July 27, 2015
AFI Conservatory Films Win at 68th Cannes Film Festival
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, we’re proud to report that the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) alumna Pippa Bianco (AFI DWW, Class of 2014) was awarded First Prize by the Cinéfondation Jury for her AFI short film SHARE at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. SHARE, a film produced by the AFI Conservatory Directing…
July 23, 2015
AFI Statement on the Tragic Event in Louisiana
Bob Gazzale, President and CEO of the American Film Institute, issued the following statement in response to the tragic event in Lafayette, Louisiana. “Going to a summer movie is a celebration of the American creative spirit and one of our nation’s most beloved pastimes. Let us stand together in these times of tragedy and embrace…
July 22, 2015
The AFI DOCS Interview: THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER’s Chad Gracia
In the AFI DOCS film THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER, a young, eccentric Ukrainian artist named Fedor Alexandrovich — just four years old when the Chernobyl disaster struck — seeks to learn more about what happened at the nuclear plant. Fedor becomes fascinated with the Duga — a massive, Soviet-constructed radio antenna near the Chernobyl site that remains…
July 21, 2015
The AFI Interview: Bob Byington
Writer and director Bob Byington’s film SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME was an official selection at AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi. We caught up with the filmmaker before the world premiere of his latest film at South by Southwest 2015, 7 CHINESE BROTHERS. In the last few years since your film SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES…
July 20, 2015
The AFI Interview: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen
By now you’ve heard all about THE INTERVIEW, which stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a pair of bumbling journalists who unexpectedly land an interview (hence the title) with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Last month, the film was all over the news and cinema chains began pulling the film from their theaters ahead of its Christmas Day release….
July 19, 2015
50 Years Later, AFI is Back at the White House:
Right now, AFI DOCS is in full swing showing some of the best documentaries in the heart of Washington, DC. It’s a unique and influential festival but this year’s entry is particularly meaningful. That’s because the 2015 festival marks the 50 year anniversary of the origin of AFI in the nation’s capital – right in the White House Rose Garden. AFI…
July 18, 2015
The AFI DOCS Interview: AMONG THE BELIEVERS Filmmakers: Jonathan Goodman, Mohammed Naqv and Hemal Trivedi
Within Pakistan’s borders a violent clash between ideologies has been ongoing between radical Muslim extremists and moderates that is shaping the path of the country’s future. Across Pakistan an organization called the Red Mosque runs schools that isolate young students from their parents and train them to dedicate their lives to jihad. The powerful film AMONG…
July 17, 2015
The AFI DOCS Interview: THE STORM MAKERS’ Guillaume Suon
Every year, hundreds of thousands of young Cambodians go abroad, lured by promises of well-paid work. Nearly a third will be enslaved, forced to work without pay and subjected to beatings and sexual violence. In his film THE STORM MAKERS, French-Cambodian filmmaker Guillaume Suon exposes the human-trafficking industry perpetuating this misery through revealing interviews with a…
July 17, 2015
The AFI DOCS Interview: FRESH DRESSED’s Sacha Jenkins
In the AFI DOCS film FRESH DRESSED, filmmaker Sacha Jenkins offers a fun and colorful history lesson in hip-hop fashion through the decades. The fashion trends which were initially born out of a mix of ingenuity, creativity and swagger soon found their way onto high-fashion runways and into suburban closets in middle America. The film…
July 16, 2015
Jill Soloway Will Give Keynote At AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop For Women Showcase
The 2014 participants of the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) have completed their films and are ready to show off their powerful work next month at the program’s annual showcase — and TRANSPARENT creator Jill Soloway will be there to help celebrate. The DWW invitation-only showcase will take place at the Directors Guild of America in Los…
July 16, 2015
Omar Sharif Talks About His Career at AFI FEST Tribute
Earlier this month, the world lost Omar Sharif, a one-of-a-kind actor who starred in such cinema classics as DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, FUNNY GIRL and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. The Egyptian-born Sharif’s career was one that spanned not only decadaes but also continents. In 2003, AFI honored Sharif with a special Tribute at AFI FEST presented by Audi where the masterful actor…
July 15, 2015
The AFI DOCS Interview: THE DIPLOMAT’s David Holbrooke
Richard Holbrooke was a crucial diplomatic negotiator for two Democratic presidents, but his charisma and his talent for foreign policy also came with a brashness that earned him nicknames such as “The Bulldozer.” Through the eyes of Holbrooke’s filmmaker son David Holbrooke, THE DIPLOMAT examines a career with global reach and unquestioned historical impact. Holbrooke’s…
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