American Film Institute

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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 Arts, 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., was the founding director. Jean Picker Firstenberg was 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 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, 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.

Notable alumni

Several AFI Alums have received both national and international recognition. Among the notable alumni of AFI are: Darren Aronofsky, Jon Avnet, Keith D. Black, Stuart Cornfeld, Bill Duke, Edward James Olmos, Todd Field, Rodrigo Garcia, Anne Garefino, Steve Golin, Amy Heckerling, Marshall Herskovitz, Janusz Kamiński, Mimi Leder, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, John McTiernan,

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