Randi Atkins | Affiliated Faculty

Randi Atkins developed a love for movies at an early age. When she was young and would spend a weekend at her Grandparents house, they would drive to the movie theater and see as many films in a day as they could. Another fond memory with her Grandparents was reading a chapter from Norman Jewison’s autobiography and then watching the film that went along with it and discussing what they had learned.

As an editor, her work has shown at festivals such as Newport Beach, Saint Louis International Film Festival, LA Shorts International Fest, Holly Shorts, and more. She was awarded Best Editing at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase for her work on the short film, WAITING TO DIE IN BAYSIDE QUEENS.

Randi has also worked as a First Assistant Editor and VFX Editor on several episodic shows and feature films such as EXPATS (Amazon), THE STARLING (Netflix), and BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON (Amazon). She has worked under the mentorship of editors Peter Teschner, Mathew Friedman, Avril Buekes, and Alex O’Flinn, who have all been generous in refining and supporting her craft.

It is Randi’s belief that Assistant Editors are one of the most vital roles in post-production. It has become a passion of hers to educate future editors on the importance of this role and why starting your editing career as an Assistant Editor can be immensely valuable.

John Chalfant | Affiliated Faculty

Christopher Cooke, ACE | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Christopher Cooke has edited on features, TV movies, episodic television, and reality TV.  He has been nominated for an Emmy ^® and two ACE Eddie Awards. He was an Associate/Co-Producer on the FOX series NEW YORK UNDERCOVER.

He served on the Board of the Motion Picture Editors Guild for 3 years while writing and editing the precursor to the Guild’s Magazine.  A longtime member of the American Cinema Editors, he served for 7 years as Secretary on the Board of Directors.

Cooke has B.A. and M.F.A. in Film from UCLA. While still in college he collaborated with director King Vidor on his last short film called METAPHOR. The film documents a conversation between Vidor and artist Andrew Wyeth on Vidor’s influence in Wyeth’s work and the nature of art.

Lesley Dyer | Affiliated Faculty

Matthew Friedman, ACE | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Matthew Friedman has edited over 25 feature films, winning the 2021 American Cinema Editors Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical) for PALM SPRINGS, directed by AFI Alumnus Max Barbakow. PALM SPRINGS won numerous other awards and nominations, and broke the record for highest sale at Sundance. Friedman was also nominated for the ACE Eddie for his work on Lulu Wang’s critically acclaimed film THE FAREWELL. The film earned Awkwafina a Golden Globe, won Best Feature at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and won or was nominated for over 70 awards in total.

Friedman works in a wide variety of genres, cutting both studio and independent features. His feature credits include the comedies JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE and WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, as well as ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL and the 3D dance movie STEP UP: REVOLUTION. He recently edited THE STARLING starring Melissa McCarthy and Kevin Kline for Academy Award®-winning director Theodore Melfi and continued his long running collaboration with Lulu Wang on the Amazon series EXPATS, starring Nicole Kidman.

Friedman is a member of the American Cinema Editors and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Film and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Northwestern University. He has taught at AFI since 2010.

Anne Goursaud, ACE, DGA, AMPAS | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Anne Goursaud is an accomplished film editor and director. It was Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola who first spotted Anne’s talent, giving her the chance to edit ONE FROM THE HEART. Since that time, she has directed and edited a wide range of projects, and she has worked with some of the most highly acclaimed professionals in the movie industry. Her directing credits include the cult thrillers EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE, POISON IVY II, both for New Line Cinema, and the erotic drama LOVE IN PARIS (ANOTHER 9 1/2 WEEKS) for Trimark. Anne was writer-producer on the feature-length documentary ULTRASUEDE: IN SEARCH FOR HALSTON, which was released in theaters in February 2012 and bought by Showtime. Anne last produced, directed as well as edited A CLASSY BROAD: Marcia’s Adventures in Hollywood, a feature-length documentary about the first woman Production VP at a major studio, Marcia Nasatir. It’s currently available through VOD, and KANOPY for educational use.

Anne edited Francis Ford Coppola’s teen classic THE OUTSIDERS, starring Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise, the Oscar-winning hit BRAM STOKERS DRACULA, starring Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins, IRONWEED, starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep for which they both received Oscar nominations, director Bruce Beresford’s comedies CRIMES OF THE HEART and HER ALIBI , John Duigan’s epic drama WIDE SARGASSO SEA, Janusz Kaminski’s horror flick LOST SOULS, and the sequel to Chinatown, THE TWO JAKES, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson. She also edited Universal Pictures’ innovative Outkast movie-musical IDLEWILD for the Grammy-winning hip hop duo Outkast; and for director Cecilia Miniucchi the independent feature EXPIRED, which premiered at Cannes, as well as the feature LIFE UPSIDE DOWN, starring Bob Odenkirk, an official entry in The Venice Film Festival 2022, distributed by IFC.

In 2023, Anne edited PICNIC and a LITTLE MUTINY for director Jacek Laskus, and A FAMILY AFFAIR, a short documentary from filmmaker Warren Elgort. In 2024, Anne is co-producing, REUNION, an independent feature. Her short story, KEEP ONLY THE GOOD PIECES, was published on Hollywooddementia.com, in June 2016. Three other short stories, A GREAT BAD YEAR, PAULINE’S ADVENTURES ON THE SILVER SCREEN, and THE HEIRESS were also published.

Anne is an AFI Senior Editing Mentor and and a senior Lecturer in Editing also at the AFI. Anne received a License in History of Art from the Sorbonne and a Masters in Fine Arts from Columbia University. She is a member of the DGA, A.C.E, AMPAS and SACD.

Jeremy Grody | Affiliated Faculty

Jeremy Grody is a Sound Supervisor, Re-Recording Mixer, and Music Composer, who has worked on over 90 feature films, and more than 100 episodes of Prime-Time television shows for ABC, CBS, HBO, Netflix, and theatrical release.

Highlights include Sean Baker’s TANGERINE, Rod Lurie’s STRAW DOGS, and Kirby Dick’s THE INVISIBLE WAR.  In addition to his teaching duties at AFI, Jeremy owns and operates Sound Logic Post in Los Angeles, a mix facility specializing in sound supervision, sound mixing, music scoring, arranging, and music producing for the film and television industries.  Formats include Dolby Atmos HT, 7.1, and 5.1 surround sound mixing.

Gedaly Guberek | Affiliated Faculty

Nancy Kirhoffer | Affiliated Faculty

John Knowles | Affiliated Faculty

Inbal B. Lessner, ACE | Affiliated Faculty

Inbal B. Lessner, ACE, is a twice Emmy ^®-nominated and Eddie-winning producer/editor, known for co-creating ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES, SEDUCED: Inside the NXIVM Cult, and BRAVE MISS WORLD.

Inbal’s editing credits include the feature documentaries STORMY, following Stormy Daniels as she is grappling with the events that made her an unlikely American icon, the Emmy ^®-Winner VICTIM/SUSPECT, I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN YOU, about Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, and NAACP Image Award nominee THE TWO KILLINGS OF SAM COOKE. Inbal edited and co-produced THE MOVIES: THE GOLDEN AGE, executive produced by Tom Hanks. The latter project was the pinnacle of a 5-year collaboration with the producers of CNN’s Emmy ^®-nominated DECADES series, which yielded an ACE Award nomination for THE NINETIES: CAN WE ALL GET ALONG.

Inbal has worked in the cutting rooms of directors such as Davis Guggenheim, R.J. Cutler, Sarah Gibson, Nancy Schwartzman, Kelly Duane, Tricia Regan, Jeremy Simmons, and Tracy Droz Tragos, as well as Natalie Portman’s feature directorial debut.

Inbal has been a Visiting Professor of Film Editing at UNCSA Film School and is currently on the Faculty of AFI Conservatory. She served twice as a mentor in the Karen Schmeer Diversity in the Edit Room Program.

Martin Nicholson, ACE | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Over his 40-year career, Martin Nicholson has edited a wide range of projects across multiple genres including theatrical feature films, movies for cable and network, limited series, episodic television, pilots and documentaries. Recent credits include the limited series, A SMALL LIGHT, starring Bel Powley and Liev Schreiber; the true crime feature;  ABOVE SUSPICION, starring Emilia Clarke and directed by Philip Noyce;  David Milch’s, DEADWOOD: THE MOVIE, earning  a 2019 Emmy ^® nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing; period crime series, THE ALIENIST (2018) and the historical drama, ROOTS (2016), both Emmy ^® nominated, with ROOTS winning the HPA Award for Outstanding Editing in Television.

Other notable credits include the HBO movie, MARY AND MARTHA; the Mimi Leder crime feature, THICK AS THIEVES; the Christopher Guest comedy, THE BIG PICTURE; the indie musical, FORBIDDEN ZONE with the Oingo Boingo; seasonal favorite, HALLOWEENTOWN and the screen adaptation of LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES, which won the 1997 ACE Eddie for Best Edited Movie for Television. Episodic includes GAME OF THRONES, REVENGE, DEADWOOD, JOHN FROM CINCINNATI, HAND OF GOD, MARCO POLO and THIRTYSOMETHING.

He also edited the acclaimed PBS documentaries NORMAN ROCKWELL: AN AMERICAN PROTRAIT, THE LEGACY OF ROSINA LHEVINNE and THE MARY ROSE.  His Discovery Program short, MISSING PARENTS was a 1991 Sundance Film Festival selection. He also received a Sundance Institute Fellowship for his screenplay of Tillie Olsen’s depression era novel, “Yonnondio.”  He has served on the Board of the American Cinema Editors, is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  A graduate of NYU, Tisch School of the Arts, he has taught dramatic film editing at the AFI Conservatory for 19 years while continuing his professional career.

Jason Rose | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Jason Rose is an experienced editor and producer with a deep understanding of creative editing, video/film production, color grading, and workflow. He has gained his knowledge through hands-on experience and professional training. One of his recent television projects was LIVIN’ HAWAII, a lifestyle/fashion series that he created and produced, which aired locally in Hawaii on KFVE.

Jason has worked on a variety of artistic and commercial projects and has experience as an editor in different genres, including comedy, sketch comedy, drama, and documentary. His past projects include the critically acclaimed independent feature titled ONE HOUR FANTASY GIRL and the award-winning short film VIOLA CONCERTO, which he wrote, directed, and edited.

In addition to his work in the industry, Jason has given lectures on filmmaking and has collaborated with various entertainment companies, including ABC/Disney, Paramount/CBS, Trailer Park, Fox, Bunim/Murray, NBC|Universal, Asylum Entertainment, and Pink Sneakers Productions.

Jason’s interest in film production began in his childhood when he discovered an old 8mm film camera in his grandparents’ attic. He developed an interest in video production during high school and pursued a TV & Film Degree from Texas Christian University. After graduating, Jason moved to LA and began working in related fields while also creating and developing his own projects. He later earned his MFA in Film and Television from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

To further hone his skills, Jason underwent additional training at Video Symphony in Burbank, CA in the Professional Editing Program. He also attended the AVID Certified Trainer Program at AVID Headquarters in Tewksbury, MA, and became a Certified AVID Instructor. Jason is also an instructor in Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve.

Aside from his role at AFI, Jason is also an esteemed educator at MSMU, KeyCode Education, Studio Arts, and Rev-Up Transmedia.

F. Brian Scofield | Senior Affiliated Faculty

Brian’s filmography includes collaborations with Terrence Malick, Warren Beatty, David Mamet, the Duplass brothers and a long list of award-winning independent filmmakers. His work has played in major festivals around the world including Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca. Most recently, Alejandro Monteverde’s SOUND OF FREEDOM became one of the highest grossing independent films of all time, capturing over $250 million at the domestic box office. In addition to working as a lead editor, Brian has served as a consulting, supervising or finishing editor on dozens of films, earning a reputation as a trusted “movie doctor.” Originally a student of philosophy and literature, Scofield earned his MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Varun Viswanath, ACE | Affiliated Faculty

Varun is an Emmy ^® and Eddie Award nominated Film & TV editor who loves working on comedies with strong emotional spines. His recent credits include DELI BOYS (Hulu), RESERVATION DOGS (FX), BASED ON A TRUE STORY (Peacock), and WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (FX). Varun was born and raised in Bangalore (India), spent his formative years juggling corporate and filmmaking careers in Singapore, before moving to Los Angeles in 2010 for film school. Varun is both alumni of and teacher at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory. He is a member of the ACE Education Committee, and an Associate Mentor in the ACE Diversity program. While he’s not working, Varun and his toddler son continue their long quest to find the best breakfast burrito in Los Angeles.

Hillary P. Wills | Affiliated Faculty

Hillary Wills studied film production at the University of California Santa Cruz. She began her editing career working on various true crime, documentary and reality series before transitioning into scripted television in 2015. Her television credits include THE ORVILLE, LOOKING FOR ALASKA, GEN V, and TED.