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AFI Conservatory Guests

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Todd Field on Making his film TÁR
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin on Making ELVIS
Director Joseph Kosinski on Making TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Gina Prince-Bythewood on THE WOMAN KING
Ruben Östlund on Making the Vomiting Scene in TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Lena Dunham on CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY
Guillermo del Toro on NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Ron Howard on THIRTEEN LIVES
S. S. Rajamouli on RRR
John Patton Ford on Making EMILY THE CRIMINAL
Matt Reeves on THE BATMAN
Denis Villeneuve on DUNE
Siân Heder on CODA
Chloe Okuno and Michael Block on WATCHER
Kogonada on AFTER YANG
Gus Van Sant on MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO
Kenneth Branagh & Haris Zambarloukos on BELFAST
Writer/director Nicholas Stoller on BROS.
Phyllis Nagy on CALL JANE
Reginald Hudlin on SIDNEY
In Conversation: JD Dillard on DEVOTION
In Conversation: Lukas Dhont on Making CLOSE
Martin McDonagh on Making THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Elegance Bratton on Making THE INSPECTION
Colm Bairéad on Making THE QUIET GIRL
MORE VIDEOS
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Film School in Los Angeles CA, Best Film School Hollywood, AFI Conservatory

A Training Ground for Trailblazers

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 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: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.

LEARN MORE

Work with the Masters in Los Angeles

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

WATCH SEMINARS

A Bridge to the Industry

As a top-ranked film school located in Los Angeles, the AFI Conservatory 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

AFI offers scholarships to help incoming and current Fellows pay for their 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 film school training, AFI filmmakers go on to make enormous cultural impact that resonates and endures far beyond the halls of the Conservatory.

Academy Awards®

13
Nominations

4
Wins

Emmy Awards®

96
Nominations
15
Wins

Major Festivals

670
Alumni on
414
Films
AFI DOCS, AFI FEST, Berlin, Cannes, London, New York, Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, Toronto, Tribeca and Venice

Festivals updated as of Mar. 28, 2022

Awards updated as of Mar. 17, 2023

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

60%are women
51%of the domestic Fellows are filmmakers of color
44%are international

Updated as of Feb. 9, 2023

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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

Representation matters! We are very excited to see that recent AFI alum @malikeverdirect (AFI Class of 2022) has been selected for this important program amplifying the voices of trans storytellers of color. #aficonservatory #filmschool #afialumni #lgbtq #sundance ...

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@EleganceBratton’s story is an inspiration. Watch the rest of his recent AFI seminar, now part of the #AFIArchive, at link in bio. #aficonservatory #filmschool #guestlecture #theinspection ...

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On this, his 60th birthday, we celebrate a true maverick filmmaker in Quentin Tarantino. His gift to the AFI Conservatory Fellows was a priceless piece of advice. Watch this exclusive clip from the #AFIArchive to learn more. #AFI #AFIConservatory #QuentinTarantino ...

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Head into the weekend with these wise words about filmmaking from Lukas Dhont during his AFI seminar on his Oscar-nominated film #Close. Watch the rest of his talk and discover more from the #AFIArchive at link in bio. #filmmakingisbeautiful #aficonservatory #filmschool #closemovie @lukasdhont ...

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The audience has spoken! Congratulations to these AFI alumni for bringing life to these #SXSW Audience Award winners. 👏 👏 👏 #afialumni #aficonservatory

HEADLINERS
🏆Audience Award Winner: @flaminhotmovie
🌟 @kme_84 (AFI Class of 2008), Editor
🌟 @selindazhou (AFI Class of 2018), First Assistant Editor

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
🏆Audience Award Winner: GEOFF MCFETRIDGE: DRAWING A LIFE
🌟 @adammcdaid (AFI Class of 2006), Camera Operator

TV SPOTLIGHT
🏆Audience Award Winner: @blindspottingstarz Season 2 premiere
🌟 @tarinanderson (AFI Class of 2004), Cinematographer

INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION
🏆Audience Award Winner: NOTARIZE ME
🌟 @aprilmoreau (AFI DWW Class of 2022), Editing Consultant
...

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Have we been drawing the wrong conclusions about women animators in early film history? Leave it to AFI Alum Mindy Johnson to set the record straight. We salute Mindy Johnson and film historians like her that do this important work. Read our interview with her to discover more about how she unearthed and restored the remarkable work of animation pioneer Bessie Mae Kelley. ⁣

#WomensHistoryMonth #AFIAlumni #AFIConservatory #Animation #FilmHistory ⁣
...

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Great to see so many AFI Alumni recognized at @SXSW! Congratulations to the following Alumni who worked on award-winning projects this year. #SXSW #AFIConservatory #AFIAlumni⁣

The Hope Award⁣
STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE⁣
⭐️ @annettalm (AFI DWW Class of 2005), Producer⁣

Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award⁣
CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT⁣
⭐️ Tomas Gomez Bustillo (AFI Class of 2018), Director/Screenwriter⁣
⭐️ Amanda Freedman (AFI Class of 2019), Producer⁣
⭐️ Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino (AFI Class of 2018), Editor⁣
⭐️ @doriane_desfaugeres (AFI Class of 2018), Executive Producer/Production Designer⁣
⭐️ @_quinnelse (AFI Class of 2019), Visual Effects Artist⁣
⭐️ Ciro Apicella (AFI Class of 2019), Executive Producer⁣
⭐️ R.J. Glass (AFI Class of 2019), Executive Producer⁣
⭐️ Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Executive Producer⁣

ZEISS Cinematography Award ⁣
FANCY DANCE⁣
⭐️ @ccostacine (AFI Class of 2013), AMC, Cinematographer⁣

Special Jury Award for Innovation in Storytelling⁣
ANOTHER BODY⁣
⭐️ @naushero (AFI Class of 2008), Cinematographer
...

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Congratulations to AFI Alums Daniel Dreifuss (AFI Class of 2007) and Thorsten Schumacher (AFI Class of 2001) for their film’s four Academy Award wins! 🏆 #afialumni #oscars #aficonservatory ...

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The #Oscars celebration of AFI Alums continues! Congratulations to Todd Makurath (AFI Class of 2005), Executive Producer of #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce, winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture 🏆 #AFIConservatory #AFIAlumni #FilmSchool #producing #Oscars2023 ...

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Darren Aronosky’s (AFI Class of 1992) #TheWhale took home two big prizes at last night’s #Oscars ceremony. Congratulations to Darren and the rest of the filmmakers. #aficonservatory #afi #academyawards #darrenaronofsky #brendanfraser ...

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#EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce was the big winner at last night’s Academy Awards, taking home 7 #Oscars, including Best Film Editing. Congrats to the two AFI alumni who were part of the film’s amazing editing team. 🏆 #aficonservatory #afialumni #filmschool #editing #oscars2023 ...

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#TheBansheesOfInisherin writer/director Martin McDonagh revealed quite a bit about making his #Oscar-nominated film to #AFIConservatory Fellows. Watch more of this exclusive seminar at link in bio. @banshees_movie #MartinMcDonagh #guestlecture #Oscars ...

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#SXSW starts today! 🎉 So many #AFIConservatory alum films on @Indiewire’s list of Films and Shows to Watch, including #LuckyHank directed by Jude Weng (AFI DWW Class of 1998), @loveanddeathhbo directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (AFI DWW Class of 1982), @flaminhotmovie with Kayla Emter (AFI Class of 2008) as editor and Selinda Zhou (AFI Class of 2018) as first assistant editor – and more. Click link in bio for the full list of AFI alumni projects at the fest. #afialumni #afi #alumni #sxsw2023 ...

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We can all relate to the universal story in #TurningRed. Here’s director @domeeshi talking about how her Oscar-nominated movie connects to all audiences. Watch more at the link in bio. #aficonservatory #oscars @pixarturningred ...

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