December 2024 News
AFI AWARDS 2024 Honorees Announcement
The wait is almost over – the recipients of the AFI AWARDS 2024 will be revealed later this week! The honorees will include 10 outstanding movies and 10 outstanding television programs of the year. Stay tuned!
Is Your Film Oscar®-Eligible? Share it With Us!
If you’ve directed, produced or worked on an Academy Award®-eligible short film or documentary this year, let us spotlight your achievement! Submit your film’s title, alumni credits, logline and a digital poster to Alumni@AFI.com by Monday, December 9.
Please note: to qualify, your film must be entered through the Oscars® site, which is now closed. Please reach out only if your submission is qualified and has been officially submitted.
Give Back This Giving Tuesday
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday! As a non-profit, we rely on the generosity and support of the AFI Alumni community to continue our work and sustain our programs. Be a part of helping the AFI Conservatory to train and mentor the next generation of filmmakers. Your tax-deductible gift, no matter the size, enables us to recruit, inspire and shape tomorrow’s storytellers. Thank you for your continued support!
A Memorable Screening of BOGART: LIFE COMES IN FLASHES
We were excited to have our AFI Premiere Circle Members join us on the AFI Campus for a wonderful reception and exclusive screening of BOGART: LIFE COMES IN FLASHES on November 17. It was a privilege to welcome members of the Humphrey Bogart and Gregory Peck families, and to host an insightful conversation moderated by film critic Leonard Maltin with writer/director Kathryn Ferguson and Stephen Humphrey Bogart. Your support makes these special moments possible, and we look forward to more opportunities to connect and celebrate together!
2024 Gotham Award Nominations Unveiled
The Gotham Film and Media Institute has announced the nominees for the 2024 Gotham Awards, celebrating the exceptional talent of AFI Conservatory Alumni. Congratulations to Azazel Jacobs (AFI Class of 2001) who earned a Best Screenplay nomination for HIS THREE DAUGHTERS and Shuchi Talati (AFI Class of 2011) who scored a Breakthrough Director nomination for GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS! THE PIANO LESSON, directed by AFI Alum Malcolm Washington (AFI Class of 2016), will also be honored with the 2024 Gotham Awards Ensemble Tribute.
Acclaimed Filmmakers Visit the AFI Conservatory
Catch insights from a wide range of artists who recently visited AFI, including filmmakers Anna Kendrick (WOMAN OF THE HOUR), Morgan Neville (PIECE BY PIECE), Sean Wang (DÌDI), Coralie Fargeat (THE SUBSTANCE) and more. Watch now for a behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes!
Upcoming Release: “Ida Lupino, Forgotten Auteur” by AFI Alum Alexandra Seros
The new book, “Ida Lupino, Forgotten Auteur: From Film Noir to the Director’s Chair,” written by AFI Conservatory Alum Alexandra Seros (AFI Class of 1977), explores the groundbreaking career of Ida Lupino, one of the few women directors in Classical Hollywood. Using archival materials, Seros examines Lupino’s films and TV work, focusing on her powerful portrayals of women and her pioneering role in a male-dominated industry.
Book a Space at the Lawrence Herbert Alumni Center
Are you planning a meeting, table read or rehearsal? As an AFI Conservatory Alum, you have the opportunity to reserve our conference and multi-purpose rooms at the Lawrence Herbert Alumni Center on campus. For more information or to inquire about availability, contact the Alumni Affairs team at alumni@AFI.com.
Join the AFI Alumni Network on Backlot
Looking for collaborators, industry insights or the chance to mentor fellow AFI Alumni? Want to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the AFI community? Sign up for AFI Backlot today to connect, share and help strengthen our creative network!
Request an AFI Email
Would you like an AFI email address to facilitate easier communication with other AFI Conservatory Alumni? Or are you a recent graduate who requires assistance with your AFI Alumni Account? If so, please contact our Alumni Affairs team today for assistance.
In Other AFI News…
AWARDS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS AND OTHER HONORS
Congratulations to AFI Producing Alum Jih-E Peng (AFI Class of 2012) who was named by BAFTA as a member of its 2024 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort, which champions emerging creatives working in film, games and TV from the U.S., U.K. and India.
NEW HIRES AND PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION
Nicholas Braun, Debby Ryan Cory Michael Smith and more have joined the cast of the celebrity thriller FAMOUS, produced by AFI Alum Sam Esmail (AFI Class of 2004).
Robert De Niro will make his first foray into television in the upcoming series ZERO DAY, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (AFI DWW Class of 1982) and written by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim and New York Times writer Michael S. Schmidt.
AFI Alum Brad Ingelsby (AFI Class of 2005) is penning TASK, an upcoming HBO drama series featuring Mark Ruffalo, Martha Plimpton and Mireille Enos, which he will also executive produce.
Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are set to star alongside each other in the survival thriller COYOTE, which follows “a family fighting for their lives against a pack of crazed coyotes during a raging wildfire in the Hollywood Hills.” The project is based on a story by Daniel Meersand and Nick Simon (both AFI Class of 2008) and comes from a script by Simon and Tad Daggerhart.
FILM INITIATIVES
The Latinx House has announced this year’s Gloria Schoemann Editors Fellowship recipients, including AFI Alumni Alejandra Armijo (AFI Class of 2023) and Mario Fierro (AFI Class of 2020).
The Latino Film Institute (LFI) unveiled the 10 directors for its annual LFI Inclusion Fellowship, including Colby Barrios (AFI Class of 2024) for his film LOVE ME TENDER, LOVE ME TRUE and Jorge G. Camarena (AFI Class of 2020) for his film ALL THE WINDOWS ARE CLOSED.
Film Independent announced the 37 filmmakers and 15 projects selected for the 22nd edition of its Fast Track Film Finance Market, including AFI DWW Alum April Maxey (AFI DWW Class of 2022).
The Museum of the Moving Image and the Sloan Foundation have selected nine finalists to develop science-themed screenplays with year-round mentorship, including AFI Fellow and Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize 2024 Finalist Zoe Milenkovic (AFI Class of 2025) for her script “It Revolves Around Tycho.” Two winners will ultimately be awarded $20,000.
The Sundance Institute revealed the eight artists selected as Fellows for the 2024 edition of their Episodic Lab, including Paul Sanchez (AFI Class of 2006) and Yancey Wang (AFI Class of 2020).
The Queer Muslim Project has announced six Fellows chosen for the second cohort of the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab. Industry speakers for the virtual leg of the Lab include AFI Alum Shuchi Talati (AFI Class of 2011).
NEW RELEASES
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan was interviewed by Indiewire about the making of BIRD and working with longtime collaborator and AFI Alum Andrea Arnold (AFI Class of 1991).
Producer Mon Castro (AFI Class of 2023) was interviewed about her latest supernatural drama BAJO LA TIERRA (UNDER THE EARTH), which has screened at AFI FEST and Mexico’s prestigious Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia.
The new television series EARTH ABIDES just released its first trailer and starts streaming on Amazon Prime beginning December 1. Two of the six episodes were written by AFI Conservatory Faculty member Karen Janszen (AFI Class of 1990, AFI DWW Class of 1996).
Patton Oswalt has boarded the Oscar®-qualified short film SARDINIA as an executive producer. The film was written/directed/produced/co-edited by Paul Kowalski, shot by cinematographer Arlene Muller, production designed by Kelly Fallon, co-edited/associate produced by Spencer Koobatian (all AFI Class of 2015) and executive produced by Pin-Chun Liu (AFI Class of 2013).
MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS: THE SAINTS, a new docuseries where each episode is dedicated to a different religious icon, premieres Sunday, November 17. It was created by AFI Alum Matti Leshem (AFI Class of 1990) and is hosted, narrated and executive produced by Scorsese. Check out the trailer below.
Variety reviewed READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, calling it “a respectable, aptly rebellious and deeply feminine exercise.” The film was written by AFI Faculty member Marjorie David and executive produced by AFI Faculty member and Alum Dana Lustig (AFI Class of 1988).
Netflix revealed its slate of new and returning international series for 2025, including CELDA 211, directed by AFI Alumni Jaime Reynoso (AFI Class of 1994) and Gerardo Naranjo (AFI Class of 2001).
Lily James and Pierce Brosnan will star in a remake of Sylvester Stallone’s action classic CLIFFHANGER from a new script based on a story by writer Ana Lily Amirpour (A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT) and produced by AFI Conservatory Alum Thorsten Schumacher (AFI Class of 2001).
AFI Alum Malcolm Washington (AFI Class of 2016) spoke to Deadline about incorporating his own family history into his feature directorial debut, THE PIANO LESSON.
DISTRIBUTION
Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S., Canadian and international rights to DIE LIKE A MAN, a Los Angeles-set crime thriller produced by AFI Alum Rodrigo Garcia (AFI Class of 1986).
REPRESENTATION
Director, writer, executive producer and AFI Alum Jonathan Levine (AFI Class of 2004) has signed with WME for representation.
FILM FESTIVALS
The Red Sea International Film Festival revealed 38 feature film and TV projects set to be showcased at this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market, including B’ITHA created by AFI Conservatory Alumni Noorah Al Eidi (AFI Class of 2023) and Shehreyar Ahsan (AFI Class of 2022).
The short documentary MUSIC FOR FLYING CARS was selected for this year’s DOC:NYC festival and screened November 17 and 20. Congratulations to cinematographer Mads Fridolin Vejlby, producer Sylvia Sun, production designer Maui McDonald, Art Director Mikaela Mosley and 1st AC Bruce Wang (all AFI Class of 2024) who worked on the film.
The El Gouna Film Festival announced this year’s award winners including GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS, directed/written/produced by Shuchi Talati (AFI Class of 2011), which was honored with the Bronze Star for Narrative Film and awarded $15,000.
Following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in the spring, MCVEIGH, produced by AFI Conservatory Alum Monte Zajicek (AFI Class of 2003), premiered internationally at the Warsaw and Rome International Film Festivals this fall. Myriad Pictures is handling international sales.
IN OTHER NEWS
Metrograph has announced a new biannual print publication, titled “The Metrograph.” It will cater to cinephiles and cultural connoisseurs alike and feature contributors including AFI Alum Ari Aster (AFI Class of 2010).
Variety’s “A Night in the Writers’ Room” is back for a special Awards Edition on December 5 in Los Angeles, featuring AFI Conservatory Alum Shaye Ogbonna (AFI Class of 2011) as a panelist.