AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE
PRESENTS
ANNUAL AFI DIRECTING WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN SHOWCASE
FILMS TO SCREEN AT DGA THEATER ON MAY 8 WITH NEEMA BARNETTE AS GUEST SPEAKER
Latest Workshop Participants Also Announced
Los Angeles, CA, May 7, 2012 – The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the details for its annual Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) Showcase, and the participants of its next (2012) workshop cycle. Each year this groundbreaking, highly selective workshop offers eight talented women who have established themselves in film, television and theater a tuition-free training program comprised of classroom learning and hands-on production experience, and the opportunity to direct a narrative short film.
The latest cycle of narrative short films will be screened at the AFI Directing Workshop for Women Showcase 2012, a by-invitation-only event with representatives from the top agencies and major studios as well as artists from in front of and behind the camera. The showcase will be held at the DGA Theater on May 8 at 7:30 p.m., and will feature the works of up-and-coming directors Trisha Gum, Mako Kamitsuna, Bridget Palardy, Jane Pickett, Denise Plumb, Anika Poitier, Kit Pongetti and Wenhwa Ts’ao. Each of these women have had successful careers across the arts – from acting and playwriting to stop-motion animation, film editing and producing – and are linked by their ability to lead.
Director Neema Barnette (WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED: ON THE 7TH DAY) will introduce the evening. Now an established, award-winning director herself, Barnette’s association with the American Film Institute dates to when she was a participant in the AFI Directing Workshop for Women in 1982. Known for her work in film, television and theater, Barnette has directed three features, 11 network movies and 30 hours of series television, receiving many accolades, including an Emmy Award and a DGA nomination, and was the first African-American woman to direct a television sitcom (WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW!).
Launched in 1974, over 250 women have been trained through this prestigious American Film Institute program. Notable alumnae include Tricia Brock (30 RO CK, BREAKING BAD, GREY’S ANATO MY), Jennifer Getzinger (MAD MEN, THE KILLING), Lesli Linka Glatter (MAD MEN, HOUSE, THE CLOSER), Randa Haines (CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD, DANCE WITH ME) and Maya Angelou (DOWN IN THE DELTA), to name a few. Six AFI DWW alumnae were recently selected for the 31-participant 2012-2014 ABC-DGA Directing Program, which affords participants the opportunity to shadow veteran episodic directors and develop relationships with Disney-ABC Television Group network and studio executives: Velvet Andrews-Smith (Class of 2010), Amy French (Class of 2010), Lily Mariye (Class of 1999), Kimberly McCullough (Class of 2010), Casey Stangl (Class of 2007) and Jude Weng (Class of 1998). Karamuu Kush, a 2010 graduate of the AFI Conservatory’s two-year Master of Fine Arts program, was also selected for the ABC-DGA Directing Program.
The 2012 AFI DWW cycle officially kicked off today, starting with three weeks of classroom training. Emerging female directors selected for the 2012 AFI workshop are Shaz Bennett, Catherine Dent, Antoneta Kastrati, Lauren Ludwig, Stephanie Martin, Juliana Pernaranda-Loftus, Lisanne Sartor and Sarah Shapiro.
The AFI Directing Workshop for Women is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the American Film Institute, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Levi’s® , The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Sony Corporation of America and individual donors.
For more information about the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, the May 8 showcase and the women selected for the program, go to AFI.com/dww.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.
AFI preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage for future generations through the AFI Archive, comprised of rare footage from across the history of the moving image and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an authoritative record of American films from 1893 to the present.
AFI honors the artists and their work through a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI Awards. Celebrating its 40th year in 2012, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film while AFI Awards, the Institute’s almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers. And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI offers film enthusiasts a variety of events throughout the year, including AFI Fest presented by Audi, the Institute’s annual celebration of excellence in global cinema; AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., celebrating its 10th edition this year; and year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre in the Washington, DC area.
AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, named the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter for the quality of its instructors and speakers, and its “glittering parade of alumni.” AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling.
For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/ AFI.
