May 4, 2025
STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) – AFI Movie Club
May the Fourth be with you! Marking 45 years since it first hit theaters and expanded the “galaxy far, far away” introduced three years prior in 1977’s STAR WARS, this first sequel to the beloved space saga deepened the mystique of the story’s iconic and inscrutable avatar of evil – earning Sith Lord Darth Vader...
May 3, 2025
THE BLACK STALLION (1979) – AFI Movie Club
Marking the feature film directorial debut of Carroll Ballard and named by the American Film Institute among the most inspiring films of all time, THE BLACK STALLION (1979) was shot by AFI Conservatory alum Caleb Deschanel (AFI Class of 1969) – and executive produced by newly minted AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Francis Ford Coppola. Visit the...
May 2, 2025
LAURA (1944) – AFI Movie Club
Directed by Otto Preminger and starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price and Judith Anderson, LAURA (1944) was named by the American Film Institute among the most thrilling stories in cinema history, as well as one of the art form’s great film scores – and the iconic noir also appeared at #4 on...
May 1, 2025
AFI Reveals Date for AFI AWARDS 2025 Luncheon
AFI announced today that the AFI AWARDS 2025 honorees-only event will take place on Friday, January 9, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Celebrating the collaborative nature of film and television, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of...
May 1, 2025
AFI Alumni Interview With THE LAST RODEO Filmmaker Jon Avnet
With THE LAST RODEO hitting theaters May 23, we sat down with director, co-writer and producer Jon Avnet (AFI Class of 1972) to discuss his return to the big screen. He made his feature directorial debut with FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, which earned multiple Academy Award® and BAFTA nominations, along with a Golden Globe nod for...
May 1, 2025
LEGACY – AFI Catalog Spotlight
This month, the AFI Catalog celebrates the 50-year anniversary of director/producer Karen Arthur’s independent film debut LEGACY, which toured festivals in 1975. It was produced for just $46,000 with finishing funds provided in part by the American Film Institute. Around the time that Arthur made LEGACY, she was enrolled in an internship program through AFI...
May 1, 2025
What to Watch: May 2025
Looking for a new film or TV series to watch? Check out these projects by Alumni from the AFI Conservatory film school. BURT –Joe Burke (AFI Class of 2009), Writer/Director –Daniel Kenji Levin (AFI Class of 2010), Cinematographer Where to watch: premiering in LA on Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts...
May 1, 2025
YENTL (1983) – AFI Movie Club
YENTL (1983), the musical drama of a brave young woman who poses as a boy to pursue her passion for studying Jewish Talmudic Law, features the talents of AFI Life Achievement Award recipient Barbra Streisand – who wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film. Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about YENTL. Where...
April 30, 2025
GRAVITY (2013) – AFI Movie Club
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Sandra Bullock and AFI Life Achievement Award honoree George Clooney, GRAVITY (2013) was honored with an AFI AWARD, recognizing it as one of the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image. According to the official rationale, “GRAVITY holds audiences with the power of a force...
April 29, 2025
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2005) – AFI Movie Club
Starring AFI Honorary Degree recipient Michelle Yeoh, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2005) is an epic drama that follows the tragic life of young geishas in pre-WWII Japan and was produced by AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Steven Spielberg – with a score composed by AFI Life Achievement Award recipient John Williams. Visit the AFI Catalog...
April 28, 2025
THE FUGITIVE (1993) – AFI Movie Club
Adapted for the big screen from the hit television show by director Andrew Davis and screenwriters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, and named by AFI among the art form’s greatest thrills, THE FUGITIVE (1993) follows wrongly accused Dr. Richard Kimble on the run and in his search for the one-armed man who killed his wife...
April 25, 2025
READY PLAYER ONE (2018) – AFI Movie Club
Adapted by Ernest Cline and Zak Penn from Cline’s own novel, READY PLAYER ONE (2018) was produced and directed by AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Steven Spielberg and features notable creative contributions from two graduates of the AFI Conservatory – cinematographer Janusz Kamiński (AFI Class of 1987) and editor Sarah Broshar (AFI Class of 2005)....
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