AFI Fest Adds ‘Heretic’ and ‘Maria’ to 2024 Lineup

AFI Fest continues to roll out selections for next month’s festival ahead of the reveal of the full lineup.

The latest additions, billed as red carpet premieres, include the Hugh Grant-starrer Heretic from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and Pablo Larraín’s Maria starring Angelina Jolie as the famed opera singer.

Heretic comes first, with its L.A. premiere scheduled for Oct. 24, while Maria will hit the big screen on Oct. 26. Both will screen at Hollywood’s historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Heretic, to be released by A24 on Nov. 8, follows two missionaries (Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical man. Larraín’s Maria casts Jolie as Callas and follows her on her final days in Paris. The film, released by Netflix this fall, also stars Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

AFI Fest also confirmed Thursday the films included in its special screenings section. Those include Andrea Arnold’s Bird starring Barry Keoghan, Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here starring Fernanda Torres and Selton Paiva, Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch starring Amy Adams, Justin Kurzel’s The Order with Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett, Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain starring himself opposite Kieran Culkin, Pedro Almodóvar‘s Venice Film Festival winner The Room Next Door with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, Charlie McDowell’s The Summer Book starring Anders Danielsen Lie and Glenn Close, and William Goldenberg’s Unstoppable with Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Michael Peña and Bobby Cannavale.

“This year’s special screenings section includes some of the most-talked-about films from around the world, exquisitely crafted gems and inspirational crowd-pleasers,” offered Todd Hitchcock, director of AFI Fest and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. “We’re thrilled to bring these memorable and impactful films to AFI Fest audiences in the heart of Los Angeles.”

As previously announced, the red carpet premieres section also features Laurent Bouzereau’s documentary Music by John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and Clint Eastwood‘s Juror #2. The AFI Fest lineup will be unveiled Oct. 1. AFI Fest, presented by Canva, runs Oct. 23-27. Fiji Water serves as the fest’s official water sponsor.