September 3, 2024
FRIDA (2002) – AFI CATALOG SPOTLIGHT
In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on FRIDA (2002), starring Salma Hayek and co-written by AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Discipline Head Anna Thomas, which premiered in Toronto 22 years ago this month. FRIDA was based on the true story of renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), as told in...
August 1, 2024
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH – AFI Catalog Spotlight
Celebrating back to school this August, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on AFI alum Amy Heckerling’s feature film directorial debut, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982), which was released 42 years ago this month and is included on AFI’s 100 Years...100 Laughs list of the funniest American films of all time. Based on the...
June 27, 2024
COMING HOME (1978) – AFI Catalog Spotlight
In celebration of disability pride month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on COMING HOME (1978), the Oscar®-winning Hal Ashby film that takes place at a VA hospital during the Vietnam War. Included on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions list of the greatest love stories of all time, COMING HOME explores the lives of soldiers who...
May 31, 2024
DESERT HEARTS (1986) – AFI Catalog Spotlight
In celebration of Pride Month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on director Donna Deitch’s 1986 landmark romantic drama DESERT HEARTS, considered to be the first mainstream feature film to depict lesbianism without prejudicial, fetishizing tropes and shame. The 1964 novel by Janet Rule upon which the film is based, “Desert of the Heart,” was...
April 30, 2024
AFI Catalog Spotlight: THE CURSE OF QUON GWON and Marion E. Wong
THE CURSE OF QUON GWON title card In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on Marion E. Wong’s THE CURSE OF QUON GWON: WHEN THE FAR EAST MINGLES WITH THE WEST (1917), the earliest known Chinese American feature film and likely the first Asian film directed...
April 1, 2024
AFI Catalog Spotlight: The Recent Discovery of a Lost Silent Film
Roughly 75% of American silent films are believed to be lost forever, according to a report by the Library of Congress that used the AFI Catalog as a primary source,[i] but every once in a while this statistic is reconsidered as incredible discoveries are revealed within and outside of archives. One such finding – which...
March 1, 2024
AFI Catalog Spotlight: “Behind the Veil” Research on Short Films and Diversity in Early Hollywood
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are shining a spotlight on the work being done by the AFI Catalog researchers for “Behind the Veil,” AFI’s landmark initiative to study thousands of short films released in the silent and early sound eras and chronicle the groundbreaking work of female and BIPOC pioneers who were working...
February 1, 2024
BIRTHRIGHT (1924) – AFI Catalog Spotlight
In celebration of Black History Month, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on pioneer African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and his 10th directorial effort, BIRTHRIGHT (1924), which was released 100 years ago last month and was remade by Micheaux in 1938 as a talkie. While the 1924 film is believed to be lost, the surviving...
January 3, 2024
Katy Jurado – AFI Catalog Spotlight
This January, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on Mexican actress Katy Jurado, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday this month. Her second American film, HIGH NOON (1952), received vast critical acclaim and remains today on seven of AFI’s Lists, including the 100 greatest movies of all time, as well as making her the...
December 1, 2023
REGENERATION – 100th Anniversary – AFI Catalog Spotlight
This December, the AFI Catalog looks back 100 years to spotlight the centennial release anniversary of REGENERATION (1923), a landmark film notable for featuring an entirely Black cast and for catching the attention of both Black and white audiences alike. Billed as a "romance in the south seas,” REGENERATION titillated viewers as much as it...
November 1, 2023
Dorothy Dandridge – AFI CATALOG SPOTLIGHT
This November, the AFI Catalog shines a spotlight on actress, singer and dancer Dorothy Dandridge, who would have turned 101 this month. Starring in the seminal musical with an all-Black cast, CARMEN JONES (1954), Dandridge became the first African American performer to be nominated for a leading role with a Best Actress Oscar® nomination, and...
October 1, 2023
MEAN STREETS 50TH Anniversary – AFI Catalog Spotlight
This October, the AFI Catalog celebrates the 50th anniversary of MEAN STREETS, which marked the first pairing of AFI Life Achievement Award recipients Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in a breakthrough film that catapulted both careers and set a precedent for American independent filmmaking. Also featuring Harvey Keitel in one of his early starring...
AFI is a 501c3 non-profit advancing the art of the moving image by empowering storytellers and inspiring audiences
