TCM Classic Film Festival 2025 to Close with Michael Mann’s ‘Heat’ 30th Anniversary Screening
Samantha Bergeson
The 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival has announced its closing night selection, Michael Mann‘s “Heat,” which marks its 30th anniversary this year. The 1995 crime drama stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and late actor Val Kilmer; a sequel is in the works, with Adam Driver and Austin Butler rumored to be playing the younger versions of De Niro and Pacino’s respective characters.
The 16th annual festival from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has a theme of “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film.” The festival will take place April 24 to 27, with the “Heat” screening including a conversation with writer/director Mann. As previously announced, the festival will open with George Lucas’ “The Empire Strikes Back.” TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival, alongside Jacqueline Stewart, Dave Karger, Alicia Malone, and Eddie Muller.
Additional festival highlights include Rob Reiner in conversation with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to introduce the 30th anniversary of “The American President” (1995), Kathy Bates in attendance for a “Misery” (1990) screening, Alexander Payne introducing “Ben Hur” (1959), and Paul Schrader introducing “Hud” (1963). “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) star Barry Bostwick and “Blade Runner” (1982) actor Sean Young will also present their respective films. Keir Dullea will be in attendance to present “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), while Danny Huston will attend to present “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison” (1957). Sound effects artist Ben Burtt and visual effects artist Craig Barron will also return to the festival with a special presentation of “Colossus: The Forbin Project” (1970), with a guest appearance by star Eric Braedon.
The TCM Classic Film Festival, in collaboration with Paramount Pictures, will host screenings of VistaVision films — the first time they’ve been screened using actual VistaVision projectors since the 1950s. Unlike standard 35mm film, which runs vertically through the camera, VistaVision shoots the negative horizontally, exposing the image across two 35mm frames. Using VistaVision projectors specifically installed for the festival, TCM will showcase two rare VistaVision prints, “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957) and “We’re No Angels” (1955). Academy-award winning cinematographer Lol Crawley, who just picked up the Best Cinematography Oscar for “The Brutalist” and shot that film using the VistaVision process, will be featured. The entire format received a major revival of interest because of the Brady Corbet-directed film.
As part of a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the British Film Institute’s National Archive, there will be a screening of “Blithe Spirit,” introduced by Christine Ebersole, “Mildred Pierce” in an original 1945 nitrate release print, a new 35mm print of “To Be or Not to Be,” and Lorraine Gary in person for an original Technicolor dye-transfer British release print of “Jaws.”
Additional Club TCM Presentations from TCM’s press release below:
A Conversation with Michael Schultz
The TCM Classic Film Festival is proud to pay tribute to the work of prolific and award-winning director and producer Michael Schultz. A veteran of stage, film and television, Schultz has created memorable works for decades, working longer than any other African-American director. From films like Cooley High (1975) and the Cannes award-winning CAR WASH (1976) to television, from Starsky and Hutch and The Rockford Files to Ally McBeal and Black-ish, his talents have shone in multiple productions. Schultz also has an eye for new talent, casting Al Pacino in his first Broadway play, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, winning the actor a Tony Award, and also cast Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson in their first feature films. Join TCM for an in-depth conversation with Michael Schultz about his remarkable career and life.
Fantastic Footage and Where to Find It: Surprise and Delights from the World’s Film Archives
“Just when I thought I’d seen it all…” That familiar phrase might come to mind in this one-of-a-kind presentation. Among the millions of film and video works collected within the world’s archives, there exists an unseen tapestry of remarkable, astonishing and often unseen gems found on a multitude of sources—film and video formats of all shapes and sizes. From film fragments, blooper reels and outtakes, home movies, extraordinary commercials, even local news footage, and some things that just defy explanation, this curated presentation will reveal curious and eclectic wonders tucked away within the globe’s vast archival holdings.
In Attendance: Brittan Dunham and Ashley Swinnerton
From Here to Eternity: A Visit to the Final Resting Places of Hollywood’s Legends
Movies, by their nature, are intangible and ghostly projections conjured out of roughly equal portions of light and personality. So, it’s fitting that our favorite stars usually leave us with very little physical evidence of their existence – beyond their final resting places that is. Join renowned film historians and celebrity-cemetery sleuths Karie Bible and Steven Bingen for this all-access, whirlwind virtual tour of Hollywood’s most famous celebrity gravesites, many of which are as mysterious, inspirational, and eccentric as the legends they commemorate. Filled with personal stories, historic and contemporary photos and explicit directions about how you can find and visit scores of celebrity graves yourself, this reverent/irreverent presentation is a must for anyone interested in connecting the dots, and the last dot in particular, behind the lives of those fascinating faces on the screen.
In attendance: Karie Bible, Steven Bingen
