AFI Fest 2008 will open Nov. 5 with Joe Wright’s “The Soloist” to kick off a two-and-a-half-week run of major indie fare.

Actress Tilda Swinton and director Danny Boyle will be feted with AFI’s awards, with Swinton getting a career achievement nod, while Boyle will be there to screen his latest film, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

The fest will close with close with Edward Zwick‘s “Defiance.” In between is a decidedly international selection of fest faves with few world premieres.

“This year’s selection of international films shows a commitment to cinematic innovation and a renewal of a tradition of realism in cinema,” artistic director Rose Kuo said.

In line with that trend, the World Cinema section includes a number of pics with stark themes including Cannes winner “The Class,” about the French school system; Matteo Garrone’s Italian crime pic “Gomorrah”; and Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” which dramatizes IRA member Bobby Sands’ prison hunger strike.

The narrative competition will see Alejandro Tocar’s coming-of-ager “Acne,” Yemil Sefani’s family drama “Lake Tahoe” and one of the few world preems in Rafael Monserrate’s comedy “Poundcake.”

Quarterlife Trailer

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Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick got NBC to shell out for their online series Quarterlife. (ABC passed on the series 3 years ago). NBC will contribute to production and development costs,while the two producers will retain ownership and creative control of the show. The show may be strike proof as it’s primarily an independently-financed online venture not subject to the strike embargo, but Marshall Herskovitz tells Nikki Finke that everything’s kosher.

The trailer looks like LonelyGirl15, without the occult stuff.

The series, which debuted on MySpace.com, revolves around a 20something young woman whose online blog tells the “truth” about her closest friends. The 36 eight-minute episodes will be turned into a six-part one-hour drama airing early 2008 on the network as well as streamed on NBC.com. NBC also bought the DVD and foreign distribution rights and an equity stake in quarterlife.com, the companion social network site–”for artists, thinkers and doers”. Judging by the forums, the site’s not exactly packed with any other those.

On the other hand, where else can you learn how the WGA strike is hurting the tattoo industry?

Spielberg’s Talisman on Hold at TNT
THR talks about Steven Spielberg’s The Talisman in today’s paper, telling its readers that the adaptation of the Stephen King, Peter Straub novel has hit a snag. Apparently, the TNT six-hour project “has been put on hold because of budgetary issues,” a source tells THR. Talisman was set for a summer 2008 premiere.

Gervais To Tell the Truth
On the heels of four Emmy nominations for his Extras series, Ricky Gervais has committed to co-direct and star in This Side of the Truth for Media Rights Capital. Gervais will share the director’s chair with Matt Robinson on the pic, which is set in a contemporary world where no one has ever lied. Imagine that!

Party On, Emmy
Variety TV guru Joe Adalian gives the deets on Emmy night, breaking down the post-show party circuit. He writes that the real battle is between Entertainment Tonight/People and “feisty newcomer” TV Guide. Both bashes have big-name talent on board to entertain. Read the rest here.

Quarterlife Finds MySpaceTV.com
Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, well known for their work on My So-Called Life and thirtysomething are taking their accomplished TV act to the Internet: the duo has set up their series Quarterlife to debut on MySpaceTV.com. It’s a rather interesting – if not unprecendented – move for such TV heavyweights. Find out when and why here.

- CHRIS GARDNER