Passes for the 40th edition of AFI Fest went on sale Tuesday, giving Los Angeles cinephiles their first shot at securing seats before the festival's full program is even announced. The five-day celebration of international cinema is set to run October 21-25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, mixing red-carpet premieres with Oscar-qualifying short films, documentaries and world cinema.
According to MyNewsLA.com, festivalgoers can choose from three tiers this year: the Star Pass, the Patron Pass and a brand-new option for 2026, the Marquee Pass. The Star Pass includes early screening selection and theater access, free rush access, festival merchandise, and entry to the festival lounge, covering all screenings except the red-carpet premieres. The Patron Pass builds on all of those Star Pass benefits while adding priority screening selection and access to the marquee red-carpet events themselves.
The Marquee Pass, meanwhile, is pitched as the festival's premium tier, offering elevated access and personalized service. Per the same report, the pass also comes with additional hospitality benefits, according to AFI.
A Milestone Year Rooted in Hollywood Boulevard
This year marks the 40th installment of what the American Film Institute calls its annual celebration of international cinema, a run that traces back to January 1987, when AFI FEST launched as the successor to Los Angeles's longtime Filmex showcase, debuting at the Los Feliz Theatre, according to the Los Angeles Times. The festival didn't settle into its current Hollywood Boulevard hub until the 2000s, having previously bounced between venues in Santa Monica, West Hollywood and the former ArcLight on Sunset Boulevard, per the International Documentary Association.
The American Film Institute itself has deeper roots still, having been created on June 5, 1967, following a 1965 presidential mandate signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to preserve American movie heritage and train future generations of filmmakers, according to the American Film Institute. That federal-era origin story adds institutional weight to a festival now marking four decades of programming in the same city where it began.
High Stakes for Short Filmmakers
Beyond the glitz of red-carpet premieres, AFI FEST carries real competitive weight for emerging filmmakers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences designates the festival as an official qualifying event for the Live Action, Animated, and Documentary Short Film categories at the Oscars, according to the Academy. The festival's reach extends across the Atlantic too, serving as a recognized qualifying festival for the British Short Film categories at both the BAFTA Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards, according to FilmFreeway.
That same FilmFreeway listing shows just how much the festival has grown in scale and scope in recent years. During its 2025 edition, AFI FEST screened over 160 films from 56 countries, with women directing 39% of the lineup and BIPOC directors representing 29%. Those figures offer a baseline for what organizers may aim to match or exceed as the 40th edition's full program is unveiled.
Industry Access and Getting There
Accredited film industry professionals have their own path in as well. An Industry Pass runs $150 and includes access to panel discussions and an official festival mixer, alongside ticket reservation privileges, according to the American Film Institute's industry pass page. Individual ticket sales and the full program announcement aren't expected until late September, meaning pass holders are currently buying in ahead of knowing exactly which films and guests will fill the schedule.
For locals planning to drive in, the American Film Institute notes that festivalgoers attending screenings at the TCL Chinese Theatres can access $3.00 validated parking for up to four hours at the Ovation Hollywood structure, or take public transit via the Hollywood/Highland Metro station. The TCL Chinese Theatre complex is no stranger to hosting major multi-day cinema gatherings on Hollywood Boulevard — it also anchors the annual TCM Classic Film Festival each spring, keeping the strip in the film-festival rotation for much of the year. Additional AFI FEST information is available at fest.afi.com.
