AFI CONSERVATORY

At the world-renowned American Film Institute Conservatory, a dedicated group of working professionals from the film and television communities serve as mentors in a hands-on, production-based environment nurturing the talents of tomorrow’s storytellers. The Conservatory is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top film schools.

With an emphasis on narrative visual storytelling and personal expression, each class breaks into teams that mirror a real production environment. Those teams collaborate on and produce more films than any other graduate level film program.

Established in 1969, the two-year Master of Fine Arts program provides training in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Admission to AFI Conservatory is highly selective, with a maximum of only 140 graduates per year.

AFI alumni continually celebrate critical recognition, including wins at the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, and Grand Prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Darren Aronofsky (Directing ’92)
BLACK SWAN, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, THE WRESTLER, NOAH, PI

David Lynch (Directing ’70)
BLUE VELVET, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, THE ELEPHANT MAN

Patty Jenkins (Directing ’00)
WONDER WOMAN, MONSTER (also as writer)

Sam Esmail (Directing ’04)
MR. ROBOT (also as creator/executive producer/writer), COMET (also as writer)

Janusz Kaminski (Cinematography ’87)
BRIDGE OF SPIES, SCHINDLER’S LIST, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Edward Zwick (Directing ’75)
BLOOD DIAMOND (also as producer/writer), THE LAST SAMURAI (as producer), TRAFFIC (as producer), GLORY

Paul Schrader (Directing ’69)
RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER (both as writer)

Scott Frank (Screenwriting ’84)
MINORITY REPORT, OUT OF SIGHT

Matthew Libatique (Cinematography ’92)
IRON MAN, PI, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

Andrew Max Cahn (Production Design ’92)
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PARTS 1 and 2, THE HANGOVER (both as art director)

Robert Elswit (Cinematography, ’77)
NIGHTCRAWLER, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, THE TOWN

Sharon Seymour (Production Design ’84)
ARGO, THE TOWN

Christopher Gay (Editing ’06)
12 MONKEYS, MAD MEN

Andrea Arnold (Directing ’91)
FISH TANK, RED ROAD, AMERICAN HONEY, TRANSPARENT

Steve Golin (Producing ’81)
BABEL, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, SPOTLIGHT, THE REVENANT

Terrence Malick (Directing ’69)
BADLANDS, THE TREE OF LIFE, THE THIN RED LINE

Anne Garefino (Producing ’88)
SOUTH PARK (as executive producer), THE BOOK OF MORMON

Robert Richardson (Cinematography ’79)
DJANGO UNCHAINED, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, SHUTTER ISLAND, THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Affonso Gonçalves (Editing ’93)
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, CAROL, WINTER’S BONE

Brad Falchuk (Screenwriting ’94)
AMERICAN HORROR STORY, GLEE, NIP/TUCK

Susannah Grant (Screenwriting ’91)
ERIN BROCKOVICH, THE SOLOIST

Wally Pfister (Cinematography ’88)
BATMAN BEGINS, INCEPTION, MEMENTO

Jacqueline Hoyt (Screenwriting ’02)
THE LEFTOVERS (also as co-executive producer), THE GOOD WIFE (also as supervising producer)

Pieter Jan Brugge (Producing ’79)
HEAT, THE INSIDER

Bryan Felty (Production Design ’92)
BLACK MASS, THE HEAT (both as art director)

Steven Rosenblum (Cinematography ’76)
BRAVEHEART, THE LAST SAMURAI (both as editor)