser is still alive.
The justices did not detail their reasoning in declining to hear the case, as is typical. And none publicly dissented. Lower courts previously rejected his arguments.
Federal prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser identified only as Jane testified that she was 14 when the video was taken.
Kelly has also appealed a separate 30-year sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions in New York.
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