The American Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1967 to encourage and preserve film and media production in America. It annually honors outstanding work in film and television and maintains the AFI conservatory, considered one of the best graduate film schools in the world. AFI also created the National Center for Film and Video Preservation and presents a Lifetime Achievement Award each year. The conservatory program emphasizes hands-on instruction, and many graduates have gone on to notable fame and productive careers in the film industry. AFI’s goal is to promote film and television in every possible way and shape the future of cinema.
The American Film Institute (AFI) was founded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of the United States National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1967. As a collaborative effort between the NEA, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Ford Foundation, the AFI was created to encourage and preserve film and media production in America. The American Film Institute annually honors outstanding work in film and television, as well as maintains the AFI conservatory, considered one of the best graduate film schools in the world.
Since its inception, the American Film Institute has brought together some of the biggest names in American cinema. The original board of directors included actors Gregory Peck and Sidney Poitier, and current directors include Stephen Spielberg and Al Pacino. The American Film Institute conservatory has produced many famous film professionals, such as directors Terrence Malick, Ed Zwick and Lesli Linka Glatter.
Working together, AFI members created the National Center for Film and Video Preservation, which works to restore and copy cinematic classics that have deteriorated through age, abuse, and early recording techniques . The non-profit organization also maintains the AFI Film Catalog, one of the largest reference sources for film information in the world.
Since 1973, the American Film Institute has presented a Lifetime Achievement Award each year to an individual it believes has significantly advanced in film or TV and whose work has stood the test of time. The first recipient of the award was director John Ford, a four-time winner of the Academy Award for Best Director. Other recipients have included James Stewart, Fred Astaire, Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep.
One of the American Film Institute’s biggest endeavors is their graduate conservatory. Out of thousands of applicants, approximately 28 students are accepted each year in each of six major areas: Screenwriting, Directing, Production, Cinematography, Editing, and Production Design. The conservatory program emphasizes hands-on instruction, with the student completing at least three short films a year. Many experts consider the AFI conservatory one of the best film schools in the world. Many graduates of the school have gone on to notable fame and productive careers in the film industry.
In 1998, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American cinema, AFI began distributing films called AFI 100 Years…. The lists determined the best films, characters and moments of the past century through a large poll of film industry workers. The list has been updated since 2007, but the lead film remains the 1941 drama Citizen Kane. Other AFI lists name Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn as the top stars of the century, and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope has the best score.
The American Film Institute’s goal is to promote film and television in every possible way. Through conservation efforts and presentations, the organization educates the film world about its past. Through film festivals like the annual AFI Fest, they help encourage the professionals in attendance. More importantly, by training the next generation of filmmakers, AFI helps shape the future of cinema.
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