January 13, 2020
Did You Know? The first X-rated film to be nominated for an Academy Award was…
Fifty years ago this year, MIDNIGHT COWBOY was the first X-rated film to be nominated for and win an Academy Award. It won an Oscar for Best Picture, Directing and Writing at the 42 Academy Awards on April 7, 1970. Despite the X-rating, which prevented a wide release, it became one of the top-grossing films…
January 13, 2020
AFI Alums earn Oscar Noms
On January 13, 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards®. Congratulations to the following AFI Conservatory alumni for their Oscar nominations: Scott Silver (AFI Class of 1992) Best Adapted Screenplay – JOKER Robert Richardson (AFI Class of 1979) Best Cinematography – ONCE UPON A TIME…IN…
January 7, 2020
AFI Alum Scott Silver Scores BAFTA and WGA Nominations for JOKER
Congratulations to AFI alum and Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Scott Silver who received a BAFTA nomination and a WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing JOKER, alongside writer/director Todd Phillips. This marks his second BAFTA and WGA nominations, after he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for THE FIGHTER in 2011. JOKER, which premiered at…
January 7, 2020
Star-Studded AFI AWARDS Kicks Off Awards Season
AFI celebrated the 2019 AFI AWARDS honorees on January 3rd which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Laura Dern, Ava DuVernay, Clint Eastwood, Greta Gerwig, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Martin Scorsese and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Check out the exclusive behind-the-scenes pictures of some of this year’s most talked-about filmmakers and stars. Watch highlights from AFI’s exclusive…
December 18, 2019
Alex Michaelides On Writing “The Silent Patient,” Uma Thurman’s Advice & Plan B Optioning the Movie Rights
When Alex Michaelides (AFI Class of 2004) released his first novel “The Silent Patient” earlier this year, he not only had a taut and spellbinding psychological thriller on his hands, but also a hit novel that debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers List. Michaelides studied English literature at Cambridge University, received…
December 17, 2019
AFI Alumni Shortlisted for Academy Awards
Congratulations to the AFI thesis film MILLER & SON which has been shortlisted for an Academy Award® in the Live Action Short Film category! It was just two months ago that MILLER AND SON director Asher Jelinsky (AFI Class of 2018) won a Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards®. And STAY CLOSE, a labor…
December 13, 2019
Television Academy Honors AFI Conservatory Thesis Films
Another proud moment for AFI Conservatory Alumni! Two AFI thesis films – THEY WON’T LAST and BALLON – received nominations from the Television Academy’s 40th Annual College Television Awards for excellence in college student-produced films. And the AFI film FORT IRWIN was named as the recipient of the 2020 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship….
December 12, 2019
AFI Alumni Receive Grants for Directing and Screenwriting Achievement
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2019 AFI Alumni Awards! AFI Alumni Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in directing and screenwriting, were awarded to the following members of the Class of 2018 during a private alumni reception at this year’s AFI FEST presented by Audi. Omer Ben-Shachar received a Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence…
December 11, 2019
AFI Faculty Matt Friedman Earns Eddie Nom for THE FAREWELL
The American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced its nominees for the 70th Annual ACE Eddie Awards for outstanding editing. Congratulations to AFI faculty member Matt Friedman who earned a Best Edited Feature Film nomination for his work on THE FAREWELL. “One of my overriding goals, and something that I say in virtually every class I teach…
December 10, 2019
AFI Alumni Projects Feted by Golden Globes
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association just announced the nominations for the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards – Congrats to these film and TV programs on their Golden Globe nominations and the AFI Alumni who helped bring them to the big and small screens! Best Motion Picture – Animated THE LION KING Caleb Deschanel (AFI…
December 6, 2019
Stand With AFI and Your Donation Will Be Matched
As we head into 2020, there has never been a more critical time to support storytelling that strengthens the cultural fabric of our communities. By being a part of the AFI community, you have already declared that you believe in the revolutionary power of visual storytelling to share perspective, inspire empathy and drive culture forward….
December 6, 2019
AFI Alumni at Sundance 2020
Sundance Film Festival announced their 2020 lineup and we’re proud of the many alumni who will be representing the AFI Conservatory in Park City! Here is the full list of the 33 alumni and their 26 projects that will be screening at Sundance 2020: PALM SPRINGS Director: Max Barbakow (Class of 2015) Screenwriter: Andy…
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