The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American
film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a work of visual art
The visual arts are art forms such as painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint
Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, ...

organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the
motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Leadership
The institute is composed of leaders from the film, entertainment, business, and academic communities. The board of trustees is chaired by
Kathleen Kennedy and the board of directors chaired by
Robert A. Daly
Robert Anthony Daly (born December 8, 1936) is an American business executive who has led organizations such as CBS
CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) is an American commercial broadcast television
Television (TV), sometimes shorten ...
guide the organization, which is led by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
A president is a leader of an organization, company, community, club, trade union, university or other group. The relationship between a president and a Chief Executive Officer, chi ...
and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer, or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of Corporate Executive, corporate executives in charge of managing an organization especially an independent Legal person, legal entity ...

,
film historian
Although the advent of film as an artistic medium is not clearly defined, the commercial, public screening of ten of Auguste and Louis Lumière, Lumière brothers' short films in Paris on 28 December 1895 can be regarded as the breakthrough of ...
Bob Gazzale
Bob Gazzale is an American film historian and television producer. He became the American Film Institute's third president and CEO in November 2007.
Gazzale is from California. He graduated from the University of Virginia, where he helped to l ...
. Prior leaders were founding director
George Stevens, Jr.
George Cooper Stevens Jr. (born April 3, 1932) is an American writer, author, playwright, director and producer. He is the founder of the American Film Institute, creator of the AFI Life Achievement Award and instigator/producer of the Kennedy ...
(from the organization's inception in 1967 until 1980) and
Jean Picker Firstenberg
Jean Picker Firstenberg is an American who served as the President and CEO of the American Film Institute from 1980 through 2007. She was the Institute's second CEO and the only female to have held that title. At the time of her appointment, she w ...
(from 1980 to 2007).
History
The American Film Institute was founded by a 1965 presidential mandate announced in the
Rose Garden
A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species
There is significant disagreement over the number of true rose
A rose is a woody ...

of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...

by
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the ...

—to establish a national arts organization to preserve the legacy of
American film
The cinema of the United States, often called Hollywood, has had a large effect on the film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
Filmmaking (film p ...
heritage, educate the next generation of filmmakers, and honor the artists and their work. Two years later, in 1967, AFI was established, supported by the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United ...
, the
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by business ...
and the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
.
The original 22-member
Board of Trustees
A board of directors is a group of people who jointly supervise the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organization, or a government agency.
The powers, du ...

included actor
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s. In 1999, the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film
...

as chairman and actor
Sidney Poitier
Sidney L. Poitier (; born February 20, 1927) is a Bahamian-American retired actor, film director, activist, and ambassador. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the ...

as vice-chairman, as well as director
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment ...

, film historian
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., lobbyist
Jack Valenti
Jack Joseph Valenti (September 5, 1921 – April 26, 2007) was an American political advisor and lobbyist who served as a Special Assistant to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was also the longtime president of the Motion Picture Association o ...
, and other representatives from the arts and academia.
The institute established a training program for filmmakers known then as the Center for Advanced Film Studies. Also created in the early years were a repertory film exhibition program at the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Po ...
and the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving ...
— a scholarly source for American film history. The institute moved to its current eight-acre
Hollywood
Hollywood is a neighborhood
A neighbourhood (British English
British English (BrE) is the standard dialect of the English language
English is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language first spoken in History of An ...

campus in 1981. The film training program grew into the
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private
"In Private" was the third single in a row to be a charting success for United Kingdom, British singer Dusty Springfield, after an absence of nearly two ...
, an accredited graduate school.
AFI moved its presentation of first-run and
auteur films
An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist, usually a film director, who applies a highly centralized and subjective control to many aspects of a collaborative creative work; in other words, a person equivalent to an author of a novel or a play. The te ...
from the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Pot ...
to the historic
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, which hosts the AFI DOCS film festival, making AFI the largest nonprofit film exhibitor in the world. AFI educates audiences and recognizes artistic excellence through its awards programs and
10 Top 10 Lists.
In 2017, then-aspiring filmmaker Ilana Bar-Din Giannini claimed that the AFI expelled her after she accused Dezso Magyar of
sexually harassing
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
her in the early 1980s.
List of programs in brief
AFI educational and cultural programs include:
* AFI Awards – an honor celebrating the creative ensembles of the most outstanding motion picture and television programs of the year
*
AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving ...
and AFI Archive – the
written history of all feature films during the first 100 years of the art form – accessible free online
*
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private
"In Private" was the third single in a row to be a charting success for United Kingdom, British singer Dusty Springfield, after an absence of nearly two ...
– a film school led by master filmmakers in a graduate-level program
* AFI
Directing Workshop for Women – a production-based training program committed to increasing the number of women working professionally in screen directing
*
AFI Life Achievement Award
The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a work of ...
– a tradition since 1973, a high honor for a career in film
*
AFI 100 Years... series – television events and movie reference lists
* AFI's two film festivals – AFI Fest in Los Angeles and
AFI Docs
The AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs) documentary film festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk within the National Mall
The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped ...
and
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in ea ...
*
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center – a historic theater with year-round art house, first-run and classic film programming in Silver Spring, Maryland
* ''
American Film
The cinema of the United States, often called Hollywood, has had a large effect on the film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
Filmmaking (film p ...
'' – a magazine that explores the art of new and historic film classics, now a blog on AFI.com
AFI Conservatory
In 1969, the institute established the
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private
"In Private" was the third single in a row to be a charting success for United Kingdom, British singer Dusty Springfield, after an absence of nearly two ...
for Advanced Film Studies at
Greystone, the Doheny Mansion in
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous coun ...

,
California
California is a state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* The State (newspaper), ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper i ...

. The first class included filmmakers
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood film-making wave with the films ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' (1973), about a murde ...

,
Caleb Deschanel
Image:CalebDeschanelSpiderwickChronicles.jpg, Deschanel on the set of ''The Spiderwick Chronicles (film), The Spiderwick Chronicles'', April 2007
Joseph Caleb Deschanel, (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of fil ...
, and
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He wrote or co-wrote screenplays for four Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese (, ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film a ...

. That program grew into the
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private
"In Private" was the third single in a row to be a charting success for United Kingdom, British singer Dusty Springfield, after an absence of nearly two ...
, an accredited graduate
film school
A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are ...
located in the hills above Hollywood, California, providing training in six filmmaking disciplines:
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek
Modern Greek (, , or , ''Kiní Neoellinikí Glóssa''), generally referred to by speakers simply as Gre ...

,
directing,
editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, photographic, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. T ...
,
,
production design, and
screenwriting
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system
A writing system is a method of visually representing verbal communication
Communicatio ...
. Mirroring a professional production environment, Fellows collaborate to make more films than any other graduate level program. Admission to AFI Conservatory is highly selective, with a maximum of 140 graduates per year.
In 2013,
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the television industry. It is considered one of the four major entertainment awards in the United States, the others being the Grammy
The Grammy Award (stylized ...

and
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name)
Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of Irish origin.
Etymology
The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, ''os'', means "deer"; the second element, ' ...

-winning director, producer, and screenwriter
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films
Gracie Films is an American film and television production company created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company is prima ...
(''
As Good as It Gets
''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic and Obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive novelist, ...
'', ''
Broadcast News'', ''
Terms of Endearment
''Terms of Endearment'' is a 1983 American family
In human society, family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of fam ...

'') joined as the artistic director of the AFI Conservatory where he provides leadership for the film program. Brooks' artistic role at the AFI Conservatory has a rich legacy that includes
Daniel Petrie, Jr.,
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director and Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture for h ...
, and
. Award-winning director Bob Mandel served as
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Title
...
of the AFI Conservatory for nine years. Jan Schuette took over as dean in 2014 and served until 2017. Film producer
Richard Gladstein
Richard N. Gladstein (born June 4, 1961) is a two-time Academy Award nominated film producer. His production company is FilmColony. He served as the Dean of the American Film Institute Conservatory from 2017–2018.
Biography
Gladstein was born to ...
was dean from 2017 until 2019, when Susan Ruskin was appointed.
Notable alumni
AFI Conservatory's alumni have careers in film, television and on the web. They have been recognized with all of the major industry awards—Academy Award, Emmy Award,
guild
A guild is an association of artisan
Wood carver in Bali
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functiona ...
awards, and the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is the generally preferred spelling in the United Sta ...
.
Among the alumni of AFI are
Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold, Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 5 April 1961) is an English people, English filmmaker and former actor. She won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Academy Award for her short film ''Wasp (2003 film), Wasp'' ...
, (''
Red Road'', ''
Fish Tank
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amp ...
''),
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealism
Surrealism was a that developed in Europe in the aftermath of in which artists depicted unnerving, ...

(''
Requiem for a Dream
''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama
In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization
Characterization or characterisation is the repres ...
'', ''
Black Swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign co ...
''),
Carl Colpaert
Carl-Jan Colpaert is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Early life
Carl-Jan Colpaert was born in Kortrijk, West-Flanders, Belgium to father Roger Colpaert, who was a member of the executive committee at Bekaert and his mother ...
(''
Gas Food Lodging
''Gas Food Lodging'' is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by Allison Anders
Allison Anders (born November 16, 1954) is an American independent film director whose films include '' Gas Food Lodging'', ''Mi Vida Loca'' and ''Grace ...
'', ''
Hurlyburly
''Hurlyburly'' is a dark comedy play by David Rabe
David William Rabe (born March 10, 1940) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 ('' Sticks and Bones'') and also received Tony award nominati ...
'', ''
Swimming with Sharks
''Swimming with Sharks'' (also known as ''The Boss'' and ''Buddy Factor'') is a 1994 American dark comedy, dark psychological drama film written and directed by George Huang (director), George Huang and starring Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Mich ...
''),
Doug Ellin
Douglas Reed Ellin (born April 6, 1968) is an American screenwriter and film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a work of visual art used to simulate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, ...
(''
Entourage''),
Todd Field
William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He directed ''In the Bedroom
''In the Bedroom'' is a 2001 American independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist g ...
(''
In the Bedroom
''In the Bedroom'' is a 2001 American independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the ...
'', ''
Little Children''),
Jack Fisk
Jack Fisk (born December 19, 1945) is an American production designer and director.
As a production designer, he is known for his collaborations with Terrence Malick, designing all of his first eight films including ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' ...
(''
Badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively Erosion, eroded by wind and water."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes Ltd, George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. ...
'', ''
Days of Heaven
''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American Romance film, romantic historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams (actress), Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it ...
'', ''
There Will Be Blood
''There Will Be Blood'' is a 2007 American epic
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC ...
''),
Carl Franklin
Carl Franklin (born April 11, 1949) is an American actor
An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance (also actress; #The term actress, see below). The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre o ...
(''
One False Move
''One False Move'' is a 1992 American crime thriller film directed by Carl Franklin and co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. The film stars Thornton alongside Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams. The low-budget production was about to be released stra ...
'', ''
Devil in a Blue Dress'', ''
House of Cards
A house of cards (also known as a card tower, card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an Expression (language), expression that dates back to 16 ...
''),
Patty Jenkins
Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed the feature films ''Monster (2003 film), Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman (2017 film), Wonder Woman'' (2017), and ''Wonder Woman ...
(''
Monster
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
**Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
*Horr ...
'', ''
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a fictional
Fiction is any creative workA creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. It is one ...
''),
Janusz Kamiński
Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television, who started his career in the United States. He rose to fame in the 1990s with his work on '' Schindler's List'' (1993). He has est ...

(''
Lincoln'', ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American historical drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includ ...
'', ''
Saving Private Ryan
''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as W ...
''),
Matthew Libatique
Matthew Libatíque (born July 19, 1968) is an American cinematographer who is known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on the films '' Pi'' (1998), ''Requiem for a Dream
''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama, ...
(''
Noah
In the traditions of Abrahamic religions, Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' ()
features as the tenth and last of the Antediluvian , pre-Flood Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs. His story appears in the ...
'', ''Black Swan''),
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician, and writer. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previo ...

(''
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California
Southern California (popularly known as SoCal; es, Sur de California) is a geographi ...
'', ''
Blue VelvetBlue Velvet may refer to:
* Blue Velvet (film), ''Blue Velvet'' (film), a 1986 film by David Lynch
** Blue Velvet (soundtrack), ''Blue Velvet'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti for the 1986 film
* Blue Velvet (song), "Blue Velvet" (s ...
''),
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood film-making wave with the films ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' (1973), about a murde ...

(''
Days of Heaven
''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American Romance film, romantic historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams (actress), Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it ...
'', ''
The Thin Red Line'', ''
The Tree of Life
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the mo ...
''),
Victor Nuñez
Victor Nunez (born 1945) is a film director, professor at the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts, and a founding member of the Independent Fea ...
, (''
Ruby in Paradise
''Ruby in Paradise'' is a 1993 film written, directed, and edited by Victor Nunez, and starring Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress and political activist. She grew up in a family of perf ...
'', ''
Ulee's Gold''),
Wally Pfister
Walter C. Pfister (born July 8, 1961) is an American director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* Director (magazine), ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* The Director (novel), ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ...
(''
Memento'', ''
The Dark Knight'', ''
Inception
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist or protagonists are thrust into a series of events that typically include Violence, violence, extended fighting, physical feats, rescues ...
''),
Robert Richardson (''
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit
Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed force
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for ...
'', ''
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is th ...
'', ''
Django Unchained
''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American Revisionist Western
The Revisionist Western, Anti-Western or Post-Western is a subgenre
Genre () is any form or type of communication
Communication (from Latin ''communicare'', meaning "to sh ...
''),
Ari Aster
Ari Aster (born July 15, 1986) is an American film director and screenwriter known for ''Hereditary
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of Phenotypic trait, traits from parents to their offspring; e ...
(''
Hereditary
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits
Trait may refer to:
* Phenotypic trait in biology, which involve genes and characteristics of organisms
* Trait (computer programming), a model for st ...
'', ''
Midsommar''), and many others.
AFI programs
AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The AFI Catalog, started in 1968, is a web-based filmographic database. A research tool for film historians, the catalog consists of entries on more than 60,000 feature films and 17,000 short films produced from 1893–2011, as well as AFI Awards Outstanding Movies of the Year from 2000 through 2010. Early print copies of this catalog may also be found at local libraries.
AFI Life Achievement Award
AFI Awards
Created in 2000, the AFI Awards honor the ten outstanding films ("Movies of the Year") and ten outstanding television programs ("TV Programs of the Year"). The awards are a non-competitive acknowledgment of excellence.
The awards are announced in December, and a private luncheon for award honorees takes place the following January.
AFI Maya Deren Award
AFI 100 Years... series
The
AFI 100 Years... series, which ran from 1998 to 2008 and created jury-selected lists of America's best movies in categories such as Musicals, Laughs and Thrills, prompted new generations to experience classic American films. The juries consisted of over 1,500 artists, scholars, critics, and historians. ''
Citizen Kane
''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film
In film
A film, also called a movie, motion picture or moving picture, is a work of visual art
The visual arts are art forms such as painting
Painting is the practice o ...
'' was voted the greatest American film twice.
AFI film festivals
AFI operates two film festivals: AFI Fest in Los Angeles, and AFI Docs (formally known as Silverdocs) in
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in ea ...
, and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk within the National Mall
The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped ...
AFI Fest
AFI Fest is the American Film Institute's annual celebration of artistic excellence. It is a showcase for the best festival films of the year and an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. It is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...
recognizes AFI Fest as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the annual
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., ...

.
The festival has paid tribute to numerous influential filmmakers and artists over the years, including
Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda (; born Arlette Varda, 30 May 1928 – 29 March 2019) was a Belgian-born French film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist. Her pioneering work was central to the development of the widely influential French New Wave
...
,
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer, and former actor. His films are marked by his employment of certain actors including Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz and creative ...

and
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician, and writer. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previo ...

as guest artistic directors, and has screened scores of films that have produced Oscar nominations and wins.
AFI Docs
Held annually in June,
AFI Docs
The AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs) documentary film festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census ...
(formerly Silverdocs) is a
festival in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk within the National Mall
The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped ...
The festival attracts over 27,000 documentary enthusiasts.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
The
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a moving image exhibition, education and cultural center located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Anchored by the restoration of noted architect John Eberson's historic 1938 Silver Theatre, it features 32,000 square feet of new construction housing two stadium theatres, office and meeting space, and reception and exhibit areas.
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center presents film and video programming, augmented by filmmaker interviews, panels, discussions, and musical performances.
The AFI Directing Workshop for Women
The
Directing Workshop for Women is a training program committed to educating and mentoring participants in an effort to increase the number of women working professionally in screen directing. In this tuition-free program, each participant is required to complete a short film by the end of the year-long program.
Alumnae of the program include
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist
Civil and political rights are a class of rights
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, eth ...
,
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress, director, screenwriter and singer. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award
The Ac ...

,
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. She was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Early life
Cannon was born Samille Diane Friesen in Tacoma, Washington ...
,
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award
The Academy Awards, popularly ...
,
Jennifer Getzinger, Lesli Linka Glatter, Lily Tomlin, Susan Oliver and Nancy Malone.
AFI Directors Series
AFI released a set of hour-long programs reviewing the career of acclaimed directors. The Directors Series content was copyrighted in 1997 by Media Entertainment Inc and The American Film Institute, and the VHS and DVDs were released between 1999 and 2001 on Winstar TV and Video.
Directors featured included:
* John McTiernan (WHE73067)
* Ron Howard (WHE73068)
* Sydney Pollack (WHE73071)
* Norman Jewison (WHE73076)
* Lawrence Kasdan (WHE73088)
* Terry Gilliam (WHE73089)
* Spike Lee (WHE73090)
* Barry Levinson (WHE73093)
* Miloš Forman (WHE73094)
* Martin Scorsese (WHE73098)
* Barbra Streisand (WHE73099)
* David Cronenberg (WHE73101)
* Robert Zemeckis (WHE73131)
* Robert Altman
* John Frankenheimer
* Adrian Lyne
* Garry Marshall
* William Friedkin
* Clint Eastwood
* David Zucker (filmmaker), David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (film director), Jerry Zucker
* Roger Corman
* Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann
* James Cameron
* Rob Reiner
* Joel Schumacher
* Steven Spielberg
* Wes Craven
See also
* British Film Institute, the British equivalent to AFI
References
External links
*
*
AFI Los Angeles Film Festival - history and information
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American Film Institute,
Arts organizations based in California
Cinema of Southern California
Hollywood history and culture
Los Feliz, Los Angeles
Organizations based in Los Angeles
1967 establishments in California
Organizations established in 1967