Steven Spielberg Introduces the New AFI Movie Club
While those of us not on the front lines of battling the spread of COVID-19 are all hunkered down and doing our part by staying at home, we’ve gotten our fair of share of great watch lists from some major talents. Rian Johnson and Edgar Wright shared their favorite 70s musicals and comedies, respectively, while James Gunn offered a top ten list of films you probably haven’t seen but should. Our own Desson Thomson gave us a thorough compendium of shows and films we could be enjoying, too. And now living legend Steven Spielberg is here to launch the American Film Institute (AFI)’s brand new feature to help us watch movies again together while remaining apart.
The AFI Movie Club will deliver a classic film every day which folks can gather around and watch, with bonus material about each film provided by one of America’s most prestigious film institutions. AFI will provide special guests to announce each film, behind-the-scenes trivia, and plenty of topics for your family or friends to weigh in on. It’s a way for us to enjoy films together again while remaining safely socially distanced and offers their own expertise (and film curation) in the bargain. Imagine that it’s like going to a theater, in your home, with a great Q&A session after.
The first film in AFI’s Movie Club is as classic as it gets—The Wizard of Oz. Spielberg knows that just about everyone has seen the Judy Garland-led iconic film, yet he asks us what better message could we possibly hear right now than, “There’s no place like home”?
Visit the AFI Movie Club homepage to get all the fun facts and “family-friendly discussion points” while you stream The Wizard of Oz at home.
Here’s Spielberg’s AFI Movie Club introduction:
This article was first published here.