Producer and educator Susan Ruskin has been named the dean of AFI Conservatory, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. She will lead its graduate film-training program and also is set as EVP of the American Film Institute, reporting to AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. “Susan is a bold and innovative…

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been elected chair of the American Film Institute Board of Trustees. Kennedy will lead the AFI Trustees to set the Institute's priorities and guide its national education programs. Kennedy succeeds Sir Howard Stringer, who served as chair of the AFI Board of Trustees since…

The American Film Institute said that film, TV and music video artist Melina Matsoukas will be this year’s recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, which honors creative talents of AFI Conservatory alumni who embody the qualities of the filmmaker for which it is named after. The medal, which recognizes…

The American Film Institute is out with the dates for its 19th annual AFI Awards. Its list of 2018’s best movies and TV shows will be announced December 4, and the honoress will be feted at an invitation-only luncheon on January 4. The deadline for film and TV submissions is 5 pm PT on Thursday, October 18. AFI notes…

The American Film Institute announced today that AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Fellow Taryn Procsal will be the first recipient of the Kirk Douglas Fellowship. Proscal, a single mother of three, was recognized for her unique voice and will receive a full-tuition two-year scholarship. The inaugural Kirk Douglas…

Michael Lumpkin, who has served as Director of the American Film Institute’s Docs for the past three years, has just been named Director of AFI Festivals. Jacqueline Lyanga, who began serving as Director of AFI FEST in 2010 and is a graduate of the AFI Conservatory, is departing her role to pursue new…

The program for this year’s AFI Fest continues to add more impressive titles to its slate. The American Film Institute announced the films that will be featured in the World Cinema, Midnight, and Youth and Family sections. AFI FEST 2017 takes place November 9–16 in Hollywood. This year’s World Cinema lineup…

Robert Altman has been chosen for the American Film Institute’s inaugural retrospective spotlighting a filmmaker of global significance. The retrospective, including screenings and discussions, will run during this year’s AFI Fest November 9-16 in Hollywood. It’s billed as the first of an annual event. Altman, who…

The American Film Institute has unveiled its annual AFI Movies of the Year list, which is heavy on Paramount films including the latest comer to the awards-season race, Martin Scorsese’s Silence. Its campaigners have been ramping up getting Scorsese’s passion pic screened for voters, and it secures a spot here for its…

20th Century Fox and the American Film Institute are partnering on an initiative to help increase the number of female directors working on major studio films. This new project will provide alumnae of the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women the opportunity to direct short films based on the studio’s film…

With just over two weeks to go before the festival starts, The American Film Institute has announced those films to be featured in the New Auteurs and American Independents section at AFI FEST 2015. Two foreign language Oscar submissions – Ixcanul (Guatemala) and Mustang (France) – are featured in this year’s New…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight honored 15 student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony, held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The American Film Institute became the first film school to sweep the Gold, Silver and…