February 1, 2023
Spotlight on the AFI Filmmakers Behind WE WERE MEANT TO
This month, we spoke to the AFI Alumni behind the short film WE WERE MEANT TO, the first AFI Thesis film to be named an official selection at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in 12 years. A coming-of-age story set in a world where Black men have wings, the film serves as a searing allegory...
April 1, 2022
Spotlight on Writer/Director Chloe Okuno
Upon graduating from UC Berkeley, writer/director Chloe Okuno (AFI Class of 2014) turned her attention to filmmaking, applying to the AFI Conservatory’s Directing program to help train and prepare her for the road ahead. While at AFI, she thrived, making the award-winning horror film SLUT and receiving the prestigious Franklin J. Shaffner Fellow Award. Inspired...
February 1, 2022
AFI Spotlight Interview with the Sundance Filmmakers Behind HALLELUJAH
The 38th annual Sundance Film Festival came to a close this past weekend, finishing its 10-day run of celebrating independent film and emerging and established artists. This year’s impressive lineup comprised 33 works by 41 AFI Alumni, including HALLELUJAH, the brainchild of writer/director Victor Gabriel (AFI Class of 2020, Screenwriting) which he made alongside fellow...
February 1, 2022
2022 Sundance Film Festival Reveals Award-winning AFI Projects
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival officially concluded Sunday, January 30. Despite pivoting to an online festival in light of the Omicron variant, the festival was marked by a new wave of innovative narrative and documentary storytelling, including cutting-edge debuts which tackled a variety of diverse and timely subjects such as political dissent (NAVALNY), racial bias...
December 15, 2021
Congratulations to the AFI Alumni with Films at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival
The 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which will take place January 20-30, 2022, announced its full lineup this week with both in-person screenings and virtual presentations. This year's program features premieres by talented artists including Eva Longoria Bastón, Phyllis Nagy, Tig Notaro and W. Kamau Bell. Congratulations to the following AFI alumni whose work was selected...
March 2, 2021
Catching up with MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY Cinematographer Lauren Guiteras (AFI Class of 2017)
MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY, shot by cinematographer and AFI alum Lauren Guiteras (AFI Class of 2017), is a transportive, cross-cultural love story set in the south of France, which follows the polyamorous relationship of Lane (Hannah Pepper), Bertie (Idella Johnson) and Fred (Lucien Guignard). Following its premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, MA BELLE,…
February 12, 2021
AFI Alumni Siân Heder and Paula Huidobro on their Sundance Award-Winning Film CODA
Sparking a bidding war at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and selling to Apple for a record-breaking $25 million, CODA chronicles the coming of age of teenager Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) – the only hearing individual in her working-class family. While the livelihood of her fishermen parents (Oscar® winner Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur) and…
December 16, 2020
Congratulations to AFI Alums Screening at Sundance 2021
Sundance Film Festival announced their 2021 lineup and we’re proud of the many alumni who will be representing the AFI Conservatory! Here is the full list of the 17 alumni and their 11 projects that will be screening at Sundance 2021: AT THE READY Steve Golin (AFI Class of 1981) – Executive Producer …
September 9, 2020
AFI Movie Club: FRUITVALE STATION
In FRUITVALE STATION, cinematographer and AFI alum Rachel Morrison collaborated with director Ryan Coogler for the first time – later reteaming with him on BLACK PANTHER. An AFI AWARD winner, FRUITVALE STATION was recognized by AFI as one of the 10 outstanding films of 2013 – deeming it culturally and artistically representative of the year’s…
February 4, 2020
PALM SPRINGS Director and Writer Talk Inspiration, Collaboration and Meeting at the AFI Conservatory
AFI alumni Max Barbakow (Directing, Class of 2015) and Andy Siara (Screenwriting, Class of 2015) just sold their debut feature film, PALM SPRINGS, breaking the record for the biggest sale ever at Sundance – by 69 cents. PALM SPRINGS stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as two wedding guests stuck in an endless time loop….
February 4, 2020
Production Designer Yong Ok Lee on her Sundance films MINARI and THE FAREWELL
Following her work on the critically-acclaimed THE FAREWELL – a 2019 AFI AWARDS recipient, AFI alum Yong Ok Lee (Production Design, Class of 2013) returned to Sundance for the second year in a row with MINARI – which won the U.S. dramatic grand jury prize and the dramatic audience award at this year’s festival. The film, inspired by director…
January 30, 2020
AFI Member Spotlight: Elika Portnoy on Producing and Premiering NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS at Sundance
Producer and AFI National Council member Elika Portnoy’s critically acclaimed new film NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS follows a teenage girl and her best friend’s perilous journey from their native Pennsylvania to New York City to obtain an abortion. Directed by indie auteur Eliza Hittman, the film recently premiered at Sundance and is set to be…
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