
June 1, 2023
Spotlight on AFI Alum Roxine Helberg Whose New Film Premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival
With the 22nd Tribeca Film Festival right around the corner, AFI caught up with writer/director Roxine Helberg (AFI Class of 2011) whose feature directorial debut COLD COPY, starring Tracee Ellis Ross and Bel Powley, will have its World Premiere at the festival this year. Her dramatic thriller follows Mia Scott, a young broadcast journalism student...

April 3, 2023
Spotlight on Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson’s “Hollywood: The Oral History”
From the treasure trove of interviews within the AFI Archive comes “Hollywood: The Oral History,” an ambitious and captivating love letter to the history of film, from the silent days of cinema to the Classic Hollywood studio system to the rise of New Hollywood and beyond. Its authors, Jeanine Basinger – who is also a...

May 2, 2022
AFI Spotlight Interview: PACHINKO Writer Franklin Rho
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, writer/director Franklin Rho (AFI Class of 2004) grew up with a passion for auteur-driven arthouse cinema which ultimately led him to the Directing Program at the AFI Conservatory. His thesis film THE MONSTER AND THE PEANUT, which played at myriad film festivals, was the recipient of a grant from the Alfred...

March 1, 2022
Spotlight on Independent Spirit Award-Nominated Producer Pin-Chun Liu
Since graduating from the AFI Conservatory, Producer Pin-Chun Liu (AFI Class of 2013) has made a name for herself in the world of independent producing. In 2016, she established her own development and production company,120E Films, to bring diverse and underrepresented voices to the screen. In the past three years, Liu has produced PAPER TIGER...

February 1, 2022
AFI Spotlight Interview with the Sundance Filmmakers Behind HALLELUJAH
The 38th annual Sundance Film Festival came to a close this past weekend, finishing its 10-day run of celebrating independent film and emerging and established artists. This year’s impressive lineup comprised 33 works by 41 AFI Alumni, including HALLELUJAH, the brainchild of writer/director Victor Gabriel (AFI Class of 2020, Screenwriting) which he made alongside fellow...

October 1, 2021
AFI Member Spotlight: John Seelke
This month, AFI spoke with X Level Member John Seelke from Silver Spring, MD who has spent much of his career as a teacher and even won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science in 2007. John currently works as an Instructional Specialist for Secondary Mathematics Company in Montgomery County Public Schools. He...

September 1, 2021
Spotlight Interview on AFI Programmer Todd Hitchcock
Dovetailing with National Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFI Latin American Film Festival will take place September 23-October 13 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. The annual festival marks the culmination of many months of work for Todd Hitchcock, the Director of Programming and Associate Director of the AFI...

August 2, 2021
Member Spotlight: Jill Zahner
This month, AFI interviewed Two-Star Member Jill Zahner from Campbell, CA. Jill has been a longstanding supporter of AFI since 2004, attending and volunteering at AFI’s festivals and participating in many fundraising endeavors, including Giving Tuesday. We spoke to Jill about how she first became involved with AFI, the importance of film preservation and the…

July 1, 2021
Member Spotlight: John King
An AFI member since 2001, John King is a longtime supporter of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, as well as the AFI DOCS film festival, which just successfully wrapped its 19th edition. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Silver Theatre, King is…

April 1, 2021
Updates to CARES Act for 2021: Increased Deductions for Charitable Contributions
As a nonprofit, AFI relies on the support of movie fans – like you – who believe in our mission to empower storytellers and inspire audiences. We are deeply appreciative of your commitment to AFI during these times and want to share how recent legislation extends the “CARES” Act and its benefits – and how…

April 1, 2021
Member Spotlight With Jay Elvove
This month’s member spotlight is Jay Elvove, who has been a fan of AFI ever since he moved to the Washington, DC, area in the early 1970s. AFI had already opened a theater in the Kennedy Center that screened a wide range of older American and foreign films that were otherwise difficult to see at…

March 1, 2021
AFI Member Spotlight: Jeanne Meyers
This month, AFI spoke with Premiere Circle member and AFI Conservatory alum Jeanne Meyers (Producing, AFI Class of 1983) about her lifelong passion for film and empowering young people to use media to tell their own stories. For the last 25 years, Meyers has directed the development of the MY HERO website, an interactive, online…

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