Sarah Ledesma 323.856.7871, [email protected]
AFI.com, twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, youtube.com/AFI
THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE PRESENTS
APRIL 29 SHOWCASE
FOR AFI DIRECTING WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN
40TH ANNIVERSARY CLASS SELECTED
TO LEARN FROM NEWLY NAMED ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
DIRECTORS JAMIE BABBIT, PATTY JENKINS AND KIMBERLY PEIRCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LOS ANGELES (March 27, 2014) – The American Film Institute (AFI) will host its annual AFI Directing Workshop for Women (AFI DWW) showcase on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles. The showcase, a by-invitation-only event with representatives from the top agencies and major studios as well as artists from in front of and behind the camera, presents the work of eight directors who recently completed the 2013 AFI DWW program: Aubree Bernier-Clarke, Cusi Cram, Sarah Doyle, Anne Hamilton, Tiffanie Hsu, Erin Li, Kristine Namkung and Janine Salinas Schoenberg. Bios for 2013 participants can be found here.
While these women celebrate the completion of their work, new participants for 2014 will be welcomed as the 40th anniversary class: Pippa Bianco, Tessa Blake, Roja Gashtili, Julia Lerman, Devon Kirkpatrick, Alexis Korycinski, Jean Lee, Kantú Lentz, Bola Ogun and Thoranna Sigurdardottir. Bios are available here.
New in the 2014 program are artists-in-residence who will be mentoring the women in all aspects of the discipline. Three award-winning directors will serve: Jamie Babbit (BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER, THE QUIET), AFI Conservatory alumnus Patty Jenkins (MONSTER, THE KILLING) and Kimberly Peirce (BOYS DON’T CRY, CARRIE). Peirce will deliver the keynote address at the April 29 event.
Among the announcements at the Showcase will be new grants for filmmakers from Creative District, an online professional network for filmmakers and creatives backed by Technicolor, and crowd-funding partner, Indiegogo.
Each year, this prestigious, highly selective workshop offers talented women who have established themselves in the arts a tuition-free training program comprised of classroom learning, hands-on production experience and the opportunity to direct a short narrative film and advance their filmmaking careers.
Recent projects developed by AFI DWW alumnae include two 2014 pilots ordered to series (Emmy Grinwis’ EYE CANDY for MTV and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro’s UN-REAL for Lifetime) and, this month, two AFI DWW alumnae are making their second feature films (Maggie Kiley with DIAL-A-PRAYER and Valerie Weiss with A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET).
Since the AFI DWW program’s inception, more than 275 women have been trained in screen directing. Among its distinguished alumnae are Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Neema Barnette, Tricia Brock, Ellen Burstyn, Rebecca Cammisa, Dyan Cannon, Hanelle Culpepper, Jan Eliasberg, Naomi Foner, Jennifer Getzinger, Lyn Goldfarb, Randa Haines, Victoria Hochberg, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Lesli Linka Glatter, Lynne Littman, Matia Karrell, Nancy Malone, Becky Smith, Cicely Tyson and Joanne Woodward.
For more on the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, please visit: AFI.com/DWW.
About Indiegogo
Indiegogo empowers people around the world to fund what matters to them. As the largest global crowdfunding platform, campaigns have launched from almost every country around the world with millions of dollars being distributed every week due to contributions made by the Indiegogo community. At its core, Indiegogo is the equal opportunity platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project – creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information, visit indiegogo.com and follow us at twitter.com/indiegogo and facebook.com/indiegogo
About Creative District
Creative District is an online professional network for filmmakers and creative professionals to connect, collaborate, and share the resources they need to get more projects completed. Funded by Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the Media & Entertainment sector, Creative District expands upon Technicolor’s commitment to remaining a trusted partner in the creative community. Creative District helps creatives build their online professional network, showcase their experience through rich user profiles, and post projects in development to find collaborators during each phase. In line with its mission to help the community create more, Creative District also offers a grant program that distributes up to $5000 each month to the community to help complete existing projects. For more information visit creativedistrict.com/#/
Follow us on Twitter: @creativedistrct and use the hashtag #createmore
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award – the highest honor for a career in film – now in its 42nd year; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI Fest presented by Audi, AFI Docs and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world renowned AFI Conservatory, recognized for the quality of its instructors and speakers and its notable alumni. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.
