AFI FEST DAILY NEWS, DAY 5

After his title role in yesterday’s THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS and his role in today’s THE LAST STATION (in which he plays Leo Tolstoy), Christopher Plummer is certainly the man of the hour. Look for info on his Tribute and other highlights from today’s lineup below.

Note: We are having great success getting Rush Lines into screenings, and more tickets have been released. Reserve your tickets online and bring the printout confirmation to the theater.

I KILLED MY MOTHER
Quebecois art cinema is making headlines this year with films like POLYTECHNIQUE, CARCASSES, THE ENCIRCLEMENT and I KILLED MY MOTHER, which swept the awards in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes in May. Judging from his reaction, no one was more stunned than the film’s writer-director-producer-star, 20-year-old Xavier Dolan.

TRASH HUMPERS
As Harmony Korine proves with this highly original and frequently bone-chilling mockumentary about a group of antisocial vandals, American indie cinema can be as provocative and stimulating as films found anywhere. For more amiable indie experiences, check out the comedy YOUTH IN REVOLT or the delicate character study THE MESSENGER. (And for the Under 18 crowd, Nina Paley’s SITA SINGS THE BLUES offers further evidence of the ingenuity of American independents.)

On the Red Carpet

Tribute to Christopher Plummer: THE LAST STATION
In this comic-dramatic account of Leo Tolstoy’s final months, Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer in a magnificent performance) has renounced writing fiction and started a movement focused on pacifism, chastity and the abolishment of private property. Also stars James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti and Helen Mirren.

6:30 p.m. Red Carpet arrivals
6:45 p.m. Start releasing tickets to Rush Line
7:00 p.m. Program begins

Grauman’s Chinese Gala: EVERYBODY’S FINE
A remake of Giuseppe Tornatore’s STANNO TUTTI BENE, the film stars Robert De Niro as a widower who, upon realizing his only connection to his family was through his wife, sets off on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children. What follows is a series of eye-opening experiences for the working-class man as he learns the truth about their lives.

5:00 p.m. Press Check-in opens
6:30 p.m. Will Call opens
7:00 p.m. Red Carpet opens
7:45 p.m. Start releasing tickets to Rush Line
8:00 p.m. Program begins

Expected to attend: Kirk Jones (Dir./Scr.), Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, Gianni Nunnari (Prod.), Ted Field (Prod.), Craig J. Flores (Exec. Prod.), Mike Weber (Exec. Prod.), Joe Rosenberg (Exec. Prod.)

Also attending: THE MESSENGER: Owen Moverman, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Ben Foster; TRASH HUMPERS: Harmony Korine, Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Nicolas Ihermitte and Rachel Korine; YOUTH IN REVOLT: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, M. Emmet Walsh and Kalyan David Permut