News

AFI FRIDAY UPDATE

The 2026 NAACP Image Awards nominees have been announced, with several AFI Alumni projects earning recognition:

Outstanding Comedy Series

THE RESIDENCE
-Peter Deming (AFI Class of 1980), Cinematographer
-Paula M. Huidobro (AFI Class of 2004), Cinematographer

Outstanding Drama Series

PARADISE
-Hanelle M. Culpepper (DWW AFI Class of 2002), Director
-Gandja Monteiro (DWW Class of 2018), Director
-Katie French (AFI Class of 2017), Screenwriting

REASONABLE DOUBT
-Robert E. Arnold (AFI Class of 2011), Cinematographer
-Richard J. Vialet (AFI Class of 2008), Cinematographer
-Lynarion Hubbard (AFI Class of 2007), Editor

Outstanding Limited Television (Series, Special, or Movie)

G20
-Noah Miller (AFI Class of 2011), Screenplay by, Story by, and Executive Producer*
-Alison Kelly (AFI Class of 2003), Cinematographer
-Shannon Baker Davis (AFI Class of 2003), Editor

RUTH & BOAZ
-Maysie Hoy (AFI DWW Class of 1977), Editor

WASHINGTON BLACK
-Michael Cobian (AFI Class of 2010), Screenwriter, Supervising Producer*

Outstanding Children’s Program

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS
-Francois Dagenais (AFI Class of 1995), Cinematographer

Outstanding Motion Picture

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST
-Matthew Libatique (AFI Class of 1992), Cinematographer

ONE OF THEM DAYS
-Deniese Davis (AFI Class of 2012), Producer*
-Ava Berkofsky (AFI Class of 2013), Cinematographer
-Monique Dias (AFI Class of 2012), Production Designer

SARAH’S OIL
-John Shepherd (AFI Class of 1992), Producer*

SINNERS
-Autumn Durald Arkapaw (AFI Class of 2009), Cinematographer

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

LOVE, BROOKLYN
-Andy Steinman (AFI Class of 2000), Executive Producer*
-Martim Vian (AFI Class of 2009), Cinematographer

OPUS
-Tommy Maddox-Upshaw (AFI Class of 2004), Cinematographer

Outstanding Short Form (Live Action)

BEFORE YOU LET GO
-Deniese Davis (AFI Class of 2012), Executive Producer*
-Roxanne Griffith (AFI Class of 2020), Producer*

BEST EYES
-Kira Powell (AFI Class of 2024), Director/Writer
-Tara Austin (AFI Class of 2022), Producer*
-Lauren Thomas (AFI Class of 2024), Co-Writer
-Udit Nijhawan (AFI Class of 2024), Cinematographer
-Disha Shah (AFI Class of 2024), Production Designer
-Sharon Shen (AFI Class of 2024), Editor

Outstanding Cinematography in a Motion Picture

SINNERS
-Autumn Durald Arkapaw (AFI Class of 2009), Cinematographer*

LOVE, BROOKLYN
-Martim Vian (AFI Class of 2009), Cinematographer*

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

BEING EDDIE
-Michael Steiner (AFI Class of 2014), Co-producer*
-Cemile Turam (AFI Class of 2017), Associate Producer*

Outstanding Documentary (Television)

NUMBER ONE ON THE CALL SHEET
-Mark Jeevaratnam (AFI Class of 2017), Cinematographer

Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special

RUTH & BOAZ
-Maysie Hoy (AFI DWW Class of 1977), Editor*

THE BEAST IN ME
-Ralph Jean-Pierre (AFI Class of 2012), Editor*

*Direct Nomination

AFI announced the eight filmmakers selected for the AFI DWW+ Class of 2027, including Sindha Agha, Mary Ann Anane, Arabella Anderson, Carolina Espiro, Anika Kan Grevstad, Christina YR Lim, Anna Remus and Maaman Rezaee. Award-winning filmmaker Lily Mariye (AFI DWW Class of 1999) has also been named the AFI DWW+ Guest Artistic Director.

The horror movie NIGHT PATROL premieres in theaters today and features the work of writer/director Ryan Prows, screenwriters Shaye Ogbonna, Jake Gibson, Tim Cairo, producer Narineh Hacopian and cinematographer Benjamin Kitchens — all from the AFI Class of 2011. Watch the trailer here.

The One Club for Creativity announced the winners of the ADC Young Guns 23 competition, recognizing 33 talented individuals and teams across eight countries for outstanding creative work by professionals age 30 or younger, including Omer Ben-Shachar (AFI Class of 2018).

Producer James Wilson (AFI Class of 1991) joined the filmmakers behind THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB for a panel discussion at the British Parliament in London, focused on the making of the multi-award-winning film and raising awareness among policymakers about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Beth de Araújo (AFI Class of 2013) was recently named one of the 10 directors to watch in 2026. Her film JOSEPHINE, starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, will premiere at Sundance later this month.

Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw (AFI Class of 2009) speaks with Panavision Senior Vice President of Optical Engineering Dan Sasaki about the visual language of SINNERS, discussing early format experiments and the decision to shoot large-format IMAX film using lenses designed for personality and texture. Watch the interview here.

Filmmaker Kevin Smith recalls in an interview how David Lynch’s (AFI Class of 1970) TWIN PEAKS influenced his career and his movie CLERKS.

The American Society of Cinematographers revealed their nominations for the 2026 ASC Awards. Congratulations to the following AFI Alumni who were recognized for their creative work this year: https://theasc.com/news/2026-asc-awards-nominees-revealed

Theatrical Feature Film

SINNERS – Autumn Durald Arkapaw (AFI Class of 2009)
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Michael Bauman (AFI Class of 1992)

Episode of a Half-Hour Series

GOVERNMENT CHEESE, “Trial and Error” – Matthew J. Lloyd (AFI Class of 2009)

Limited or Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY, “Buxum Bird” – Michael Bauman (AFI Class of 1992)

Spotlight Award

THE PLAGUE – Steven Breckon (AFI Class of 2017)
ORPHAN – Mátyás Erdély (AFI Class of 2005)