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...
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…
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…
February 2, 2021
AFI Member Spotlight: Pete Costello
This month, the American Film Institute is highlighting Five-Star AFI member Pete Costello, who’s been a member since 2013 and has supported AFI through the Costello Educational Foundation. Costello lives in Orlando and has worked in the Transportation sector for over 20 years. AFI spoke with Pete about how he became invested in AFI’s mission,…
November 9, 2020
How Attending AFI FEST Inspired Spencer Douglas to Become an AFI Member
This month’s member spotlight is Spencer Douglas from Los Angeles! When Spencer moved to LA, he discovered AFI FEST presented by Audi, a world-class festival that opened his eyes to the best in contemporary and classic filmmaking from across the globe. After attending his very first FEST in 2009, he decided to become an AFI…
May 7, 2020
5 Questions with AFI Member Margie Selke
Growing up with a mother who loved to dance and a father who was like a modern Lumiere brother making short films, Margie Selkie was hooked on the performing arts by age 11, writing, acting and directing in her own “productions” in the family’s garage – and her passion for drama has never waned. Margie…
April 2, 2020
Five Questions with AFI Member Shelley Cranley
Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you live and what do you do? Shelley: I grew up in Nevada, primarily Tonopah, Silver Peak, and Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world! I had a wonderful childhood spent exploring and walking the hills and staking out mining claims with my father, and taking in…
October 21, 2019
From the Big Top to the Rooftop: AFI Member Gerry Cottle Talks Growing up in the Circus and Founding Rooftop Cinema Club
Performing and entertaining is undoubtedly in Gerry Cottle Jr.’s blood. He is the son of not one, but two circus performers. His father ran away from home at 15 to join the circus where he eventually married Betty Fossett, the daughter of another circus showman. He grew up in the circus, but rather than get…
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