Robert Mandel | Dean
Mandel graduated from AFI in 1979 and is an award-winning director with credits including FX, SCHOOL TIES, BIG SHOTS and THE SUBSTITUTE. He has also directed numerous television movies for HBO, Fox, ESPN, Lifetime and A&E, as well as episodic television such as THE X-FILES (pilot), LOST and PRISON BREAK. He won an Emmy Award for his first after-school special, ANDREA'S STORY. Mandel began his career as a stage director, with productions at The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Roundabout and The Public Theatre, where Joseph Papp was his mentor. He has MFA degrees from both Columbia University and AFI. Mandel has taught at City College of New York and has been a directing mentor at the Sundance Institute. Mandel received the Alfred Hitchcock Award when he was at AFI and his thesis film, NIGHT AT O'REARS, received first prize at FILMEX in LA, first prize at USA Film Festival in Dallas, and was shown as one of three short films selected by the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center.

Joe Petricca | Executive Vice Dean
Petricca holds an MFA in screenwriting from AFI and a BFA in film production from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He is responsible for oversight of administrative functions for AFI Conservatory, national workshops and special projects. He directly oversees the Directing Workshop for Women and Sloan Foundation-funded programs such as the Catalyst Workshop. As a screenwriter, Petricca has had feature screenplays optioned, has written for Robert Osborne on Turner Classic Movies, and has taught or spoken at film festivals, trade shows and colleges around the world. As a film critic, he wrote for KCET online. As an art director, Petricca has worked on numerous TV, film, music video and commercial projects. As a producer, he has produced short films, industrials and music videos. He also volunteers as a teacher of screenwriting and filmmaking for at-risk Los Angeles teenagers.

Frank Pierson | Artistic Director, Distinguished Filmmaker-in-Residence
Pierson, one of the most respected writer/directors in film and television and a recognized leader in the profession, is a primary counselor to the overall artistic leadership of the Conservatory and its programs. Pierson wrote CAT BALLOU, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Adaptation. He was nominated again for COOL HAND LUKE and, in 1976, he received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Directing credits include KING OF THE GYPSIES and A STAR IS BORN (1975). CITIZEN COHN and TRUMAN, both for HBO, won numerous Emmy nominations; Showtime's DIRTY PICTURES won a Golden Globe for Best Picture; and A SOLDIER'S GIRL was nominated for an Emmy. HBO's CONSPIRACY was nominated for 10 Emmys, winning Best Writing for a Miniseries; it also won the Best Movies for Television Directing Award from the Directors Guild of America. A former president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Pierson is currently a member of the teaching staff of the Sundance Institute and was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2001-2005.

Roger Birnbaum | Artistic Director
Birnbaum is co-chairman and CEO of Spyglass Entertainment, the production and finance company he founded with partner Gary Barber. Educated at University of Denver, Birnbaum built a successful career as vice president of A&M Records and Arista Records before entering the film business as a producer. His company's box office hits range from THE SIXTH SENSE - the ninth highest grossing film in history, with six Oscar nominations — to BRUCE ALMIGHTY, which has grossed over $480 million to date. Other Spyglass Entertainment productions include: SEABISCUIT, THE INSIDER, UNBREAKABLE, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, REIGN OF FIRE, SHANGHAI NOON and its sequel SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, and THE RECRUIT. Prior to founding Spyglass, Mr. Birnbaum, through Caravan Pictures, was responsible for such box office hits as RUSH HOUR, SIX DAYS/SEVEN NIGHTS, INSPECTOR GADGET, GROSS POINTE BLANK, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD and WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING. Before joining Caravan, Birnbaum was president of worldwide production at Twentieth Century Fox, where he developed such films as HOME ALONE, SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, HOT SHOTS, MY COUSIN VINNY, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, DIE HARD 2 and MRS. DOUBTFIRE. Prior to that, Birnbaum was president of production for United Artists, where he developed Oscar-winner RAIN MAN. Earlier in his film career, he produced a number of theatrical and television movies, including Rob Reiner's THE SURE THING and Emmy award-winner ALL THE KIDS DO IT.

Phillip Linson | Vice Dean, Production and Post-Production; Director, AFI Sony Digital Arts Center; Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence: Editing
Linson oversees production and post-production support operations for AFI in general and of the AFI Conservatory in particular. Linson's professional editing career stretches over all manner of projects for film and television. He worked with Agnes Varda and Haskell Wexler on documentaries and later was associate editor on Wexler's feature film, LATINO. His theatrical film editing credits include DEADFALL, AFTER MIDNIGHT and Sean Penn's THE INDIAN RUNNER. His theatrical sound editing credits include HOT SHOTS, TOMBSTONE and Allison Anders's GAS, FOOD AND LODGING. In addition, he helped produce the Finnish film LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA.

Carolyn Brooks | Vice Dean, Fellow Affairs
Carolyn came to California from New York City to attend AFI in in Producing in 1985. She produced films for Disney Educational Productions and worked as an independent producer before earning a Masters Degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University. She currently holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential and has just completed 11 years of working at Lawndale High School as the head counselor. She also teaches in the Graduate School of Education at Loyola Marymount University.

Betsy Pollock | Director of Production Services
Pollock has worked as a producer, line producer, production manager and assistant director over her 25-year career in the motion picture industry. She co-produced TWO SOLDIERS, which won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Short Dramatic Film. She was involved in the production of WIND, STEALING HOME, LADY IN WHITE, GOOD BURGER and many other features, commercials and documentary films. She co-founded the PSA Committee of Women in Film, which produces and distributes public service announcements for local non-profit groups otherwise unable to publicize their services. Pollock was the head of the Producing discipline at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Kim Kurumada | Associate Director, Second Year Production Services

Gill Dennis | Master Filmmaker-in-Residence: Thesis Production
A screenwriter and teacher, Dennis is responsible for the overall creative guidance of thesis productions to ensure consistency and excellence. His credits include RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, ON MY OWN, HOME FIRES, RETURN TO OZ and I WALK THE LINE. He has also directed numerous plays, receiving the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Direction. With Tom Rickman, he ran the screenwriting program at Squaw Valley Community of Writers for ten years, and has taught at Cal Arts, the Northwest Film and Video Center, for the Australian Film Commission, and at workshops in Portugal and Ireland.

Abby Singer | Distinguished Filmmaker-in-Residence: Production
Singer works with all thesis productions, serving as a creative guide and ensuring overall consistency and excellence. His television production manager credits include DIAGNOSIS MURDER, COLUMBO, MAJOR DAD, BOB NEWHART, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, ST. ELSEWHERE, HILL STREET BLUES, SOMETHING FOR JOEY, HITCHCOCK THEATER and GUNSMOKE. Feature credits include DEATH OF A SALESMAN, THE WILD ONES, THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT, SADIE THOMPSON and THREE STOOGES. Singer also received the Frank Capra Award from the Directors Guild of America.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Stephen Lighthill (ASC) | Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence
During the 1960s, while shooting for CBS News and 60 MINUTES, Lighthill created one of the first shoulder-held news cameras. His film, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, about the Vietnam War, launched his career filming social issue documentaries. Among the hundreds of documentaries he has filmed are GIMME SHELTER and BERKELEY IN THE '60s. His cinematography credits for independent features include OVER-UNDER, SIDEWAYS-DOWN; HOT SUMMER WINDS; and SHIMMER, for PBS's AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE. Lighthill served as director of photography on the TV series VIETNAM WAR STORY for HBO, EARTH 2, NASH BRIDGES, THE HUNTRESS and many made-for-television features. In 2005 he returned to documentaries with HBO's BOFFO! TINSELTOWN'S BOMBS AND BLOCKBUSTERS. In 2000, the Society of Operating Cameramen honored him with its President's Award.

Bill Dill (ASC) | Senior Lecturer
Dill holds a BA in Communication Studies from Oberlin College. His cinematography credits include SIDEWALK STORIES, B.A.P.S., DANCING IN SEPTEMBER, the Showtime TV series SOUL FOOD, and the American Playhouse production of FIRES IN THE MIRROR, based on the Pulitzer-nominated play. Among many productions he has filmed for HBO are the Ace Award-winning children's program MOMMY BUY ME THAT and comedy specials for Robert Townsend, Damon Wayans and Whoopie Goldberg. Dill also lensed a Clio award-winning commercial campaign for Nickelodeon Television Network.

Frederic Goodich (ASC) | Lecturer
Goodich's feature cinematography credits include G.I. JESUS, SURVIVING EDEN, THE AFFAIR, LAY OF THE LAND, FEAR NO EVIL and FOR LOVE OF THE GAME (2nd unit). He is an award-winning director of photography for commercials, having shot over 900 of them. Goodich has also lensed cable movies, fashion and music videos, documentaries and dramatic shorts. BOARD AND CARE won an Academy Award for Best Dramatic Short. Goodich chaired Newport Beach Film Festival's Cinematographers Forum for two years, and serves as associate chair of Cinematographers Day, formerly at Palm Springs International Film Festival, currently at Bangkok International Film Festival. He has co-chaired events celebrating the work of Dante Spinotti, Laszlo Kovacs and others. Educated at CCNY, Goodich credits his career path to an early love for foreign and silent cinema, a job as film handler at New York's MOMA Film Library and his admiration for American cinema of the 1970s.

Yuri Neyman | Lecturer
Neyman is the cinematographer, inventor and lecturer. He studied in Moscow Film School, graduating with honors in the art of cinematography. Being involved in few films considered by USSR as an "ideologically dangerous," he was forced to emigrate as a political refugee. His first film in USA was "Liquid Sky" which became "the cult film" in many parts of the world and Yuri's work was praised in all reviews: "New York never been photographed better in a movie.". "Rarely, if ever Manhattan been viewed so intensely", "The most beautiful science-fiction movie ever made...". Four of his films: "Liquid Sky", "D.O.A.", "Fatal Deception" and "Scattered Dreams" have been the subject of articles in American Cinematographer and Film & Video magazines. For the film "Heart of the Deal" Yuri was nominated for the ACE "best cinematography" Award. He developed patented Cinematographers Color Correction Process ™ (3cP) - method of the communication between cinematographer and post production which ensures accurate color reproduction. Currently Yuri Neyman co-chairs Cinematographers Forum called "Color and Look" devoted to creative role of DP in the digital production.

Larry Mole Parker | Lecturer
Executive vice president of Mole-Richardson Co. and the grandson of the company's founder, Peter Mole, Parker was instrumental in designing such familiar cinema lights as the Baby 10K and Baby 1K in the mid-'60s, as well as the Softlite line and the Litewate Banded Cable System. Parker regularly conducts workshops and seminars for film students, on the Mole-Richardson soundstage. He is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

Robert Primes (ASC) | Lecturer
Primes is a cinematographer and director, known as a pioneer of digital cinematography. He won cinematography Emmys in 1995 (MY ANTONIA) and 2000 (FELICITY), the ASC award in 2003 (MDs) and has had five other major nominations. His feature film credits include BAADASSSSS,VEGAS BABY, MURDER OF CROWS, MONEY TALKS, ASPEN EXTREME, THE HARD WAY and BIRD ON A WIRE. His television credits include THIRTYSOMETHING, QUANTUM LEAP, MY ANTONIA, FELICITY, MDs and NIGHT STALKER. He has taught at many major American film schools and has served on the boards of the American Society of Cinematographers, International Cinematographers Guild, National Film Preservation Board, Wide Screen Film Festival and the Los Angeles Art Institute.

Charles Rose | Lecturer
Like many of his professional colleagues, He started making Super-8 movies while in High School. Living on the East Coast, New York University was the only School at that time which offered a Film Program that had any consistency and stature, so he applied there and was accepted. The first two years were spent in a bit of personal frustration as I wanted to get much more hands-on with the camera gear than was provided by the Cinematography track that I was on. I would take cameras home and on my own, didn't know that there were books that would have helped me, tried to figure out how they worked. Sometimes things went well, other times minor disasters were caused by my ignorance and limited experience. In 1971 NYU was partnering with others in an International experiment to create the "Ideal" Film School, that would be based in Switzerland. Cool. "The University of the New World" was born and he was among the members of the first entering class. The School went belly-up 18 Months later but he had his foot in the Euro door.

Lying to his parents and telling them that he had a "solid" job offer, he returned to his beloved Europe (specifically Italy this time) in 1973. He was advised by his Northern friends to avoid Rome (the Film Industry center) as there was too much mafia there and to try the more modern and industrial city of Milan. His next 33 years were spent with this City as the base he worked from, living an International career as a Cinematographer.

He was honored in 1986 with an invitation to join the A.I.C. (Italian Cinematographer's Guild) which was presided over by Vittorio Storaro A.I.C., A.S.C.

He worked on many Features, hundreds of commercials, documentary films, and music videos, the whole gamut of productions available for a Cinematographer, and his work has been recognized at the Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastian,New York Clio, and the Tokyo Film Festivals. In 1996, while riding in a company car to the set of a commercial in Switzerland and in the company of a Director with whom he had worked on a Feature that was rather successful in Europe, he was asked if he wanted to do a Feature in Los Angeles. Asked his wife (she is his best advisor) if she thought this to be a good move...she said "yes...do it". Thus a return to the US after many years of absence.

The Kodak Film trucks speeding across the Hollywood Hills, visiting the Panavision Worldwide headquarters at Woodland Hills and seeing the plethora of cameras, lenses, and prep bays, working with Technicolor Film Lab on a film are some of the "rushes" that he experience being here in Los Angeles.

Amy Vincent (ASC) | Lecturer
Vincent holds a master's degree in cinematography from the American Film Institute. She came up through the ranks as an assistant and camera operator on crews led by some of the industry's top cinematographers, including John Lindley, ASC, Robert Richardson, ASC, Darius Wolski, ASC, and Bill Pope, ASC, among others. Vincent's debut as a cinematographer on Eve's Bayou won an Independent Spirit Award in 1997 and Vincent's work on the film was recognized with a Golden Satellite nomination. She received Women in Film's Kodak Vision Award in 2001 and the Sundance 2005 Cinematography award for her work on Hustle and Flow. Her feature film credits also include Black Snake Moan, The Caveman's Valentine, Way Past Cool, Some Girls, Jawbreaker, Freedom Song, and Kin. She also collaborated with Documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick on This Film is Not Yet Rated. In addition to her independent film credits, Miss Vincent has shot Second unit on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Bewitched, I Heart Huckabees, Biker Boyz , Bewitched, and the recently released Mr. Brooks. A third collaboration with director Craig Brewer is in the works, slated for early 2009.

Mark Woods | Lecturer
Woods started his career in 1968 as a still photographer, practicing street and studio photography in Berkeley. For seven years, he only shot black-and-white, using Ansel Adams's Zone System. In 1971 he earned a BA from the University of California at Berkeley in anthropology, with an emphasis in photo-ethnography (documentary photography that acknowledges the photographer's role as a participant observer). For nine months in 1970 - 71, he studied one block of Telegraph Avenue that was the focus of many student protests and home to a thriving subculture of street craftsmen, drug dealers, junkies, bikers, etc. The University sponsored a one-man show of this work after Woods graduated in 1971, and became his first big client. In 1973 he moved back to Los Angeles to work with his grandfather, a film director/ producer/distributor probably best-known for having produced and distributed REEFER MADNESS. Since 1973, Woods has been director of photography on over 1000 TV commercials, winning numerous awards, including a Cable ACE and a New York Festival Silver World Medal in 1996.

DIRECTING

Jim McBride | Master Filmmaker-in-Residence
McBride holds a BA in film from NYU and also attended Kenyon College and the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). In 1967, McBride made his first feature, DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY, which won a number of awards at festivals and ultimately was named to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. His screenwriting/directing credits include BREATHLESS, THE BIG EASY and GREAT BALLS OF FIRE. Television directing credits include THE WONDER YEARS, THE TWILIGHT ZONE and FALLEN ANGELS, while cable credits include SIX FEET UNDER, THE WRONG MAN, THE INFORMANT, PRONTO and MEAT LOAF: TO HELL AND BACK.

Peter Markham | Senior Lecturer
Markham holds a BA in drama and English from Hull University in the UK. He served as first AD on TRULY MADLY DEEPLY. After graduating from the BBC Director's Course where his final project, THE TABLE, was developed with and written by Anthony Minghella, Markham directed the extensive second unit on THE ENGLISH PATIENT. He directed THE CORMORANT and directed second unit on GANGS OF NEW YORK for Martin Scorsese.

Lesli Linka Glatter | Lecturer
Glatter began her directing career through American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women. Her first short film, TALES OF MEETING AND PARTING, was nominated for an Academy Award and won numerous awards in festivals throughout the country. Glatter made her feature film directorial debut with New Line's successful coming-of-age comedy, NOW AND THEN. Previously, she directed HBO's acclaimed STATE OF EMERGENCY, which received a Cable ACE nomination for Best Picture and nomination for the Humanitas Award. Her other HBO films include INTO THE HOMELAND and THE PROMISE. Glatter's television directing credits include episodes of HEROES, THE CLOSER, MAD MEN, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, NBC's miniseries REVELATIONS, and numerous episodes of WEST WING, THIRD WATCH, NYPD BLUE, BROOKLYN SOUTH and ER. She has also directed various episodes of FREAKS AND GEEKS, Steven Spielberg's AMAZING STORIES and David Lynch's TWIN PEAKS — for which she received a Director's Guild Nomination. She has directed many television pilots, including GILMORE GIRLS, IN MY LIFE and NEWTON. Prior to her work as a director, Glatter was a modern dance choreographer working throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.

Robert Markowitz | Lecturer
Markowitz's early work was as a documentary filmmaker. He was the winner of the Dupont Columbia Award, and Oscar Nominee for a film on Eugene O'Neill. Markowitz directed close to forty movies for television, including two feature films, TUSKEGEE AIRMEN and AFTERBURN and a six-hour miniseries A DANGEROUS LIFE for HBO. He has adapted more than a dozen books into films, which include THE GREAT GATSBY, INTO THIN AIR, and THE WALL.

Karen Maruyama | Lecturer
In addition to teaching at AFI, Muruyama teaches improvisation, character development, and advanced sketch-writing classes at the Groundlings Theater in Hollywood. She also directs sketch shows at Groundlings such as "Shut Up and Eat Your Groundlings" and the the all-improv "Cooking With Gas." Her acting credits include THE BUCKET LIST, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, NIP/TUCK, STACKED, THE KING OF QUEENS and WHO'S LINE IS IT ANYWAY? Voiceover credits include THE SIMPSONS, THE FAMILY GUY and AMERICAN DAD.

Belita Moreno | Lecturer
Moreno began her career as a theatrically trained actress some 32 years ago. Her career encompasses roles in television, features and on stage. As an actress, she transitioned from stage to film through two years of work with Robert Altman. In the years that followed, she worked, as an actress, with such gifted directors as Jonathan Demme, George Armitage, Philip Noyce, Frank Perry, Marvin Chomsky, Ulu Grosbard, to name a few. Moreno has also been an acting coach. She has consulted with major filmmakers and many actors, working with such directors as Diane Keaton, Bret Ratner, Adam Shankman, Curtis Hanson, Nancy Meyers, Cameron Crowe, Scott Hicks, Joel Schumacher, Craig Bolotin, John Schlesinger and Amy Heckerling. Moreno recently finished a five-and-a-half year acting stint on the television show GEORGE LOPEZ, as George's overbearing mother. With her experiences in front of and behind the camera, Moreno is honored to be exploring and teaching about communication between directors and actors.

Robert Spera | Lecturer
Spera has an extensive background in both film and theater. His feature film credits include THE LAST CRY and FORBIDDEN BY LAW distributed by Columbia/TriStar and MUTUAL NEEDS distributed by Orion Pictures. Spera's theater credits include numerous productions in the United States and abroad. As resident director at the Tony award winning Actor's Theater of Louisville, he has directed over seventy-five productions. His play Tracks, which he wrote and originally directed, was hailed by the critics and enjoyed an extended run in Los Angeles. Mr. Spera's published works include Actors Write for Actors, Encore and the play The Field.

Andy Wolk | Lecturer
Wolk's directing career began with the much-lauded HBO movie CRIMINAL JUSTICE, which made Time's "Ten Best List," received the Silver Prize at FIPA in Cannes and was named Best Cable Movie of the year. He has since directed many dramas including the pilot of the long-running HBO hit ARLISS, along with numerous episodes of THE SOPRANOS, WITHOUT A TRACE, THE PRACTICE, CRIMINAL MINDS, NUMBERS, MEDIUM, NYPD BLUE, CLOSE TO HOME, DAY BREAK, THE DIVISION, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, THE GUARDIAN, CROSSING JORDAN, DRAGNET, EQUAL JUSTICE, HEIST, DELIBERATE INTENT and others. He received the Humanitas Award for directing the "Final Judgement" episode of THE PRACTICE. He won the Writers Guild Award for writing NATICA JACKSON, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, on PBS. He directed and wrote FIGHTING THE ODDS; THE DEFENDERS: PAYBACK; CHOICE OF EVILS; and TAKING THE FIRST. Wolk's other writing credits include HBO's Emmy-winning FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, produced by Tom Hanks, and TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Wolk's career started in the theater in New York City. For Lincoln Center he directed Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and THE WINTER'S TALE. He has written and directed plays at theaters such as Manhattan Theatre Club (where he worked on staff for five years), LaMama, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Camera Obscura, a touring theater company which he founded as a grad student in drama at Carnegie-Mellon University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Wolk has also been a creative adviser at the Sundance Filmmaking Labs.

EDITING

Donn Cambern | Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence
Cambern holds a BA in music from UCLA. Music editing credits include THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, THE UNTOUCHABLES, I SPY and GOMER PYLE. Cambern edited EASY RIDER, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, BLUME IN LOVE, CINDERELLA LIBERTY, HOOPER, CANNONBALL RUN, ROMANCING THE STONE, TWINS, THE BODYGUARD and THE GLIMMER MAN. Cambern is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, the American Cinema Editors, the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as Vice President of the Academy Board of Governors from 1990 to 1994 and from 1997 to 1999. In addition, he has held the position of president of the Motion Pictures Editors Guild since 1991.

Brian Chambers | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA in film from UCLA, Chambers has extensive experience as an editor and co-producer and is currently manager of post-production for Twentieth Century Fox Television. Feature credits include DOWNTOWN, FRANKIE & JOHNNY, LETHAL WEAPON III, LITTLE NIKITA, MERMAIDS and MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN. Television work includes CRIME STORY, RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SLIDERS, AMERICAN GOTHIC, NYPD BLUE, GET REAL and JUDGING AMY.

Farrel Levy | Senior Lecturer
Levy attended the University of Michigan and Cooper Union as a fine arts major. Editing credits include DIRTY DANCING, NYPD BLUE, PRIMAL FEAR, BROOKLYN SOUTH (pilot), THE HAUNTED, ACROSS THE TRACKS, CONFESSIONS OF A SEXIST PIG, BLIND JUSTICE (pilot), THE UNIT (pilot) and CRIMINAL MINDS. Levy has also directed three episodes of NYPD BLUE.

Howard Smith | Senior Lecturer
A Directing Fellow at the AFI Conservatory in 1969, Smith studied at Northwestern University, where he made over 50 films. Smith's feature editing credits include BLADE TRINITY; TORQUE; CITY OF GHOSTS; THE CROW, SALVATION; GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS; AFTER DARK, MY SWEET; AT CLOSE RANGE; STRANGE DAYS; POINT BREAK; NEAR DARK; THE ABYSS; DANTE'S PEAK; BIG MAN ON CAMPUS; RIVER'S EDGE; TEX; and the creature-on-the-wing-of-the-airplane segment of TWILIGHT ZONE-THE MOVIE. Smith was associate producer and editor on the ABC-TV specials OSCAR'S BEST ACTORS and OSCAR'S BEST MOVIES. He also worked on six Academy Award shows, producing and editing all film segments.

David Cook | Lecturer
After having worked in movie theaters from elementary school through college and graduating from The North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in filmmaking, Cook has worked with acclaimed directors and producers such as James Cameron, Jean Doumanian, Terrence Malick, Edward R. Pressman, Roger Corman, David Gordon Green, William R. Greenblatt, Tony Goldwin, Joseph Sergeant, Sarah Pilsbury, Lisa Muskat and Norman Miller. His credits include GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, ALL THE REAL GIRLS, CLOVER BEND, GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE JOYRIDERS, DOOMSDAY MAN, HEARSAY, SURFACING, RECKONING, THE SURPRISE PARTY, MAN AND DOG and UNDERTOW.

Bruce Green | Mentor
Green edited Garry Marshall's hit comedies THE PRINCESS DIARIES and RUNAWAY BRDE, as well as Marshall's THE OTHER SISTER. Green's other film credits include the hit comedy BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE, THE GURU, PHENOMENON, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, COOL RUNNINGS, ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD, THE VANISHING, YOUNG GUNS II, THREE FUGITIVES, WELCOME HOME, ROXY CARMICHAEL, PUNCHLINE and SQUARE DANCE. Born and raised in New York City, Green attended Bard College and then graduated from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied painting and film. While pursuing a career in animation and documentary filmmaking, he began freelancing in a special effects house and working as an assistant cameraman. Green earned an assistant editing position on STAR WARS, where he was able to apply his knowledge of special effects. He moved to London and realized another goal through his work on documentaries. Returning to the United States, he met Michael Kahn, Steven Spielberg's editor, who became Green's mentor. Green worked as an assistant to Kahn on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, POLTERGEIST and TABLE FOR FIVE.

Danford Greene | Lecturer
Greene holds a BA in Film from USC. Editing credits include THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK, MASH, WHO'S HARRY CRUMB?, PARTNERS, AMERICAN HOT WAX, ALOHA BOBBY AND ROSE, FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, WHICH WAY IS UP, 18 AGAIN, HEAD OFFICE, BLUE SKIES AGAIN, ROCKY II, MYRA BRECKENRIDGE, LOVE AT STAKE, THERE GOES MY BABY, OUTLAW BLUES, MASTER GUNFIGHTER and BLAZING SADDLES. Directing credits include THE SECRET DIARY OF SIGMUND FREUD.

Lynzee Klingman | Lecturer

Martin Nicholson | Lecturer
Martin Nicholson holds a BFA in Film Directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has edited numerous episodes of television, movies for Cable and Network TV, Documentaries, and Feature Films. Among his editing credits are NORMAN ROCKWELL: AN AMERICAN PORTRAIT, thirtysomething, JOHN DOE (Co-Producer), DEADWOOD, JOHN FROM CINCINATTI, ALMOST GOLDEN: THE JESSICA SAVITCH STORY, LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES (ACE EDDIE), HALLOWEENTOWN, GRACIE'S CHOICE, THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (Assoc. Producer), THE BIG PICTURE, and soon to be released THICK AS THIEVES. His directing credits include thirtysomehting, the award winning short, MISSING PARENTS, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, and THE DAY MY PARENTS RAN AWAY. He received a Sundance Institute Fellowship for his screenplay of Tillie Olsen's novel YONNONDIO. He has served multiple terms on the Board of the American Cinema Editors, and is a member of Motion Picture Editors Guild and the Directors Guild of America.

Sonya Polonsky | Mentor
Prior to film editing, Polonsky worked in book publishing and in both film and television production — most notably on the feature documentary WOODSTOCK. She spent the next 25 years as an assistant film editor and then editor, with credits including ANNIE HALL and INTERIORS (apprentice editor), RAGING BULL (assistant editor) and BABY IT'S YOU and MATEWAN (editor). Polonsky taught film editing at NCSA and Florida State University.

Stan Salfas | Lecturer
Salfas is an acknowledged writer, producer, director and editor of films that have won awards at film festivals worldwide and have been distributed on network television. As a feature film editor, he has worked with directors Steven Soderbergh, Phil Joanou, Keith Gordon and Matt Reeves, among others. He received an Emmy Award and two ACE nominations. Recently, he served as producer in charge of post-production on the series FELICITY and as a co-producer on the ABC drama series, MIRACLES.

PRODUCING

Neil Canton | Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence
With a degree in government and public administration from American University in Washington, DC, Canton first worked in Hollywood as assistant to Peter Bogdanovich on WHAT'S UP, DOC?, PAPER MOON and NICKELODEON. He then spent two years on Orson Welles's THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND before leaving to work with Walter Hill on THE WARRIORS. Producing credits include THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI!, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, BACK TO THE FUTURE (along with its sequels), TRESPASS, GERONIMO, MONEY TRAIN, DUETS, GET CARTER, ANGEL EYES, TRAPPED and INTERSTATE 60. Canton is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America.

Richard Arlook | Senior Lecturer
Arlook has been at the Gersh Agency since 1990 and is currently a senior agent and head of the motion picture literary department, where he represents many top screenwriters and directors. Arlook's producing credits include AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Robert Kaplan | Senior Lecturer
An entertainment attorney and former independent film producer, Kaplan was executive in charge of business affairs at Warner Brothers in London, supervising all non-US production activities. Currently, Kaplan practices on his own and represents feature film writers, directors and producers, particularly in the arena of independent film financing. He also is a founding principal in ScreenBridge, a company specializing in packaging and financing independent films. Credits include KRUSH GROOVE (executive producer), NIGHT OF THE COMET, PAPILLON (associate producer), THE ADVENTURES OF AMERICAN RABBIT and SOUTHERN CROSS (executive producer).

Alexandra Rose | Senior Lecturer
Rose holds an MA from the University of Wisconsin and L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. She began her film career with a three-year stint working for Roger Corman, where she oversaw film distribution, acquisition, post-production and marketing. She then formed her own independent film company. Producing credits include THE BIG WEDNESDAY, EXIT TO EDEN, FRANKIE & JOHNNY, I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND, NORMA RAE, NOTHING IN COMMON, THE OTHER SISTER, OVERBOARD and QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER.

Carol Baum | Lecturer
In 2005 Baum produced SEXUAL LIFE, CAROLINA and THE GOOD GIRL to outstanding reviews and four Independent Spirit nominations. She executive produced SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, David Cronenberg's DEAD RINGERS and James Foley's RECKLESS. She was also a studio vice-president at Twentieth Century Fox and Lorimar. Additionally, she developed Taylor Hackford's AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and David Cronenberg's THE DEAD ZONE. Baum was the president of Sandollar Productions for ten years, where she produced such hits as FATHER AND THE BRIDE and its sequel, in addition to the Academy Award winning HBO documentary COMMON THREADS: STORIES OF THE QUILT, and the quadruple ACE award-winning HBO Showcase presentation TIDY ENDINGS. Her features with Sandollar include: IQ, JACKKNIFE, TRUE IDENTITY, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, GROSS ANATOMY, SHINING THROUGH, STRAIGHT TALK and KICKING AND SCREAMING.

John Blas | Lecturer
Blas is currently serving as a marketing and creative advertising consultant for Sony Pictures Animation. In this capacity, he provides marketing strategy and positioning as well as print and audiovisual creative services for all SPA's animated and hybrid films. Some of these creative materials include posters, outdoor advertising, newspaper advertising, in-theater marketing, trailers, TV commercials and radio spots, among others. Blas has been working in motion picture marketing and advertising for over 14 years. After graduating with a degree in marketing and business administration from the University of Southern California and pursuing graduate studies in advertising at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Blas began his career at the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group as an art director for their print creative services division. During this time his primary focus was print advertising for both domestic live action and animated films. Subsequently, he was promoted to senior art director for Buena Vista International, where he began working on worldwide advertising campaigns for such films as THE ROCK, NIXON, RANSOM, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, ARMAGEDDON and others. In 1999, Blas was promoted to Vice-President, Worldwide Creative Advertising for Walt Disney Features Animation Creative Services where he focused exclusively on marketing and advertising for Disney and Pixar's animated features. During this time he transitioned into working on audiovisual materials in addition to print materials. In 2003, he headed up the division as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Creative Advertising. In this role, he spearheaded all worldwide advertising campaigns for the studio as well as provided strategic creative direction to other divisions of the company including consumer products, parks and resorts, Disney online, promotions, publicity, publishing and synergy. Blas has helped create some of Disney's most memorable animated marketing campaigns for such films as TOY STORY, MULAN, TARZAN, FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, CARS and RATATOUILLE. He has also garnered numerous Key Art and other distinguished advertising awards and has been recognized by such revered publications as Graphis and Communication Arts for his work.

Robert Cort | Lecturer
Cort has produced forty-seven feature films, which have grossed over 2.5 billion dollars in worldwide box office, including OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, THREE MEN AND A BABY, THREE MEN AND A LITTLE LADY, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, COCKTAIL, CLASS ACTION, BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY, THE CUTTING EDGE, TERMINAL VELOCITY, OPERATION DUMBO DROP, BIRD ON A WIRE, JUMANJI, RUNAWAY BRIDE, MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS and SAVE THE LAST DANCE. Cort's HBO film, SOMETHING THE LORD MADE, became one of the most honored movies in television history, winning three Emmys, the Directors and Writers Guild Awards, and the Peabody Award. His five other television films have also won multiple honors, including the Emmy for Best Children's Programming for A MOTHER'S COURAGE: THE MARY THOMAS STORY (1991). Cort entered the motion picture industry in 1976 and one year later was named vice president of advertising, publicity and promotion for Columbia Pictures. In 1980, he became executive vice president of marketing for Fox. In his five years as a marketing chief, Cort planned and supervised the campaigns of such films as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, THE CHINA SYNDROME, ALL THAT JAZZ, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and NINE TO FIVE. He then served as executive vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox, where he oversaw the making of ROMANCING THE STONE, BACHELOR PARTY and REVENGE OF THE NERDS. For the next eleven years, Cort was a partner and president of Interscope Communications. From 1996 to 2001, he was the managing partner of The Cort/Madden Company, a production unit with close ties to Paramount Pictures. In 2001, he formed Robert Cort Productions, an independent feature production company and renewed his relationship with Paramount. Prior to his career in the entertainment industry, Cort was a management consultant for McKinsey and Company, specializing in consumer marketing. He also served a two-year assignment in the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2003 Random House published Cort's first novel, Action!, which garnered outstanding critical reviews and became a bestseller. He holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Penney Finkelman Cox | Lecturer
Penney Finkelman Cox has a background in live-action and animation production. In May 2002, she was named Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Animation (along with long-time business partner Sandra Rabins) to create a feature animation division for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Cox was responsible for the development and production of the division's roster of projects, including the first two films released by Sony Pictures Animation: Open Season and the Academy Award nominated Surf's Up. In addition, Cox, along with Rabins, brought the cartoonist Aaron McGruder, and the animated television series The Boondocks to Sony Picture Television and Cartoon Network and developed the soon to be released Open Season 2 for DVD.

Cox began her animation career at DreamWorks SKG, where she fulfilled both producing and executive roles. Cox joined DreamWorks along with Rabins in February of 1994 to start the Animation Division and to produce The Prince of Egypt. Cox focused on the creative development of animation material at DreamWorks and was instrumental in transforming commercial visual effects house, PDI, into a feature film facility for DreamWorks. She also served as executive producer on the Academy Award winning Shrek and DreamWorks' first computer-generated movie, Antz. In addition, she worked with Aardman Animation on its first stop-motion animated feature, Chicken Run and served as the executive producer on DreamWorks' first direct-to-video animated release, Joseph: King of Dreams.

Penney Finkelman Cox came to animation from a background in live-action production. Her feature producing credits include: Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Welcome Home, Roxie Carmichael and Till There Was You. She served as executive producer for James L. Brooks on I'll Do Anything and co-produced two other films for Brooks: Broadcast News and the Oscar(R) winning Terms of Endearment.

With her production company, Patchwork Productions, she has developed a slate of feature films that most recently includes the animated family movie Husky for Participant Films.

Born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, Cox graduated from Barnard College, with a major in psychology. She made her entrance into the performing arts as a press assistant for the Joffrey Ballet, and did a training internship with the National Endowment for the Arts. Cox was an arts administrator for Performing ArtServices, Inc., where she managed non-profit dance, theatre and music companies. She segued into film production with her acceptance into the Directors Guild of America Producer Training Program in New York.

She resides in Santa Monica with her husband Jim Cox, founder and COO of Ringtales, Inc, and their two children. Cox is a member of the AMPAS, the PGA and ASIFA. She is on the board of Ringtales, Inc. and is a member of the board of directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Cox also teaches creative producing at the American Fllm Institute.

Michael Glick | Lecturer
After he finished college at the University of California at Berkeley and completed his military obligation, Mike Glick started his career in the motion picture industry as an estimator in the MGM production department. After gaining experience in various productions areas, he was accepted into the Assistant Directors Training Program where he worked on DR. KILDARE, MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., and MR. NOVAK. His inaugural feature assignment as Assistant Director was on the huge Cinerama epic HOW THE WEST WAS WON, directed by screen legends John Ford, George Marshall and Henry Hathaway. In his subsequent features as an A.D., he worked with such filmmakers as Billy Wilder, Stanley Kramer, John Sturges, John Frankenheimer, and Ralph Nelson on HALLELUJAH TRAIL, SECONDS, and FORTUNE COOKIE. He became First Assistant Director in the first year and first episode of STAR TREK T.V. and continued to work in that capacity on EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN, TICK TICK TICK, THE DOMINO PRINCIPLE and MY OLD MAN'S PLACE. He was AD on the first show of the series HAWAII FIVE-O. It was on that series that he was promoted to the Unit Production Manager position. Feature film UPM work followed defining his career. A small sample of his credits include McQ, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, the now classic, THE GODFATHER II, CADDYSHACK!!, AND THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, Producer of BUSTIN' LOOSE, Co-producer on OFF LIMITS, THE DOCTOR, TRESPASS, A SIMPLE WISH and FOR RICHER OR POORER,also Executive Producer on LOCK-UP, ROCKY II, ROCKY V, GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND and THE CREW. As Vice President of production for Embassy Pictures, he supervised the filming of THE EMERALD FORREST, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, AND A CHORUS LINE. Until recently he was Sr. V.P. of Physical Production at MGM Studios overseeing the productions of BARBERSHOP, BARBERSHOP II, OUT OF TIME, UPTOWN GIRL, WALKING TALL, SLEEPOVER, BE COOL, INTO THE BLUE and THE PINK PANTHER.

Richard Johnson | Lecturer
With a degree in Theater and Communications from Oberlin College, an M.A. in Communications from Stanford University and an M.F.A. from the Department of Cinema and Television, The Peter Stark Program, USC, Johnson worked for Filmways Pictures, Orion Pictures, Embassy Communications and The Producers' Sales Organization overseeing films such as FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR, EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE, REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTUR BEGINS, SAVING GRACE, CODE OF SILENCE, EASY MONEY, LONE WOLF MCQUADE, STRANGE INVADERS, UP THE CREEK, and FLESH AND BLOOD. As an independent producer he has produced and/or provided financing for films including AMBITION, THE LOW DOWN, THE OPPORTUNISTS, and I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD and television films FRANKENSTEIN: THE COLLEGE YEARS and JILTING JOE. He has worked in both Europe and the US and has provided consulting services to a number of entertainment financing ventures, currently to the Samson Investment Company. He is also publishing the extreme-sports graphic novel series SKATE FARM. Johnson previously taught film production at Stanford University and UC Berkeley Extension and has been a guest lecturer at Chapman University. He also hosted the Film Financing and Co-Production Forum for CreativePlanet.com.

Dana Lustig | Lecturer

David Streit | Filmmaker-in-Residence: Production
After he finished college at the University of California at Berkeley and completed his military obligation, Mike Glick started his career in the motion picture industry as an estimator in the MGM production department. After gaining experience in various productions areas, he was accepted into the Assistant Directors Training Program where he worked on DR. KILDARE, MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., and MR. NOVAK. His inaugural feature assignment as Assistant Director was on the huge Cinerama epic HOW THE WEST WAS WON, directed by screen legends John Ford, George Marshall and Henry Hathaway. In his subsequent features as an A.D., he worked with such filmmakers as Billy Wilder, Stanley Kramer, John Sturges, John Frankenheimer, and Ralph Nelson on HALLELUJAH TRAIL, SECONDS, and FORTUNE COOKIE. He became First Assistant Director in the first year and first episode of STAR TREK T.V. and continued to work in that capacity on EXTRAORDINARY SEAMAN, TICK TICK TICK, THE DOMINO PRINCIPLE and MY OLD MAN'S PLACE. He was AD on the first show of the series HAWAII FIVE-O. It was on that series that he was promoted to the Unit Production Manager position. Feature film UPM work followed defining his career. A small sample of his credits include McQ, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, the now classic, THE GODFATHER II, CADDYSHACK!!, AND THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, Producer of BUSTIN' LOOSE, Co-producer on OFF LIMITS, THE DOCTOR, TRESPASS, A SIMPLE WISH and FOR RICHER OR POORER,also Executive Producer on LOCK-UP, ROCKY II, ROCKY V, GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND and THE CREW. As Vice President of production for Embassy Pictures, he supervised the filming of THE EMERALD FORREST, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, AND A CHORUS LINE. Until recently he was Sr. V.P. of Physical Production at MGM Studios overseeing the productions of BARBERSHOP, BARBERSHOP II, OUT OF TIME, UPTOWN GIRL, WALKING TALL, SLEEPOVER, BE COOL, INTO THE BLUE and THE PINK PANTHER.

Jeff Wachtel | Lecturer
Jeff Wachtel is USA Network's Executive Vice President, Original Programming. A veteran television executive and producer, Jeff oversees all original programming for the #1 rated cable network, including Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Starter Wife and the network's newest hit series, In Plain Sight. Jeff's previous stints include President, Alliance Atlantis Television; President of 3 Arts Television (a production company that partnered CBS, Sony and 3 Arts Management); Executive Producer of the syndicated series "Pensacola: Wings of Gold"; and Executive Vice President of Primetime TV at Columbia Pictures Television, where he developed the a number of network series, including Party of Five and Dawson's Creek. Jeff began his career as a theatre director and producer, and produced the first New York productions of David Mamet's work -- Sexual Perversity in Chicago & The Duck Variations. A graduate of Yale University, Jeff is a founding member of community-based volunteer organization LA Works, is on the President's Advisory Board of the Zimmer Children's Museum, and is a past member of the board of directors of the HRTS.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Joseph Garrity | Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence
An AFI graduate, Garrity has designed many feature films including RUNAWAY TRAIN (art director), WEEDS, MY GIRL, DROP DEAD FRED and IMAGINARY CRIMES. He met Christopher Guest in 1988 and was chosen to design his directorial debut feature THE BIG PICTURE and has designed all Guest's subsequent films, including WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND, and FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

Robert Boyle | Distinguished Lecturer
Boyle holds a BA in architecture from USC. He has earned four Academy Award nominations in the art direction category for his work on NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), GAILY, GAILY (1969), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1971) and THE SHOOTIST (1976). His many art direction credits include IN COLD BLOOD, MARNIE, SABOTEUR, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, THE BIRDS and THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS. Boyle received an honorary degree from AFI in 1996 and he was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated documentary short, THE MAN ON LINCOLN'S NOSE. Most recently, he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award "in recognition of one of cinema's great careers in art direction."

Suzanne Feller-Otto | Senior Lecturer
Feller-Otto received her degree in architecture from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Before her film career, she lived in Tokyo and worked on the Puroland Theme Park. Her set design credits include five seasons of SEINFELD, episodes of ALLY McBEAL, 8 SIMPLE RULES and the feature films OUT ON A LIMB and TRIAL AND ERROR.

Ernie Marjoram | Senior Lecturer
Marjoram holds a BS from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has been a registered professional architect for more than 15 years and has been working as a free-lance designer/illustrator in advertising and entertainment since 1995. He has developed concepts for Walt Disney Imagineering, created sketches for Steven Spielberg's Movie Magic, executed concept design of the Lost World of Jules Verne theme park and handled visual development for Spagna 2000.

Lauren Polizzi | Senior Lecturer
Lauren Polizzi received her Bachelor's Degree from UCLA's Theater of Fine Arts where she discovered a love and aptitude for set design. She honed her set design skills on many diverse feature films, including: DEATH BECOMES HER, JURASSIC PARK, FORREST GUMP, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, SECONDHAND LIONS, LEMONY SNICKET, OCEAN'S TWELVE, MEMIORS OF A GEISHA, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 & 3, and THE HOLIDAY. In 1994, she moved up to Asst. Art Director and worked on such films as: SPECIES, AMISTAD, INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE TIME MACHINE, and PANIC ROOM. Since moving up to Art Director, her credits have included: THE LOST WORLD, THE ALAMO, DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, THE TV SET, KNOCKED UP, THE X-FILES television series, and INDIANA JONES and THE KINGDOM of the CRYSTAL SKULL. This summer she completed Art Directing on TRANSFORMERS 2, on location in New Mexico. Lauren received an Art Director's Guild Award and Emmy Nomination for her work on Season Six of THE X-FILES television series, an ADG and Oscar Nomination for DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, and an ADG nomination for her work as an Asst. Art Director on AMISTAD.

Richard Reynolds | Senior Lecturer
Reynolds holds BA and MA degrees in Theatre Arts-Stage and Lighting Design. His film work includes 3D computer pre-visualization and set design on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 and 3, THE TERMINAL, SKY HIGH, MINORITY REPORT, TERMINATOR 3, PLANET OF THE APES, PEARL HARBOR, SOLARIS, ENVY, MISSION TO MARS, SUPERNOVA, THE NEGOTIATOR and GODZILLA; set design for BLADE and VOLCANO; and visual effects art direction for BATMAN AND ROBIN and INDEPENDENCE DAY. Reynolds has served as assistant art director for the Academy Awards and has art-directed and production-designed all formats of television from sitcoms and one-hour episodic, to miniseries and musical awards shows. His particular interests are 3D computer design to previsualize sets within the art department and in the relationship between classical architecture and contemporary design.

Todd Cherniawsky | Lecturer
A graduate of AFI, Cherniawsky has more than 10 years of solid experience in feature film and television production. He began his professional film career as a dolly grip, key grip, electrician and carpenter, then worked his way up through the art department as a conceptual illustrator, set designer and assistant art director. Todd served as production designer for GINGER SNAPS and GINGER SNAPS II and set designer on OCEAN'S THIRTEEN. Todd has developed advanced computer skills working as a set designer in the digital art departments of SUPERMAN RETURNS, MONSTER HOUSE, WAR OR THE WORLDS, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, THE POLAR EXPRESS, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK and THE HULK.

John DeCuir, Jr. | Lecturer
DeCuir has designed film, television and themed attractions throughout the world. He started his film career as a student intern working on THE KING AND I and SOUTH PACIFIC. He received a degree in architecture from USC and accepted a post-graduate teaching position at the Institute of Building Research and Technology. He continued his film apprenticeship as an art director working in Rome on the films CLEOPATRA, AGONY AND THE ECSTACY, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW and DR. FAUSTUS. He served as a producer/director in the U.S. Coast Guard's documentary film division and subsequently conceptualized and planned major portions of Disney's EPCOT/World Showcase. Later, he returned full time to film as art director on the film GHOSTBUSTERS. DeCuir became a production designer in 1985 designing such films as TOP GUN, TURNER & HOOCH, SISTER ACT 2 and the NBC television series PROVIDENCE. He lectures in the UCLA Performing Arts Program, has taught at USC's School of Cinema, holds a seat on the Art Director's Guild Board of Directors and acts as chairman of their education committee.

John Muto | Lecturer
Northern California native John Muto graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a major in English Literature. The first paying job was as road manager, graphic artist, and occasional performer with an avant-garde San Francisco dance troupe. Filling in for the lighting designer, he lit the dance company's performance for a documentary film, which led into commercials, animation and eventually educational media. As a producer/director for HBJ Films in San Francisco he directed the first educational laserdisc to be awarded a Gold Camera at the Chicago International Film Festival. Muto designed and animated a number of sequences for the OINGO BOINGO's feature FORBIDDEN ZONE. Muto was later hired at Roger Corman's New World Pictures as an animator on BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and storyboard artist for GALAXY OF TERROR. He moved on to Visual Effects Designer and/or Second Unit Director on such independent features as STRANGE INVADERS, SLAPSTICK, and JAWS - 3D. For his first film as Production Designer, Muto created the pop surreal look of the sci-fi cult feature NIGHT OF THE COMET, as well as designing the visual effects and directing second unit for the film. He went on to design environments for films in a number of genres, from HOME ALONE, to SPECIES, to HEARTS AND SOULS, to RIVERS EDGE. He created gigantic post-apocalyptic sets for James Cameron's TERMINATOR 2 / 3D -- BATTLE ACROSS TIME, a unique large format 3D presentation that's one of Universal Studios Tours' top attractions throughout the world. Muto's other films as Production Designer includes: FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC, ONLY THE LONELY, WILDER NAPALM. For the Art Directors Guild, Muto founded the Art Directors Film Society, and hosted a number of programs spotlighting neglected films and featuring onstage interviews with the greatest designers from the Golden Age of the Hollywood studio system. As a design consultant, Mr. Muto offers his services through the firm DESIGN FOR PRODUCTION.

SCREENWRITING

Tom Rickman | Senior Filmmaker-In-Residence
One of 18 Fellows in the first class of AFI, 1969-71, Rickman's short film, WHAT FIXED ME, won first prize in the National Student Association Festival and was selected for the New York Film Festival of 1971. His screenwriting credits include COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, for which he received nominations for both the WGA and Academy Award; EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN; W.W. AND THE DIXIE DANCEKINGS; HOOPER; THE WHITE DAWN; THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN; KANSAS CITY BOMBER; and THE RIVER RAT, which also was his directing debut. In television, Rickman's writing and directing credits include TRUMAN, WRONGFUL DEATH, CRASH COURSE, THE REAGANS and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE (winner of WGA and Humanitas Awards). He has received several Emmy nominations. Rickman was a charter member of the board of trustees of the Sundance Institute and has participated in the Institute's Screenwriting Laboratory since its inception. He also founded the Squaw Valley Screenwriters Workshop. His has taught screenwriting at the University of Southern California, as well as numerous workshops in Australia, Cuba, Hungary, Ireland, France and other countries.

Michael Ellis | Senior Lecturer
Ellis holds an MFA in screenwriting from AFI and graduated from NYU's film school. Ellis and his writing partner, Pam Falk, wrote THE WEDDING PLANNER and were consulting producers on JAKE IN PROGRESS for ABC. They currently have movies in development at Universal and Working Title Films.

Allen Estrin | Senior Lecturer
Estrin's television, film and radio writing credits include multiple episodes of Emmy Award-winning TV shows THE PRACTICE, BOSTON PUBLIC and TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL. In addition, he has written film history (The Hollywood Profession, Volume 6: Capra, Cukor and Brown), educational and corporate videos, and has directed the highly praised documentary ISRAEL IN A TIME OF TERROR (2002). Estrin's first novel, Heaven's Witness, was published in 2004 by Toby Press and named one of the best mysteries of that year by The Weekly Standard and became a CBS Special Event movie in 2006.

Karen Janszen | Senior Lecturer
Janszen holds a BA in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MA in anthropology from Harvard and an MFA in screenwriting from AFI. Her screenwriting credits include DUMA (2005), A WALK TO REMEMBER (2002), THE MATCHMAKER (1997) and DIGGING TO CHINA (1998); television credits include an episode of FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON (1998). In 1999, Variety named her one of "Ten Screenwriters to Watch."

Patricia Meyer | Senior Lecturer
Meyer holds a BA in history and literature from Harvard University and MA in fiction writing from Boston University. For the past 20 years, she has had a diverse career as a motion picture and television screenwriter and producer. With her passion for dark comedic true crime stories, she has had the privilege of writing numerous screenplays for Martin Scorsese, Harry and Mary Jane Ufland, Brillstein-Grey and Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions. She has also written projects for every major studio as well as the networks, including a CBS movie and miniseries. Meyer's first production, the ABC miniseries THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE starred Oprah Winfrey and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Miniseries in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, she developed and executive produced multiple network movies. She made her directorial debut in 2003, with THE LIST, a short tragic-comedy starring Corbin Bernsen and Ashley Williams. Before joining the AFI faculty, she taught screenwriting and development at Chapman University.

Del Reisman | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, Reisman worked as story editor on the original PLAYHOUSE 90, after working on NBC MATINEE THEATRE. His first filmed show was the original TWILIGHT ZONE, where he worked as story editor for Rod Serling. He went on to write scripts, produce episodes and story edit for such TV classics as THE UNTOUCHABLES, RAWHIDE, PEYTON PLACE, THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO and CAGNEY AND LACEY. His long-form TV writing credits include THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, EROS IN LOVE and KILLER INSTINCT. Feature credits include THE TAKE (starring Billy Dee Williams) and THE MORNING MAN AND THE EVENING WOMAN. Reisman served on the Board of Directors for the Writers Guild of America, west, from 1979-87; was their Vice President from 1987-91; and served as President from 1991-93. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Writers Guild Foundation and of the National Film Preservation Board.

Anna Thomas | Senior Lecturer
Thomas holds an MFA in film from UCLA. An Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, as well as a producer, director and author, Thomas is producer and co-writer of the film EL NORTE, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was elected to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1995. She is the co-writer and producer of the acclaimed MY FAMILY, MI FAMILIA. Thomas made her first feature in 1977 when she wrote, produced and directed THE HAUNTING OF M as her Master's thesis film. Other film credits include the 1986 drama A TIME OF DESTINY, which she co-wrote and produced. She recently wrote two episodes of the PBS one-hour drama series AMERICAN FAMILY. Thomas is a founder of the IFP West.

Dan Vining | Senior Lecturer
After undergraduate work at the University of Florida, Vining was a Stegner Fellow in poetry at Stanford, returning the following year as Jones Lecturer. He also wrote and edited at Rolling Stone in its last San Francisco days. His credits as a screenwriter include the features BLACK DOG, PLAIN CLOTHES and LIGHTHOUSE and the television movies WILD HORSES, HER DEADLY RIVAL, IN MY SISTER'S SHADOW and the cable feature ESCAPE: HUMAN CARGO. Additionally, Vining has written screenplays for Universal, Paramount, Disney, MGM and NBC and he recently sold the action script AUTOBAHN. His mystery novels, The Quick and The Next are published by Penguin-Putnam.

Sandra Berg | Lecturer
Sandi Berg received her B.A. in film from UCLA as well as an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA. While in grad school she teamed up with her sister and they sold their first screenplay ALMOST SUMMER to Universal which was produced while both were still students. They were, in fact, the youngest members of the WGA at that time. Sandi has sold screenplays to most of the major studios, as well as writing for television. She is also a contributing editor to "Written By" (The Writers' Guild of America) Magazine, and has done several stories on screenwriters and their craft. She has been on the faculty of the USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1988 and created a course on "Writing the Thriller" which has become a standard. Sandi recently joined the AFI faculty and tailored her course on writing thrillers for the First Year writing Fellows. Currently she has a director attached to a thriller screenplay and just completed a new comedy script which is about to hit the market.

Tom Blomquist | Lecturer
Blomquist is an award-winning writer, producer and director. His episodic television credits range from science fiction (FARSCAPE, QUANTUM LEAP, SWAMP THING) to action adventure (THE A-TEAM, WALKER TEXAS RANGER, HUNTER) to family drama (FAME L.A., TWICE IN A LIFETIME, CATHERINE MARSHALL'S CHRISTY). He also served as executive producer and writer of the critically acclaimed miniseries sequel to CHRISTY, as well as director of the comedy featurette PRISON LIFE, which was cited by the Houston Chronicle as one of the 10 best short films of the year. Blomquist directed the music videos for singer-songwriter Kellie Coffey's I Would Die For That and Walk On. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, he was formerly a program development executive at MTM Studios, Artemis/Orion Television and Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising, where he worked on THE HALLMARK HALL OF FAME series.

Steve Mazur | Lecturer
Mazur has taught screenwriting for the past ten years, including four years at AFI and five years with the Professional Writing Program at USC. He's written or co-written scripts for Universal, Dreamworks, Warner Bros., MGM, Imagine, Paramount, Sony, CBS, A&E, Spike TV, and Disney, including Heartbreakers (MGM, 2001), Liar, Liar (Universal, 1997), The Little Rascals (Universal, 1994), Without a Paddle II (Paramount, 2008), The Crooked E (CBS, 2003), and Wedding Wars (A&E, 2006).

AFI CONSERVATORY STUDIES
The Conservatory Studies curriculum is a series of interdisciplinary courses, seminars and workshops designed to provide Fellows with a broad and varied perspective on the contemporary film, television and digital media arts and professions.

Stan Brooks | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA from Brandeis University and an MFA from AFI, Brooks enjoyed a successful run as president of Savoy Pictures Television, overseeing six production and development entities, after which he ran his own television film production company, Once Upon a Time Films, with a development slate of over 30 hours of movies, miniseries and pilots. Past films include BEHIND THE MASK, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, FALLING FOR YOU, A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES: THE ANNETTE FUNICELLO STORY, SUBMERGED and TALKING TO HEAVEN.

Dorothy Fontana | Senior Lecturer
Fontana's screenwriting credits include the television series STAR TREK, BONANZA, THE WALTONS, THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO and DALLAS. Story editor credits include the original STAR TREK series, STAR TREK animated series, FANTASTIC JOURNEY, LOGAN'S RUN and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, on which Fontana was also associate producer for the first 13 episodes. She is a member of Science Fiction Writers of America, Western Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, the Writers Guild of America and Writers Guild of Canada. She is currently writing for an online STAR TREK project, NewVoyages.com.

Patricia King Hanson | Conservatory Librarian, and Executive Editor, Information Services
Patricia King Hanson has been the Executive Editor and Project Director of the AFI Catalog of Feature Films since coming to AFI in 1983. In 2008, Hanson also became the head of AFI's Louis B. Mayer Library. After receiving a BA in Italian, and master's degrees in History and Library Science from USC, Hanson became the history bibliographer at the USC Library, then moved on to Salem Press. She was Associate Editor of several publications, including the multi-volume Magill's Survey of Cinema, Bibliography of Literary Criticism and Cinema Annual. Often collaborating with her husband, Hanson has contributed dozens of articles on film to magazines, including British publications Flicks, Stills, The Listener and Moving Pictures International, and was a film reviewer for the British trade publication Screen International.

Hanson, has also contributed to a number of film reference books, including The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers and Prima dei codici and the educational website Fathom. Her publications include co-authoring the two-volume Film Review Index, Lights, Camera, Action! and The Sourcebook for the Performing Arts. She has provided DVD audio commentary for a number of classic films, as well as appearing in numerous documentaries on the history of film. She has been has been an on-air expert on film for MSNBC, CNN, NPR and numerous radio stations, and has been quoted on current films and film history in a wide variety of print and online sources, among them The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, ABCNews.com, The Orlando Sentinel and The Los Angeles Times.

James Hosney | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA in Anglo-American Literature from Occidental College, James Hosney created and taught courses in literature, American Studies and film at the Westlake School for Girls from 1970 to 1980, where he was director of the Film and Video Program. He created the film program at Crossroads School, where he has been teaching for 23 years, and currently teaches a two-year Honors English course, "Great Books of the Western World." He has published articles in Film Quarterly, South Atlantic Quarterly and the Los Angeles Times; and he has taught film classes for UCLA Extension. He has been teaching at AFI since 1980.

Barnet Kellman | Mentor
KELLMAN is the Emmy-award winning director/producer of television favorites MURPHY BROWN and MAD ABOUT YOU. In 1992 he received the Emmy for directing the "Murphy gives birth" episode of MURPHY BROWN, and the show won Outstanding Comedy Series award under his direction in 1989 and 1991, earning him another statue. In all, Kellman was nominated for four Emmys and three Directors Guild of America awards, winning the DGA honor in 1989. Mr. Kellman directed the pilot of MAD ABOUT YOU and enjoyed bringing the series into its own, executive producing its first season. In May 1998 Barnet had the honor of directing the final episode of MURPHY BROWN, ending the show's distinguished ten-year run. In all Mr. Kellman has been responsible for the pilots of twenty on-air television series, including the current MY BOYS and THE GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW. Other recent credits include the ABC movie MARY AND RHODA, staring Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper, as well as episodes of the award winning series SAMANTHA WHO?, MONK, ALIAS, ALLY MCBEAL, ONCE AND AGAIN, FELICITY and E.R.. Along with Lee Kalcheim he created and Executive Produced the NBC series, SOMETHING WILDER, starring Gene Wilder. Barnet directed the feature films STRAIGHT TALK, starring Dolly Parton and SLAPPY AND THE STINKERS. He made his feature debut with the 20th Century Fox screen version of KEY EXCHANGE . Originally a play, Kellman staged KEY EXCHANGE'S premieres at the WPA Theatre and at the Orpheum Theatre in Manhattan, and the Westwood Playhouse in L.A.. Mr. Kellman began his career in New York, directing the off-Broadway premieres of DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley, THE GOOD PARTS by Israel Horovitz and THE LOMAN FAMILY PICNIC by Donald Margulies as well as, FRIENDS, and BREAKFAST WITH LES AND BESS by Lee Kalcheim. In Los Angeles, Barnet staged the world premiere of Lee Kalcheim's DEFILED, starring Peter Falk and Jason Alexander, at the Geffen Playhouse. Mr. Kellman's New York productions have been seen at the American Place Theatre, the New York Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights' Horizons, Circle in the Square, The Manhattan Theatre Club and the Ensemble Studio Theatre. He has also directed works at regional theatres including twelve productions over six seasons at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and productions at the Yale Repertory Theatre, the Folger Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Actors' Theatre of Louisville. He has directed works by such diverse playwrights as Shakespeare, George Farquhar and David Rabe. Barnet made his radio debut with Wendy Wasserstein's THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG for L.A. Theatreworks, and KCRW. Kellman graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University in 1969. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he was a recipient of the prestigious Danforth Graduate Fellowship, and the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. He attended the Yale School of Drama, and received a Ph.D. from Union Graduate School. Barnet lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress, Nancy Mette. They have three children, Kate, Eliza and Michael.

Richard Pearce | Mentor
PEARCE made his feature film directorial debut with the period drama "Heartland," which earned the Golden Bear (grand prize) at the Berlin Film Festival and then opened the New York Film Festival's so-called "First Look at American Independents" in 1981. Other films of Pearce's include "Country" which brought Jessica Lange an Academy Award nomination and was also chosen to open The New York Film Festival; the highly praised racially charged drama "The Long Walk Home" pairing Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek; "Leap of Faith" with Steve Martin, Deborah Winger, and Liam Neeson; "No Mercy" starring Richard Gere and Kim Bassinger; and "A Family Thing" with Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones. Pearce began work in the late 1960's as a documentary cinematographer, and his camera credits include three Oscar-winning films: "Woodstock," "Marjoe," and "Interviews with My Lai Veterans." His final project before becoming a feature film director was the Vietnam War documentary "Hearts and Minds" directed by Peter Davis. For over a year and a half Pearce served as both cinematographer and associate producer on the controversial film which eventually screened at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win an Academy Award for best feature documentary. Several years ago Pearce returned to the world of documentary filmmaking to direct one of seven feature length films on The Blues. presented by Marty Scorsese and broadcast over seven consecutive nights on PBS. Pearce's contribution, produced by Robert Kenner, was entitled "The Road to Memphis" and premiered at the Venice Film Festival before being released theatrically throughout much of the world following its US television premier. In 2008 Pearce and Kenner partnered once again, this time with Kenner as director and Pearce as co-producer and director of photography, on "Food Inc," a feature-length investigation of American's industrial food economy. "Food, Inc" was financed by Participant Media and River Road and premiered September, 2008 at the Toronto Film Festival. Currently, Pearce is partnered with Forest Whitaker developing a film project for HBO, and he was recently elected as a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Joe Pichirallo | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA from AFI, Pichirallo has worked as a studio executive for nearly 10 years and currently is executive vice president of production at Focus Features, a division of Universal Pictures. Among the films he has supervised are THE BROTHERS McMULLEN, QUILLS, THE SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS, ONE HOUR PHOTO, THE BANGER SISTERS and THE ANTWONE FISHER STORY. Pichirallo was formerly a reporter for The Washington Post.

Barry Sabath | Senior Lecturer, Senior Mentor: Thesis ProductionHolding an MA and PhD in Cinema Studies from New York University, Sabath has nearly two decades of feature film development experience. He ran the film division of Marsha and Robin Williams's Blue Wolf Productions, whose productions include MRS. DOUBTFIRE, PATCH ADAMS and JAKOB THE LIAR. At Twentieth Century Fox, he was senior vice president of production for Paul Schiff Productions, where he oversaw MY COUSIN VINNY and was co-producer on GHOST IN THE MACHINE and PCU. He spent four years at Columbia Pictures, as executive story editor and vice president of production, and supervised FLATLINERS and IMMEDIATE FAMILY. Sabath also taught film history and criticism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University.

Michael Urban | Lecturer
Michael Urban attended Florida State University as well as the Freie Universitaet in Berlin, Germany, before moving to Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the AFI Screenwriting program. His first feature film, SAVED! was written while he was a fellow at the AFI. He is currently adapting a novel for MGM and developing a screenplay for Fox 2000 and a series for HBO.

Seth Winston | Senior Lecturer
Holding a BA in film from the USC School of Cinema, Winston participated in the Academy Internship Program at AFI and interned under Steven Spielberg on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. He received an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 1992 for writing and directing Showtime's SESSION MAN. Credits include SHE'S OUT OF CONTROL; THE CURE; GAME DAY; IT'S MY CHILD, TOO; and THE COMMON COLD.

George Walczak | Lecturer
Holding an MFA in Screenwriting from AFI, Walczak was a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Award. As an AFI adjunct faculty member since 1997, he teaches the year-long development workshop and the screenwriting section of the Directing Workshop for Women. Walczak most recently wrote ZULU WAVE with writing partners Mark Rogers and Rob Ryder. Walczak also adapted the French bestseller, African in Greenland. In 2001, Walczak served as the director of the Ojai Film Festival.

Cathy Wischner-Sola | Lecturer
Wischner-Sola holds a BA degree in humanities from The New School for Social Research, and attended Northwestern University and the American Conservatory Theatre Advanced Training Program. Wischner-Sola recently served as vice president of original programming at TNT, where she supervised an extensive slate of distinguished movies, miniseries and pilots, including the Emmy-nominated PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY; Emmy-nominated KING OF TEXAS; ANIMAL FARM; and SMUDGE, winner of the Humanitas Prize for Best Children's Movie. Previously, she worked as vice president of creative affairs for Daniel H. Blatt Productions, at Warner Bros. overseeing feature, television movie, miniseries and series development. Her producing credits include COMMON GROUND, the Humanitas Prize-winning miniseries and the Emmy-winning SWORN TO SILENCE. As head of Beverly Hills Theatre40 Playwright's Workshop, she established the theater's first professional playwright's contract to develop new works and served as literary consultant for Showtime's Act One Productions and LATC. She began her film career as a story analyst for Tri-Star Pictures.