The American Film Institute believes in the power of diverse voices to drive culture forward. As America’s leading filmmaker training program, the AFI Conservatory is committed to establishing equity in education, career advancement and visual storytelling.
The AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women (CIW) is a tuition-free, four-day workshop designed for aspiring cinematographers committed to their journey toward a professional career as cinematographers, who have some on-set experience working in the field and are looking for additional training to help them advance in their education, craft and career.
Hands-on master classes in the fundamentals of cinematography constitute the core of the program, along with exposure to professional tools and techniques, appreciating and analyzing specific work crafted by professional women cinematographers, plus discussions about the current environment of the film industry and what it means to navigate such environments as women, nonbinary and historically underrepresented cinematographers. The goal of the program is to provide participants with a toolkit to secure on-set experience in the field and first-hand industry insights demonstrating the path to professional career success.
The 2023 edition of CIW will be held on the AFI Campus in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 22 through Sunday, June 25.

Stephen Lighthill, Cinematography Discipline Head, AFI; President of American Society of Cinematographers (Photo by: Michael Pessah, ASC)
CIW is spearheaded by AFI Conservatory Cinematography Discipline Head Stephen Lighthill, ASC.
The AFI Conservatory Cinematography program has propelled women and non-binary cinematographers to great success, including Academy Award® nominee Rachel Morrison (BLACK PANTHER, MUDBOUND), the first woman ever nominated for an Oscar® for Best Cinematography, as well as Emmy® nominee Ava Berkofsky, ASC (INSECURE), Carolina Costa (HIGH SCHOOL, HALA), Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER), Paula Huidobro (Academy Award® Best Picture winner CODA), two-time Grammy® Award winner Melina Matsoukas (Beyoncé’s “Formation,” INSECURE, as director), Polly Morgan, ASC, BSC (THE WOMAN KING) and Mimi Leder (THE MORNING SHOW, as director), among others.
The Cinematography Intensive for Women is presented by Panavision.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions about the program.