The American Film Institute has announced that the 30th iteration of AFI Fest will spotlight Dorothy Dandridge, Ida Lupino, and Anna May Wong.
Dandridge was the first African-American woman nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Lupino was the first woman to direct film noir, and became a pioneering writer, producer, actor, and director. And Wong was the first Chinese-American actress to rise to international fame.
AFI Fest will screen three films, one featuring each artist: Otto Preminger’s “Carmen Jones” (1954) starring Dandridge, the Lupino-directed “The Hitch-Hiker” (1953), and E.A. Dupont’s “Piccadilly”(1929) starring Wong.
“This year, AFI Fest continues its annual commemoration of influential women in film by reviving the contributions of these three screen legends,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, AFI Fest Director. “The art work represents AFI’s mission to preserve cinema history and honor the artists who — to this day — continue to inspire filmmakers from around the world.”
As the announcement also details, “In addition to the spotlight on female pioneers at AFI Fest, as recently announced, AFI partnered with 20th Century Fox to help increase the number of female directors working on major studio films through an initiative that will provide alumnae of the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) — the American Film Institute’s unique female filmmaker training program — the opportunity to direct short films based on the Studio’s film franchises.” Women and Hollywood previously reported on the collaboration earlier this month.
AFI Fest runs from November 10–17. The full festival lineup and schedule will be unveiled in October.
