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...

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...

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...

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...

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to Present 50th AFI Life Achievement Award to Francis Ford Coppola

Other participants include Robert De Niro, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Ron Howard, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Spike Lee, Ralph Macchio, Al Pacino and members of the Coppola Family The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg will present the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award to…

2025 Cannes Film Festival to Showcase Powerful New Stories by AFI Alumni

AFI Conservatory Alumni are making their mark on the global stage once again, with several of their bold, innovative new films officially selected to premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, taking place May 13–24, 2025. Known for cultivating some of the most compelling voices in cinema, AFI is proud to recognize its graduates who...
An image featuring moderator Chris Schwartz, writer/director Tracie Laymon, producers Sean Mullin and Edgar Rosa, editor Anisha Acharya and post-production supervisor Rich Song.

Behind the scenes with BOB TREVINO LIKES IT Filmmakers

A year after its triumphant debut at SXSW, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, the indie film BOB TREVINO LIKES IT has officially hit theaters. Starring Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo, the film draws inspiration from the unexpected real-life friendship that writer, director and producer Tracie Laymon struck...
A photo of Peter Indall, Director of National Advancement

Spotlight on Peter Indall, AFI Director of National Advancement

As the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala honoring Francis Ford Coppola approaches this April, we sat down with Peter Indall, Director of National Advancement, to discuss his role in helping to organize the highly anticipated event. A seasoned professional, Peter has combined his passion for the arts with his expertise in individual giving, previously...
Posters of AFI Alumni projects including The Luckiest Man in America, Government Cheese and Eric Larue

What to Watch: April 2025

Looking for a new film or TV series to watch? Check out these projects by Alumni from the AFI Conservatory film school. THE ACCOUNTANT 2 –Sandra Doyle Carmola, (AFI Class of 2014), Art Director –Katia Najera, (AFI Class of 2018), Art Director –Shi Min Yong (AFI Class of 2020),  Assistant Art Director –Esmé Jackson (AFI...
Image of Omar Sharif with the caption AFI Catalog Spotlight

Omar Sharif – AFI Catalog Spotlight

This month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on the illustrious Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who would have celebrated his 93rd birthday on April 10. Known as one of the first and most prominent Arab actors to achieve stardom in Hollywood,[i] Sharif performed in over 100 American and international films including LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962),...
AFI DWW+ Class of 2025 Cohort - (L to R) Natasha Mynhier, Jahmil Eady, Karina Lomelin Ripper, Marissa High, Ezra Rose, MG Evangelista, Jasmine J. Johnson, Julia Bales – Photo Courtesy of AFI

AFI DWW+ Showcase Celebrates Films from Emerging Directors

On March 5, AFI premiered films from the AFI DWW+ Class of 2025 directors – Julia Bales, Jahmil Eady, MG Evangelista, Marissa High, Jasmine J. Johnson, Natasha Mynhier, Karina Lomelin Ripper and Ezra Rose – to a full house at the annual AFI DWW+ showcase. Founded in 1974, AFI DWW+ is a tuition-free year-long directing...
Lucia Aniello photo by Ryan Pfluger

AFI Announces Lucia Aniello as Keynote Speaker at AFI DWW+ Showcase

Photo by Ryan Pfluger AFI is thrilled to share that Emmy® Award-winning writer/director/producer Lucia Aniello (HACKS, BROAD CITY, ROUGH NIGHT) will deliver the keynote address at the AFI DWW+ Showcase for the Class of 2025 which will take place on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The DWW+...
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