American Film Institute Conservatory

The American Film Institute is America's promise to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. As a nonprofit educational arts organization, AFI provides leadership in film and television and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.

The AFI Archive and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films preserve the legacy of America's film heritage for future generations, comprising rare footage from across the history of the moving image and compiling an authoritative record of the first 100 years of American film.

AFI honors film and television artists and their work by hosting a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI AWARDS. The AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film and demonstrates the enormous power and the art of film. AFI AWARDS, the Institute's 21st century film and television almanac, celebrates the most outstanding movies and television programs of the year and the creative teams behind them in a non-competitive atmosphere. AFI applauds filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike with film exhibitions throughout the year; AFI DOCS, presents five days of international documentaries and is the only festival in the United States dedicated to screenings and events that connect audiences, filmmakers and policy leaders in Washington, DC; the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center offers year-round programming in the Washington, DC area; AFI FEST presented by Audi, the Institute's showcase for the best festival films of the year and an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the heart of Hollywood. AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. AFI’s notable 100 YEARS...100 MOVIES lists reintroduce classic American films to millions of movie lovers all over the world.

AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at the AFI Conservatory, which has been consistently recognized as one of the world's top film schools. The Conservatory’s collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling boasts acclaimed alumni including Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Heidi Levitt, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Wally Pfister, Robert Richardson, Ed Zwick and many, many more. The AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.

The prestigious Board of Trustees, chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, and Board of Directors, chaired by Bob Daly, along with President and CEO Bob Gazzale, is comprised of key figures from the entertainment, business and academic communities that guide AFI.

As a nonprofit educational organization, AFI relies on the generous financial support from moving image arts enthusiasts like you to provide funding for its programs and initiatives. Become an AFI member today and play your part in preserving as well as making American film history.

The AFI Corporate Council is an esteemed group of business community leaders throughout the nation dedicated to supporting the Institute's preservation and educational initiatives. The support of the AFI Corporate Council builds upon the governance of the AFI Board of Trustees.

Located in the hills overlooking Hollywood, AFI's wooded and intimate eight-acre Campus is in close proximity to the heart of the professional filmmaking community, with easy access to studios, networks and numerous post-production facilities.The AFI Theater is located in the Warner Bros. Building, home to a number of resources for the AFI Conservatory, including a sound stage, classrooms, production offices and computer labs.

The AFI Theater is an integral resource to the filmmaking program at the AFI Conservatory as well as the Institute as a whole. It serves as a place to hold classes, screenings, workshops and meetings across all of AFI's programs.

Founded in 1969, the Louis B. Mayer Library is dedicated to supporting AFI Conservatory studies by offering resources that complement the curriculum. Resources consist of book, film, manuscript and other collections focusing on the craft of filmmaking.

The American Film Institute began as a presidential mandate to establish film as essential to American identity, to elevate the nation's greatest art form to its deserving place in history. AFI grew from the seeds planted in the White House Rose Garden by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to a fully rounded Institute that has defined American film for more than half a century — with the mission to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.

AFI began in 1967, with Gregory Peck named first chair of the Board of Trustees and George Stevens, Jr., its director and CEO, and a board that featured film luminaries and masters including Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Poitier, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Jack Valenti. Today, the Board continues to be comprised of such artists and icons as Halle Berry, James L. Brooks, Kathleen Kennedy, Eva Longoria, Shonda Rhimes, Steven Spielberg and Ed Zwick.

In the new millennium, AFI partnered with the White House Student Film Festival, inviting K-12 students to screen their films in the East Room of the White House. The world-renowned AFI Conservatory continues to train storytellers who work at award-winning levels. In 2015, the Conservatory made history with its thesis films, which swept the entire narrative category of the Student Academy Awards. Altogether, AFI alumni have won 30 Academy Awards® and received 149 nominations.2017 marks AFI's half-century golden anniversary, which will be commemorated over a three-year period, concluding in September 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the Conservatory's first class.