Where ‘Mack the Knife’ meets ‘Flying Daggers’

AFI Fest 2004 opens Nov. 4 at the Cinerama Dome with the U.S. premiere of “Beyond the Sea,” a biopic about crooner Bobby Darin directed by and starring Kevin Spacey. Michael Radford’s version of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” staring Al Pacino as Shylock, has been selected at the Centerpiece Gala on Nov. 9. Closing the festival on Nov. 14 is the U.S. premiere of Alejandro Amenabar’s “The Sea Inside,” starring Javier Bardem. Both of these galas will be held at the Cinerama Dome.

Other gala presentations are Zhang Yimou’s “House of Flying Daggers” on Nov. 6 at the Cinerama Dome and the North American premiere of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement” with his “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou on Nov. 10 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

The American Film Institute’s 18th annual event, the longest-running film festival in Los Angeles, will for the first time have a corporate sponsor, with the moniker AFI Fest 2004 Presented by Audi.

The festival also will present a tribute and retrospective of Academy Award-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar on Nov. 8 at the ArcLight Hollywood. The evening will feature film clips, anecdotes and an onstage conversation with the iconoclastic filmmaker.

As part of the Almodovar tribute, the AFI Fest will hold a gala presentation Nov. 7 at the Cinerama Dome of his latest film, “Bad Education,” starring Gael Garcia Bernal.

For festival ticket sales and information, call (866) AFI-FEST or go to www.AFI.com.

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-- Susan King