'A Single Man' was screened Thursday night during the Closing Night Gala of the American Film Institute Festival. The movie, based on Christopher Isherwood’s novel, marks fashion designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut.

Tom told ET, "It's the kind of thing that you dream about. You're not sure if it'll ever really happen and then when it does, it's absolutely surreal." New to the process of movie-making, he admitted, "Editing surprised me. It wasn't hard, I loved it, but I really...didn't understand what could happen in an editing room."

Colin Firth, who plays the lead character George, received a BAFTA Award for Humanitarianism directly after the screening. Tom praised the star, saying, "Colin as an actor, he is so subtle and nuanced and he can communicate without moving a thing on his face. He can really telegraph what his character is feeling and I think he inhabited this role beautifully…"

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