AFI Coverage: Opening Night with Adrien Brody and ‘The Brothers Bloom’

By Laura Noble
lnoble@smu.edu

Shoppers, socialites and celebrities flocked to the short red carpet at NorthPark Center for opening night of the third-annual AFI Dallas International Film Festival Thursday evening.

Passersby watched from the upstairs balconies and escalators, hoping for a glimpse of industry professionals like director Robert Towne and actor Adrien Brody as they walked the red carpet.

After making their grand entrances and smiling for the string of flashing lights, those with exclusive festival passes continued upstairs to the AMC Theater for a question-and-answer session with Adrien Brody and a simulcast screening in theaters eight and nine of Brody’s film “The Brothers Bloom.”

Among those in the crowd was SMU sophomore and cinema television major Adele LeGardeur who gained access to the event from her internship with AFI Dallas.

“It’s so great being able to be this close to so many directors and successful people from the industry,” LeGardeur said. “I mean, the turnout is really amazing.”

Others watching the red carpet scene just happened upon it while shopping, like Highland Park high school students Montana Horn and Emily Eckeberger.

“We saw lots of people, and it looked like something big and important, so we stopped to check it out,” Horn said.

Bringing in the biggest tide of onlookers and even meriting applause, was headliner Adrien Brody.

Brody remained soft-spoken and calm as he made his way down the line of interviewers before heading upstairs surrounded by a bevy of security.

“Dallas is great,” Brody told The Daily Mustang. “I’m really loving it.”

Following Brody, were Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, co-directors of the short film Ella and the Astronaut, who have been on festival circuit for four months now.

“Answering questions next to Adrien Brody was totally surreal,” said Ojeda-Beck when asked what most surprised him about the night. “The hospitality’s been great– like at Adrien Brody status.”

But not all in attendance were there for the celebrity sightings and Hollywood scene.

Self-proclaimed film fanatic, Jill Manning paid $750 for an all-inclusive “Star Pass” that bypasses theater lines and grants access to all festival lounges, cocktail parties and screenings.

For Manning and her friend, who have attended AFI Dallas every year since its inception, the night marked the start of a marathon week of movie going.

“Honestly, I don’t care about anything but seeing the movies,” Manning said. “It’s all about the art of the film.”

For more information about screenings and the week’s events, visit the AFI Dallas Web site.