“On the Basis of Sex,” the drama that tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, will open the 2018 AFI Fest, the American Film Institute announced Tuesday.
The film will have its world premiere at the festival’s opening night gala that is taking place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Nov. 8. AFI Fest will run until Nov. 15.
Felicity Jones stars as Ginsburg, and Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Jack Reynor, Cailee Spaeny, Sam Waterston and Kathy Bates also star. Mimi Leder directs while Daniel Stiepleman wrote the screenplay.
Robert Cort will produce, while Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King of Participant Media will executive produce.
“AFI was founded to celebrate excellence in the art form and to ensure it for future generations,” said Bob Gazzale, president & CEO of AFI. “‘On the Basis of Sex’ brings these dual mandates together as one — a story essential to our times and a triumph for one of the first female directors at the AFI Conservatory. It’s our honor to shine a proper light upon Mimi and this landmark film.”
Leder added, “As one of the first women ever admitted to the AFI Conservatory, it’s particularly meaningful to me that ‘On the Basis of Sex’ will open AFI Fest 2018. My time at the Conservatory was a life-changing experience and informed my creative journey. I am forever grateful. The origin story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in this 25th anniversary year of her appointment to the Supreme Court, couldn’t come at a more important moment in our history nor be shown at a more relevant place than AFI Fest, a symbol of artistic integrity and the enduring power of cinema. I hope girls and young women in particular will see the film and find inspiration to realize their own unlimited potential.”
“On the Basis of Sex” follows the young Ginsburg as she teams up with her husband Marty (Hammer) to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals, hoping to overturn gender discrimination.
The drama will be released on Dec. 25, just in time for Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court.