AFI FESTIVAL DOES IT ALL IN HOLLYWOOD; FILM PREMIERES, PUBLIC'S PARTICIPATION ALL PART OF 13TH ANNUAL MOVIE SHOWCASE.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

The AFI Film Festival, one of the least ``Hollywood'' of the world's major festivals, opens tonight - in Hollywood - with the U.S. premiere of Miramax's ``The Cider House Rules.''

The American Film Institute event in past years had been scattered at theaters around Los Angeles, Santa Monica and points in between. But in its 13th year, festival director Jon Fitzgerald points out with pride, the festival takes place entirely in Hollywood with screenings at some of Tinseltown's great old palaces.

``The one thing that has been lacking from this festival is the community vibe,'' Fitzgerald said, adding that the Egyptian Theatre will be the focal point with a steady stream of screenings and the all-important hospitality suite for meeting, greeting and deal-making.

That suite, offering food and beverages as well as space to relax between screenings, is open to all festivalgoers, not just show-biz types.

``It's really important for L.A. to have a festival that's a public event, not just an industry event like Sundance or Cannes,'' Fitzgerald said.

He has great expectations for director Lasse Halstrom's ``The Cider House Rules,'' written by John Irving from his novel. It is about an orphaned boy raised and mentored by the orphanage doctor and stars Toby Maguire, Charlize Theron and Michael Caine.

Last year, the AFI festival opened with Italy's ``Life Is Beautiful,'' which went on to win Oscars for best actor (Roberto Benigni), best foreign language film and best dramatic score.

``That's a hard act to follow,'' Fitzgerald said. ``But we certainly come out with guns blazing.''

He called ``The Cider House Rules'' the strongest movie he has seen yet this year and said tonight's 7:30 screening at the Egyptian is ``way overbooked.''

The 10 official selections in competition, all making their U.S. premieres, are:

``After the Rain'' (Japan), the late director Akira Kurosawa's last screenplay, directed by Takashi Koizumi. A castle lord offends local fencing masters when he chooses a stranger to teach him the combat skill and art.

``Ambush'' (Finland), directed by Olli Saarela. An idealistic young lieutenant struggles to maintain his humanity in wartime Finland.

``Birdcage Inn'' (Korea), directed by Kim Ki-Duk. Set in a Korean brothel, it centers on the changing relationship between a call girl and the brothel owner's daughter.

``Cosy Dens'' (Czech Republic), directed by Jan Hrebejk. Two men in 1960s Prague are opposed idealogically, but their children see their future in a different light.

``The Emperor and the Assassin'' (China), directed by Chen Kaige. A king in the third century B.C. aims to unify China and become its first emperor.

``Gemini'' (Japan), directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. A man is imprisoned and his life taken over by his evil twin.

``Harem Suare'' (Italy/France/Turkey), directed by Ferzan Ozpetek. The sultan's favorite concubine and one of his eunuchs develop a strange relationship of power and love.

``The Magnetist's Fifth Winter'' (Denmark/Norway/Sweden), directed by Morten Henriksen. Life in a small town in Sweden in 1819 is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger who practices medical hypnotism.

``Not of This World'' (Italy), directed by Giuseppe Piccioni. A young nun finds an abandoned baby and sets out to find the father.

``Vanprastham, the Last Dance'' (India). A woman in 1930s India falls in love, not with an actor, but with the character he plays on stage.

Other films that Fitzgerald expects to draw attention include the U.S. production ``The Mao Game,'' a dark comedy about an actress-mother and photographer-grandmother who play a game to decide who gets custody of a young boy; the U.S. premiere of Italy's ``The Legend of 1900,'' about a newborn boy who is found aboard an ocean liner, raised by the ship's crew and who becomes the on-board pianist - all without setting foot on land; and the premiere of ``The Third Miracle,'' a U.S. release starring Ed Harris and Ann Heche, about a disillusioned priest who falls in love with the daughter of a woman who is a candidate for sainthood.

The festival also will pay tribute to composer Elmer Bernstein and host a symposium on digital cinema and what the new technology will mean to production, distribution, exhibition and marketing.

The AFI Film Festival closes Oct. 29 with award presentations and a screening of ``All About My Mother,'' for which Pedro Almodovar won the directing prize at Cannes. It deals with a mother who, following the death of her only son, searches for the father he never knew.

There are some 60 films in the entire series, including the classic film retrospective, down from about 75 last year.

``I think each year our slate just gets that much more lean,'' Fitzgerald said. ``It's a great combination of emerging artists and highly regarded veteran filmmakers. We've never had such a strong combination of those two ends of the spectrum.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) ``The Cider House Rules,'' an adaptation of John Irving's novel that features Toby Maguire and Charlize Theron, premieres tonight at the AFI Film Festival.

(2) One of the films in competition at the AFI fest is ``Gemini,'' directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, about a man who is imprisoned and his life taken over by his evil twin.