It’s that time again. AFI Fest brings a well curated selection of films from all over the world to the film capitol of the universe: Los Angeles. Instead of the usual glut of exploding superheroes and Katherine Heigl meet-cutes, AFI Fest gives Los Angeles the chance to see films that maybe have some, um, intelligence and innovation. Remember that? This year the programmers have decided to have their first ever guest Artistic Director, and who better than AFI alum David Lynch? Lynch hand-picked five films for a special sidebar this year: Rear Window, Lolita, Mon Oncle, Hour of the Wolf and Sunset Boulevard – not bad, dude. They’re also showing a few things that I’m chomping at the bit to see: Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, Blue Valentine with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and Werner Herzog’s 3D Cave of Forgotten Dreams (I may camp out for this last one). And that’s just the itty bitty tip of the iceberg — check the AFI Fest website for shorts, documentaries, international features and more. Oh, and the miracle of this film fest in particular is that all the screenings are… FREE. Not sure how they afford all those red carpets if the tickets are gratis but that’s their problem, not ours (I’m thinking it may have something to do with Audi, but what do I know). And don’t think you can just saunter up to the theater five minutes early and walk in and watch a free film. Read their website for details – you gotta put in some effort. Get there early people.

AFI Fest runs Nov. 4-11 in and around Hollywood. Peep the trailer for Blue Valentine below…