American Film Institute
Encyclopedia
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization
created by the National Endowment for the Arts
, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson
signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act. The organization describes itself as "a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media
."
The AFI Conservatory
focuses on training through hands-on experience with established artists. In July 2011, the AFI Conservatory was voted the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. With this inaugural list and ranking of worldwide film schools, The Hollywood Reporter
stated the Conservatory is “among the most selective film schools in America,” with its Fellows benefiting from “speakers and teachers drawn from the highest levels of the industry, supported by the full weight of AFI itself...AFI's glittering parade of alumni, from David Lynch to Darren Aronofsky, remains unrivaled when it comes to auteur filmmakers...If you know where you're going, AFI can get you there.”
The American Film Institute operated the National Film Theatre in Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center
until 1998. Prior to Kennedy Center, it screened films in the auditorium of the National Gallery of Art
. In April 2003, AFI re-opened the 1938 AFI Silver
theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland
just north of Washington.
, the Motion Picture Association of America
and the Ford Foundation
. The original 22-member Board of Trustees included Chair Gregory Peck
and Vice Chair Sidney Poitier
as well as Francis Ford Coppola
, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
, Jack Valenti
and other representatives from the arts and academia.
George Stevens, Jr.
, served as director from the institute's founding until 1980. He was followed by Jean Picker Firstenberg
who held the position of President and CEO from 1980 to 2007. Bob Gazzale was named President and CEO in 2007. As a national nonprofit organization, the institute funds its efforts through foundation and government grants, contributions and sponsorships from large corporations and small companies, donations from individuals and its AFI membership program.
In 1969, the institute established the Center for Advanced Film Studies at Greystone, the Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. The first class included filmmakers Terrence Malick
, David Lynch
, Caleb Deschanel
and Paul Schrader
. That program grew into the AFI Conservatory
, a fully accredited graduate film school, located in the hills above Hollywood, CA. In addition to the Conservatory, AFI has a tuition-free program called the AFI Directing Workshop for Women that operates each spring and summer from the Los Angeles campus.
, Jon Avnet
, Keith D. Black
, Wally Pfister, Stuart Cornfeld
, Bill Duke
, Edward James Olmos
, Carl Colpaert
, Rodrigo García, Anne Garefino, Steve Golin
, Patrick Creadon
, Amy Heckerling
, Marshall Herskovitz
, Janusz Kamiński
, Matthew Libatique
, Mimi Leder
, David Lynch
, Terrence Malick
, John McTiernan
, Paul Schrader
, Frank Spotnitz
, Mark Waters, Gary Winick
, Edward Zwick
, and Susannah Grant
.
was voted the greatest American film twice.
documentary festival in Silver Spring, MD. AFI FEST is the only film festival in the US to hold FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) accreditation.
in Los Angeles, CA. Programming at the AFI Silver Theatre consists of an eclectic mix of retrospectives, festivals and first-run features as well as community events and educational activities.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
created by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act. The organization describes itself as "a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
."
The AFI Conservatory
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
focuses on training through hands-on experience with established artists. In July 2011, the AFI Conservatory was voted the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. With this inaugural list and ranking of worldwide film schools, The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
stated the Conservatory is “among the most selective film schools in America,” with its Fellows benefiting from “speakers and teachers drawn from the highest levels of the industry, supported by the full weight of AFI itself...AFI's glittering parade of alumni, from David Lynch to Darren Aronofsky, remains unrivaled when it comes to auteur filmmakers...If you know where you're going, AFI can get you there.”
The American Film Institute operated the National Film Theatre in Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
until 1998. Prior to Kennedy Center, it screened films in the auditorium of the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
. In April 2003, AFI re-opened the 1938 AFI Silver
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
just north of Washington.
History
The American Film Institute was founded in 1967 as a national arts organization to preserve the legacy of America’s film heritage, educate the next generation of filmmakers and honor the artists and their work. The National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities recommended creating AFI “to enrich and nurture the art of film in America” with initial funding from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. The original 22-member Board of Trustees included Chair Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
and Vice Chair Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
as well as Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr. was an American historian and social critic whose work explored the American liberalism of political leaders including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Schlesinger served as special assistant and "court historian"...
, Jack Valenti
Jack Valenti
Jack Joseph Valenti was a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. During his 38-year tenure in the MPAA, he created the MPAA film rating system, and he was generally regarded as one of the most influential pro-copyright lobbyists in the world...
and other representatives from the arts and academia.
George Stevens, Jr.
George Stevens, Jr.
George Cooper Stevens, Jr. is an American award-winning film and television writer, director, producer, and founder of the American Film Institute...
, served as director from the institute's founding until 1980. He was followed by Jean Picker Firstenberg
Jean Picker Firstenberg
Jean Picker Firstenberg has been the CEO and Director of the American Film Institute since 1980 till her retirement in 2007. After studying at Mount Holyoke College, she attended Boston University, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1958....
who held the position of President and CEO from 1980 to 2007. Bob Gazzale was named President and CEO in 2007. As a national nonprofit organization, the institute funds its efforts through foundation and government grants, contributions and sponsorships from large corporations and small companies, donations from individuals and its AFI membership program.
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory describes itself as a “world-renowned Conservatory where a dedicated group of working professionals from the film and television communities serve as mentors in a hands-on, production-based environment nurturing the talents of tomorrow's storytellers.” In a two-year program that emphasizes narrative storytelling and grants an MFA, Fellows specialize in one of six disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Production Design, Producing and Screenwriting.In 1969, the institute established the Center for Advanced Film Studies at Greystone, the Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. The first class included filmmakers Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films....
, David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, Caleb Deschanel
Caleb Deschanel
Joseph Caleb Deschanel, A.S.C. is an American film cinematographer and film/television director.-Early life:Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a French father and an American mother, who raised him in her Quaker religion. He went to Severn School for high school...
and Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
. That program grew into the AFI Conservatory
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
, a fully accredited graduate film school, located in the hills above Hollywood, CA. In addition to the Conservatory, AFI has a tuition-free program called the AFI Directing Workshop for Women that operates each spring and summer from the Los Angeles campus.
Notable alumni
Several AFI Alums have received both national and international recognition. Among the notable alumni of AFI are: Darren AronofskyDarren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
, Jon Avnet
Jon Avnet
Jonathan Michael "Jon" Avnet is an American director, writer and producer.-Early life:Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive and electronics distributor. He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York...
, Keith D. Black
Keith D. Black
Keith D. Black is a South African-born film screenwriter, best known for co-writing Princess and House of God .-Early life:...
, Wally Pfister, Stuart Cornfeld
Stuart Cornfeld
Stuart Cornfeld is a film producer, business partner with Ben Stiller in the company, Red Hour Productions, and an actor. His hometown is Tarzana, California, and he attended the University of California at Berkeley in the early 1970s...
, Bill Duke
Bill Duke
William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...
, Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
, Carl Colpaert
Carl Colpaert
Carl Colpaert is an American film director and the founder of Cineville, a production and distribution company based in Los Angeles.-Background:...
, Rodrigo García, Anne Garefino, Steve Golin
Steve Golin
Steve Golin is the founder and CEO of Anonymous Content LLP, a multimedia development, production and talent management company and co-founder and former CEO of Propaganda Films.-Propaganda Films:...
, Patrick Creadon
Patrick Creadon
Patrick Creadon is an American documentary filmmaker, best known for the documentary film Wordplay. A profile of New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, Wordplay premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and became the second-highest grossing documentary of that year...
, Amy Heckerling
Amy Heckerling
Amy Heckerling is an American film director, one of the few female directors to have produced multiple box-office hits.-Early life:...
, Marshall Herskovitz
Marshall Herskovitz
Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz is an American film director, writer and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are Traffic, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and I Am Sam. Herskovitz has directed two feature films, Jack the Bear and...
, Janusz Kamiński
Janusz Kaminski
Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński is a Polish cinematographer and film director. He has photographed all of Steven Spielberg's films since 1993's Schindler's List.-Life and career:...
, Matthew Libatique
Matthew Libatique
Matthew Libatique is an American cinematographer best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on such films as π, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan.-Background:...
, Mimi Leder
Mimi Leder
Mimi Leder is an American film director. She was the first female graduate of the AFI Conservatory in 1973.-Movie career:...
, David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films....
, John McTiernan
John McTiernan
John Campbell McTiernan, Jr. is an American film director and producer, best known for his action films and most identifiable with the three films he directed back-to-back: Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October, along with later movies such as Last Action Hero, Die Hard with a...
, Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
, Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
, Mark Waters, Gary Winick
Gary Winick
Gary Winick was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole and 13 Going on 30...
, Edward Zwick
Edward Zwick
Edward M. Zwick is an American filmmaker and film producer noted for his epic films about social and racial issues. He has been described as a "throwback to an earlier era, an extremely cerebral director whose movies consistently feature fully rounded characters, difficult moral issues, and plots...
, and Susannah Grant
Susannah Grant
Susannah Grant is an award-winning American screenwriter and director. She wrote the screenplays for Ever After, Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh, 28 Days and Disney's Pocahontas. For Erin Brockovich she received an Oscar nomination in 2001...
.
AFI Catalog Of Feature Films
The AFI Catalog of Feature Films, started in 1968, is an online database that preserves the history of American film in authoritative, encyclopedic detail. A prime research tool for film historians, the catalog consists of entries on more than 50,000 films, from 1893 to the mid-1970s, documenting casts, crews, synopses and production notes. New catalog entries of the remaining 15,000 American feature films produced between 1974 and present day are incorporated every year.AFI Awards
The annual AFI Awards honors the creative ensembles of the 10 outstanding movies and television shows of the year. Two 13-person juries composed of artists, academics, critics and AFI Trustees deliberate, discuss and determine the honored ensembles, who are then feted at a private event in January. In addition, Ten Moments of Significance, documenting the year’s media milestones, are entered into an ongoing almanac.AFI 100 Years… series
The popular AFI 100 Years… series, which ran from 1998 to 2008, and created jury-selected lists of America’s best movies in categories including Musicals, Laughs and Thrills, drove new generations to experience classic American films. The juries consisted of over 1,500 artists, scholars, critics and historians, with movies selected based on the film’s popularity over time, historical significance and cultural impact. Citizen KaneCitizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
was voted the greatest American film twice.
AFI Film Festivals
AFI operates two film festivals: AFI FEST in Los Angeles, CA, and AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCSSilverdocs
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
documentary festival in Silver Spring, MD. AFI FEST is the only film festival in the US to hold FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) accreditation.
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI screens films regularly at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, and the ArcLight Cinemas and Skirball Cultural CenterSkirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is an educational institution in Los Angeles, California devoted to sustaining Jewish heritage and American democratic ideals. Open to the public since 1996, the Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage...
in Los Angeles, CA. Programming at the AFI Silver Theatre consists of an eclectic mix of retrospectives, festivals and first-run features as well as community events and educational activities.