AFI Conservatory

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to AFI Conservatory alum Robert Richardson (AFI Class of 1979) for his Oscar win in Cinematography for HUGO. Last year, AFI Conservatory alum Wally Pfister (AFI Class of 1988) took home the award for INCEPTION.

Congratulations to AFI alumna Patty Jenkins (AFI Class of 2000) is the recipient of the 64th Annual DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for the pilot episode of THE KILLING.

Congratulations to AFI Conservatory alumni with award-winning films at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival:

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic (the festival's top prize) - Affonso Gonçalves (AFI Class of 1993)
THE RETURN, Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction - Sevdije Kastrati (AFI Class of 2011)
SMASHED, U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing - Tobias Datum (AFI Class of 2002); Linda Sena (AFI Class of 2001)
NOBODY WALKS, U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing - Linda Sena (AFI Class of 2001)
THE INVISIBLE WAR, Audience Award: U.S. Documentary - Kirby Dick (AFI Class of 1983)

This is the second consecutive year that AFI Conservatory alum have been affiliated with the top prize winning film at Sundance. Last year, LIKE CRAZY – Drake Doremus (AFI Class of 2005), John Gulesarian (AFI Class of 2005) and Jonathan Alberts (AFI Class of 2001) – took home the top prize.

AFI Conservatory Alumni Celebrated at Sundance

350 alumni, friends and supporters of the American Film Institute gathered to celebrate the 27 AFI Conservatory alumni with films at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The reception, held at the Sundance House presented by HP on January 20, 2012, was hosted by AFI Conservatory's Dean, Robert Mandel, who welcomed guests and then turned the spotlight to Executive Vice Dean Joe Petricca, who moderated a brief conversation with two of the 27 AFI alums screening films at the festival — cinematographers Rachel Morrison (AFI of 2006) and Sevdije Kastrati (AFI Class of 2010).

Alumni News and Updates

Four alumni made The Black List, the annual list of Hollywood's most liked, unproduced screenplays:

Chad Feehan (AFI Class of 2004)

Andrew Baldwin (AFI Class of 2007)

Jenée LaMarque (AFI Class of 2010)

Steven J. Berger (AFI Class of 2010)

Eddie O'Keefe (AFI Class of 2012)

Zal Batmanglij (AFI Class of 2006) and Gerardo Naranjo (AFI Directing Class of 2001) were selected for Variety "10 Directors to Watch 2012" list.

Hallvard Braein (AFI Class of 2009) served as cinematographer on TROLLHUNTER, nominated for Best Non-English-Language Feature at BAFTA. The film was released on DVD this month.

Bill Dumas' (AFI Class of 1990) documentary DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY: BETRAYAL is in the final stage of post production.

"The Book of Mormon," produced by Anne Garefino (AFI Class of 1988) and "Peace In Our Time," directed by Casey Stangl (AFI Workshop For Women Class of 2007), are selections of Charles McNulty's 2011 Best in Theater list, which includes stage productions from New York, London and Los Angeles.

John Heinsen (AFI Class of 1996) was hired by the Disney ABC Television Group to be the Digital Showrunner (Director, Production – Oscar Lead) for the 84th Academy Awards, overseeing all web, mobile and social media on oscar.com.

Brad Ingelsby (AFI Class of 2005) sold his spec script THE ALL-NIGHTER to Warner Bros.

The Hollywood Reporter included Patty Jenkins (AFI Class of 2000) in "5 of Hollywood's Female Directors to Know" profile.

The second season of MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENHOLE premiered on Adult Swim this month; Duke Johnson (AFI Class of 2006), Executive Producer/Director and Joe Passarelli (AFI Class of 2006), Cinematographer.

Maggie Kiley (AFI Directing Workshop For Women Class of 2009), Director/Writer, is developing her award-winning DWW short SOME BOYS DON'T LEAVE, starring Jesse Eisenberg, into a feature film, LIGHT YEARS. An article regarding Kiley's feature debut appears on tribecafilm.com.

NOTHING TO FEAR is in pre-production with Anthony Leonardi III (AFI Class of 2005) attached to direct and Brandon Cox (AFI Class of 2004), Cinematographer. Anchor Bay picked up this first feature from Slasher Films.

New York Times conducted an interview with Heidi Levitt (AFI Class of 1987) about her role as casting director on THE ARTIST.

THE REMOVAL has been released on DVD. The alumni team on the feature includes:

Thomas Mahoney (AFI Class of 2008)

Chady Eli Mattar (AFI Class of 2008)

Hayden Roush (AFI Class of 2008)

Scott C. Silver (AFI Class of 2008)

Robert Konowalow (AFI Class of 2010)

Nick Simon (AFI Class of 2008)

Daniel Meersand (AFI Class of 2008)

Kevin Duggin (AFI Class of 2008)

Katy Skjerping (AFI Class of 2008)

Noah Rosenthal (AFI Class of 2008)

LaToya Morgan (AFI Class of 2005) continues as staff writer on season two of John Wells' Showtime series SHAMELESS.

Ken Ochiai (AFI Class of 2008) wrote and directed TIGER MASK with Chris Freilich (AFI Class of 2006), Cinematographer. TIGER MASK is based on one of the most celebrated Japanese comic books. The film is produced by the Oscar-winning producer of DEPARTURES, Toshiaki Nakazawa, and will be released in Japan.

Dave Perkal (AFI Class of 1992), ASC, is Director of Photography on THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES.

Maximilian Schlossberg (AFI Class of 2011) launched BEDLAM NEWS, an original news platform which focuses on breaking news and publishes headlines every hour of the day, highlighting important events often unreported by mainstream media.