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AFI Conservatory Guests

Peter Berg Breaks Down American Primeval
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
ADOLESCENCE Co-Creators Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne on Making their Acclaimed TV Drama
Behind the Scenes: Erin Foster on Making NOBODY WANTS THIS
A Conversation with MARIA Cinematographer Ed Lachman
A Conversation with THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG's Mohammad Rasoulof & Setareh Maleki
BOB TREVINO LIKES IT Filmmaker Conversation at AFI
A Conversation with Deniese Davis & Monique Dias on ONE OF THEM DAYS
EMILIA PÉREZ Director/Writer/Producer Jacques Audiard on David Lynch
Jesse Eisenberg Discusses His Film A REAL PAIN
A Conversation with Azazel Jacobs on HIS THREE DAUGHTERS
A Conversation with JT Mollner & Giovanni Ribisi on STRANGE DARLING
RaMell Ross on the Friendship of the Characters in NICKEL BOYS
In Conversation with THE SUBSTANCE Filmmaker Coralie Fargeat
Sean Wang on his film DÌDI
Malcolm Washington on his film THE PIANO LESSON
Anna Kendrick Discusses Her Film WOMAN OF THE HOUR
Halfdan Ullmann Tøndell on ARMAND
Shuchi Talati Discusses her Film GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS
Shuchi Talati on GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS Star Preeti Panigrahi
In Conversation with ALIEN: ROMULUS Filmmaker Fede Alvarez
In Conversation with 3 BODY PROBLEM's David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo
In Conversation with THE FIRST OMEN's Arkasha Stevenson
In Conversation with DADDIO Filmmaker Christy Hall
Filmmakers Josh Margolin, Zoë Worth and Chris Kaye Discuss Their New Film THELMA
In Conversation with EXPATS Filmmakers Lulu Wang and Yong Ok Lee
Steven Zaillian on his Netflix Series Ripley
Emma Seligman on BOTTOMS
Trần Anh Hùng Discusses His Film THE TASTE OF THINGS
AFRICAN GIANTS Filmmakers at the AFI Conservatory
MORE VIDEOS
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Film School in Los Angeles CA, Best Film School Hollywood, AFI Conservatory

A Training Ground for Filmmakers

At the AFI Conservatory we believe in filmmaking first. Filmmakers come to AFI because they are guaranteed to make movies, and to master not only the tools, but also the art of storytelling. AFI isn’t like any other graduate film school in Los Angeles or the nation. Think of us like the most prolific content creators in Hollywood. Fellows collectively create up to 175 films a year across six disciplines in the master’s degree program: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.

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Learn from Acclaimed Filmmakers

Led by Hollywood icon James L. Brooks as Artistic Director, AFI Conservatory Faculty and seminar guests are working filmmakers who bring decades of award-winning experience as real-world, professionals and transformative leaders in their field.

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A Bridge to the Film and TV Industry

As a top-ranked film school located in Los Angeles, the AFI Conservatory MFA program is more than an academic experience in the art of moviemaking — it’s about connecting you with influential artists in the field, and with key players in the industry, to get your career off the ground right after graduation. Through a carefully curated series of programs and opportunities that happen year-round right in the middle of Hollywood, you will have the best possible launchpad for success.

Scholarship Opportunities

The AFI Conservatory offers scholarships to help incoming and current AFI Fellows pay for their MFA film school education. Scholarships are based on merit and financial need. Several scholarships are available for Fellows from underrepresented communities, specific nationalities and Conservatory disciplines.

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Alumni Recognition

Last Five Years

After their MFA film school training, AFI Conservatory filmmakers go on to make enormous cultural impact that resonates and endures far beyond the halls of AFI.

Academy Awards®

15
Nominations

4
Wins

Emmy Awards®

87
Nominations
19
Wins

Major Festivals

350
Alumni on
481
Films
AFI DOCS, AFI FEST, Berlin, Cannes, London, New York, Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, Toronto, Tribeca and Venice

Festivals updated as of Jan. 1, 2024

Awards updated as of Mar. 11, 2024

Diversity at a Glance

The AFI Conservatory is committed to nurturing fresh perspectives from diverse voices.

“The AFI experience is transformational. This is a place where ideas of all sorts and all perspectives come to blossom. The relationships and the skills you foster here are the ones that will carry you throughout your entire career.”

–Joyce Liu-Countryman, AFI Producing Class of 2018

Of 277 Year 1 and Year 2 Fellows currently enrolled at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles:

51%are women
40%of the domestic Fellows are filmmakers of color
49%are international

Updated as of Sep. 18, 2024

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The American Film Institute believes in the power of diverse voices to drive culture forward.

We strive to cultivate and sustain an inclusive environment at AFI that actively affirms and is respectful of the identities of all people across genders, abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds and ideological perspectives – and one where self-reflection, honesty and accountability are practiced.

At AFI, we are responsible for the community we build and the stories we tell.

#AFICONSERVATORY

“When thinking about the future, it occasionally pays to be unreasonably bold." Earlier this month, AFI Honorary Degree recipient Walter Murch spoke to the Class of 2025 about inventor William Dixon, the beginnings of cinema, and the importance of bold ideas. Watch his full AFI Commencement speech at the link in bio. 

#WalterMurch #AFIConservatory #FilmSchool
"You have the power to come home to that one thing that made you want to do this." AFI Honorary Degree recipient @ViolaDavis moved the Class of 2025 — and everyone in the room — with her AFI Commencement speech. Watch the full speech at the link in bio.

#AFIConservatory #ViolaDavis #FilmSchool
🎬 SUNSET BLVD. celebrates its 75th anniversary today! In this #AFIArchive clip, director Billy Wilder offers rare behind-the-scenes insight into the making of his iconic noir, recorded during a seminar at the #AFIConservatory. 

#AFI100 #MovieAnniversary #BillyWilder #SunsetBlvd
🎬 Meet the next generation of storytellers. 🎓✨ Congratulations to the AFI Class of 2025! #AFIConservatory #ClassOf2025 #Filmmakers
AFI alums are striking all the right notes in #TheMusical! 🎬 What began as an #AFIConservatory cycle film is now shooting in Los Angeles, right next door to the AFI Campus, with an incredible team of alumni leading the charge. From script to screen, AFI grads are bringing this bold new feature to life.
 
⭐ @locanilla (AFI Class of 2023), Director
⭐ @originalheller (AFI Class of 2023), Screenwriter/Producer
⭐Jordan Backhus (AFI Class of 2020), Producer
⭐ @findlaybrown7 (AFI Class of 2023), Producer
⭐ @jonathanlevineforrreal (AFI Class of 2004), Executive Producer
⭐ @twodough (AFI Class of 2023), Cinematographer
⭐@al_emcwhorter (AFI Class of 2023), Art Director
⭐ @devindulany (AFI Class of 2023), Editor
🎉 Big congratulations to the AFI Class of 2024 thesis team behind DANDELION, named a finalist for this year's Student Academy Awards. As Academy members begin casting their votes on August 11, we’re wishing the team the very best of luck!
 
🌼 Fiona Obertinca, Director
🌼 Corey Pinchoff, Writer
🌼 Tori Ichikowitz, Producer
🌼 Bruce Wang, Cinematographer
🌼 Ana Visuetti, Production Designer
🌼 Ace Jing Wang, Editor

#StudentAcademyAwards #DandelionFilm #AFIConservatory

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