The 2025 AFI Fest will end with some beautiful noise. The 39th edition of American Film Institute‘s annual event has set the world premiere of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson‘s Song Sung Blue as its closing-night film on Sunday, October 26.
The Focus Features pic from writer-director Craig Brewer follows the true-life tale of two down-on-their-luck musicians who form a Neil Diamond tribute band that changes their lives. Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley co-star, with Fisher Stevens and Jim Belushi also appearing. Brewer also produced alongside John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment.
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“AFI Fest is proud to close our annual celebration of excellence and artistry with the world premiere of Song Sung Blue – a timely film about love and resilience, music and magic,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said. “Audiences will leave the theater chanting the refrain of ‘Sweet Caroline’ – so good, so good, so good!”
Today’s announcement means this year’s AFI Fest will be bookended by music-themed films, with the Nebraska-era biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White opening the show on October 22. AFI said last month that three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro will be this year’s guest artistic director.
AFI Fest is set for October 22-26 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The full lineup will be revealed on September 30.
Focus Features opens Song Song Blue in theaters on Christmas Day.