‘Maestro’ To Close AFI Fest; Director Bradley Cooper Plays Leonard Bernstein & Carey Mulligan Also Stars

Maestro, starring and directed by Bradley Cooper, is set to close the 37th AFI Fest next month. The Leonard Bernstein biopic also starring Carey Mulligan will put a bow on the annual event with a red carpet gala Sunday, October 29, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

The Netflix film’s North American premiere on October 2 will come a month after its world premiere at Venice, where the film got an extended ovation. Cooper’s directorial follow-up to A Star Is Born, Maestro focuses on West Side Story composer Bernstein’s decades-long relationship with his wife, Felicia (Mulligan).

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The cast also includes Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman, and Cooper also produces along with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger. Cooper and Josh Singer penned the screenplay.

“Maestro displays Bradley Cooper’s symphony of talent with the power of a cymbal crash,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said. “It is AFI’s honor to shine a light upon this extraordinary work of art on the festival’s closing night.”

RELATED: Bradley Cooper And The Long Road To Bringing Leonard Bernstein To Cinematic Life In ‘Maestro’ – Venice Q&A With Producer Kristie Macosko Krieger

The film also will have the Spotlight Gala slot at the 61st New York Film Festival, which runs September 29-October 15.

The 2023 AFI Fest runs October 25-29, and the Oscar-qualifying, five-day event will feature an assortment of red carpet galas, special screenings, world cinema, documentaries and short films.

RELATED: Venice Chief Alberto Barbera On What Bradley Cooper Told Him After The ‘Maestro’ Premiere & More – The Deadline Q&A

RELATED: ‘Maestro’ Makeup Designer Kazu Hiro On Backlash To Prosthetic Nose: “I Wasn’t Expecting It; I’m Sorry If It Hurt Some People’s Feelings”

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