Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will kick off the 13th annual TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday, April 21st with a 40th anniversary screening of the beloved family sci-fi film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, with Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg in attendance along with Academy Award®-nominated producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival, held in the heart of Hollywood April 21st-24th, will center around the theme “All Together Now: Back to the Big Screen.”

“I was 15 years old when E.T. came out and what was true then remains so today; the film continues to speak to both children and adults. And it’s fair to say that this is the most influential family film since The Wizard of Oz,” said Ben Mankiewicz, TCM primetime anchor and official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. “When Steven Spielberg started work on E.T., he didn’t imagine he was making a movie with mass appeal. We don’t get to say this often, but boy was Spielberg wrong.”

“E.T. is the perfect example of a modern classic movie that combines both innovative direction and heartfelt performances,” said Pola Changnon, general manager of TCM. “This film is beloved by millions around the world and we’re honored to have it open our festival.”

At the center of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is Elliott, is a young boy who befriends an extra-terrestrial who is accidentally left behind on Earth. As Elliott attempts to help his new friend contact his home planet, so that he might be rescued, they must elude scientists and government agents determined to apprehend the alien for their own purposes...which results in an adventure greater than any of them could have imagined. Premiering on June 11, 1982, the film was a box office hit that became the highest grossing film at the time, beating out Star Wars. The beloved masterpiece was directed by Spielberg and produced by Kennedy and Marshall.

TCM has previously announced iconic actress and comedian Lily Tomlin will be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony in the courtyard of the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre Imax® in Hollywood. In addition, the third Robert Osborne Award, recognizing an individual who has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic film alive for future generations, will be presented to one of the world’s most respected film critics and historians, Leonard Maltin.

For more information, please visit http://tcm.com/festival.