‘American Hustle’ Director David O. Russell to be Celebrated with Tribute at AFI Festival
The American Film Institute Festival began today and will tomorrow pay tribute to American Hustle Director David O. Russell. The annual AFI Fest will run until November 14th, the Hollywood set event has been running since 1971 and was formerly known as FILMEX.
The festival celebrates a range of world cinema, upcoming filmmakers, hosts screenings and of course honours cinematic greats. Russell is to be honoured at a tribute held tomorrow evening, during a conversation with the director about his recent filmic success. The conversation is said to be accompanied by a range of clips from both The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook which collectively earned 15 Oscar Nominations.
The special tribute will be held at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and will focus on the director’s December release (in the US) of star-studded American Hustle. The film is about a con man who is forced to work for a wild FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) causing con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) to become involved in the mafia. The film also stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro.
A still from American Hustle
AFI Fest describe An Evening With David O. Russell;
A conversation with award-winning director David O. Russell celebrating his acclaimed work and new film AMERICAN HUSTLE. The tribute presentation will feature scenes from Russell’s body of work and AMERICAN HUSTLE. Like Russell’s previous films, AMERICAN HUSTLE defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes.
Three-time Academy Award®-nominee David O. Russell’s AMERICAN HUSTLE, which he also co-wrote, reunites the director with four actors he has directed to an Academy Award® nomination or win: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Russell wrote and directed SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012), a box office sensation that earned eight Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and acting nominations in all four categories — Best Actor for Bradley Cooper, Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence, Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro and Best Supporting Actress for Jacki Weaver. Lawrence took home the Oscar®.
Previously, Russell directed THE FIGHTER (2010), which earned seven Oscar®nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale and two Best Supporting Actress nods for Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, and Oscar® wins for Bale and Leo. Prior films include I HUCKABEES (2004), THREE KINGS (1999), FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) and SPANKING THE MONKEY (1994).
Russell is a longtime board member of the Ghetto Film School, an organization that supports the growth and education of young black and Latino filmmakers in the South Bronx.
Watch the film’s trailer here, it’s worth it just to see Bradley Cooper with his hair in rollers…
The festival will be hosting several other special conversations including Inside Llewyn Davis with the Coen Brothers, whose film is to close the festival. Saving Mr Banks opens the festival today and has it’s North American Premiere. American Hustle will be released on January 3rd.
