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    AFI Fest struggles to find its niche amid a shifting festival landscape

    by Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times Oct 27, 2023 5 minutes
    Sam Esmail attends the opening night gala premiere of "Leave the World Behind" during the AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct. 25, 2023, in Los Angeles.

    LOS ANGELES — The AFI Fest opened on Wednesday night with the world premiere of the suspenseful apocalyptic tale "Leave the World Behind," adapted and directed by Sam Esmail. Though the film has an enviable cast that includes Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la and Mahershala Ali, none of them were in attendance at the TCL Chinese Theatre screening due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

    Esmail is a graduate of AFI's directing program but had somehow never actually picked up his diploma. So before the film began, Bob Gazzale, president and CEO of the American Film Institute, presented it to Esmail. The moment didn't quite land with either the comedic lilt or emotional heft that it could have, and, much like the evening itself, it just kind of was.

    AFI Fest has long made a benefit of coming at the end of

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