A Most Violent Year to open AFI FEST

J C Chandor’s anticipated drama A Most Violent Year will get its world premiere as the opening night gala of AFI FEST, set to run from November 6-13.

The film is expected to become an awards season contender and stars Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain and Albert Brooks in the 1980s-set story about a couple trying to realise the American Dream against the backdrop of one of the most crime-ridden winters in New York City history.

“J C Chandor has put together a remarkable crime drama, which is also an immersive period piece and morality tale that resonates on an emotional level”, said AFI FEST director Jacqueline Lyanga.

“Chandor is a talented director who takes risks with every film that he makes and A Most Violent Year is no exception. It is a great film with which to open the festival and begin the audience’s eight-day journey through a landscape of extraordinary contemporary cinema.”

A24 plans to release A Most Violent Year in the US on December 31. Chandor’s previous film, All Is Lost, opened in 2013 to wide acclaim and awards kudos including a New York Film Critics Circle best actor prize for Robert Redford.