
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that celebrated director/producer Lesli Linka Glatter - an alumna of the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) - will receive the 2016 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. This honor recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality storytelling in film and television. Applauding the remarkable talent of the artist affiliated with such influential series as HOMELAND, MAD MEN and TWIN PEAKS, the presentation of the Schaffner Medal will take place at the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams in Hollywood on June 9, 2016.
Over the past three decades, Glatter has brought her deft directorial hand to films and honored television series including ER, FREAKS AND GEEKS, GILMORE GIRLS, JUSTIFIED, THE LEFTOVERS, THE NEWSROOM, RAY DONOVAN, THE WALKING DEAD, THE WEST WING and many more. Glatters honors include four Emmy Award nominations, a Producers Guild of America Award nomination as well as six Directors Guild of America Award nominations and two wins for her work on HOMELAND and MAD MEN. Her DWW film TALES OF MEETING AND PARTING earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short in 1985. Glatter made her feature directorial debut in 1995 with NOW AND THEN, starring Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore, Rosie ODonnell and Rita Wilson.
With HOMELAND set to return for season six in fall 2016, Glatter is also directing and executive-producing SIX, a pilot about Navy SEAL Team Six for the History Channel. (AND dont miss our interview with Lesli as she prepared for work on HOMELAND, whilst conducting writers and directors classes for AFIs female film students -- and writing at the time of the interview for several hit television shows, including: Leslis features include Now and Then, The Proposition, State of Emergency, True Blood, Homeland, among others.)
The recipients of the Schaffner Medal represent an impressive community of working AFI Conservatory and DWW alumni. From among a community of nearly 5,000 AFI graduates, Glatter joins an esteemed group of past recipients that includes Darren Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN), Anne Garefino (SOUTH PARK), Patty Jenkins (MONSTER), Janusz Kami ski (BRIDGE OF SPIES), David Lynch (TWIN PEAKS) and Wally Pfister (THE DARK KNIGHT RISES).
About Franklin J. Schaffner and the Schaffner Alumni Medal
Over the course of a remarkable 40-year career, Franklin J. Schaffner earned a total of 28 Academy Award nominations and the Best Director Oscar for PATTON in 1970. Schaffner's association with AFI began in 1975, with his election to the AFI Board of Trustees, and lasted until his death in 1989.
The Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of a graduate of the AFI Conservatory or the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women who symbolizes the legacy of Franklin J. Schaffner. The distinguished recipients of the Schaffner Alumni Medal are: David Lynch , Randa Haines , Jon Avnet , John McTiernan , Mimi Leder , Darren Aronofsky , John Dahl , Paul Schrader , Gary Winick , Steve Golin , Steven Rosenblum , Stuart Cornfeld and Caleb Deschanel (2015).
About the AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling.
Within the Conservatory is also a unique training program, the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women (DWW). Founded in 1974, DWW is a hands-on training program committed to increasing the number of women working professionally in screen directing. The innovative and tuition-free workshop is open to women with three years or more of professional experience in the arts, providing them an immersive opportunity to learn by doing - with each participant required to complete a short film or series by the end of the program.
AFI Conservatory's alumni have been consistently recognized with all of the major industry awards - Academy Awards , Emmy Awards, guild awards - as well as the Tony Awards . Esteemed director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks serves as Artistic Director of the AFI Conservatory where he provides creative leadership for the elite film program. Proud supporters of the AFI Conservatory are American Airlines, the official airline of AFI and VIZIO, the official home theater sponsor of AFI.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is Americas promise to preserve the heritage 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 the AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI AWARDS, honoring the most outstanding movies and TV series of the year; AFIs 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. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.
###
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/05/2026
Student Spotlight: Joshua Griffin The New Orleans native, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Boston Conservatory at Berklee, talks about ...
04/05/2026
It's Andrew! stomps onto screens this June 4 May 2026
The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce that brand new preschool series, It's Andr...
03/05/2026
Polysynth now features Mutable Instruments' macro oscillators
Melbourne Instruments have just released a free firmware update that brings the engine beh...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistika Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
03/05/2026
Introducing the new Mistake Workflows Suite: transformative and cost-effective f...
02/05/2026
(L-R) Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall appear in Tuner by Daniel Roher, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance In...
02/05/2026
Versatile re-amping tool announced
Warm Audio are best known for their recreations of sought-after vintage studio gear, but their latest release brings a ne...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/05/2026
Scripps Research immunologist Dennis Burton elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences A leader in broadly neutralizing antibodies, Burton has helped driv...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
01/05/2026
BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing ( BKB ), today announced the appointment of Will Wright ...
01/05/2026
Lawo has been at the center of the industry's transition to IP and other next-generation technologies. At NAB 2026, its story was the Edge One AV stagebox, ...
01/05/2026
HBA Media, acting on behalf of NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Incorporated, has announced broadcast and streaming distribution for Kentucky Derby 152, taking pl...
01/05/2026
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
01/05/2026
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...
01/05/2026
One of the world's biggest popstars is headed to El Cl sico. Later this mont...
01/05/2026
Limited-edition model celebrates 15th anniversary
Heritage Audio's range of monitor controllers has just gained a new member, the Baby RAM Black Edition...
01/05/2026
Dumble recreation now available as UAD plug-in
Along with their renowned processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have been steadily introducing emulations of c...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
To celebrate the opening of its new showroom and office, Lightware UK hosted a dedicated launch event at the new London location. The event welcomed partners, c...
01/05/2026
Choice without compromise
The broadcast industrys transformation is accelerating, and traditional broadcasters are having to fundamentally reinvent how they o...
01/05/2026
Beam Dynamics will return to MPTS 2026 with its asset intelligence platform, helping systems integrators, live production teams, media facilities and profession...
01/05/2026
Best-in-class UX design and rapid, scalable delivery for next-generation viewing experiences
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced a coll...
01/05/2026
Compact new cforce MAX lens motor brings unrivaled speed and responsiveness to t...
01/05/2026
Panavision welcomes Fritz Heinzle as Vice President of Sales
Brie Clayton May 1, 2026
0 Comments
Heinzle will support Panavision's global growth s...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/05/2026
LONDON, APRIL 30, 2026 The Post Republic London's Re-recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor Dan Johnson has built a reputation for clean, emotionally resonan...
01/05/2026
Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations in Photoshop & Lightroom
Deepa Subramaniam April 30, 2026
0 Comments
Your most tedious creative tasks just got ea...
01/05/2026
Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund The $400,000 grant offers students access to experiential learning opportunities withi...
01/05/2026
Student Spotlight: Keziah Thomas The Indian composer, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Berklee College of Music, talks about how shes p...
01/05/2026
Friday 1 May 2026
Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa to host the series final tw...
01/05/2026
Friday 1 May 2026
Got plans? Cancel them. Sky Sports Big Weekend is coming
Sky Sports is preparing for a bumper weekend of live action, including Manchester ...
01/05/2026
Friday 1 May 2026
Sky Sports to broadcast all matches from World Sevens Football London edition
Sky Sports will be the exclusive UK broadcaster of the women...
01/05/2026
Back to All News
NIAJ Fest Gets Los Angeles In on the Joke With Free Pop-Up Events
Entertainment
01 May 2026
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
...