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.
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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.
