51 Notable alumni of
American Film Institute Conservatory
Updated:
American Film Institute Conservatory is 657th in the world, 239th in North America, and 220th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 51 notable alumni from American Film Institute Conservatory sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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David Lynch
- Occupations
- cinematographerlyricistanimatorfilm screenwriterphotographer
- Biography
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David Keith Lynch was an American filmmaker, actor, painter, and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, with his films often characterized by a distinctive surrealist sensibility that gave rise to the adjective "Lynchian". In a career spanning more than five decades, he received numerous accolades, including a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, an Academy Honorary Award, and a (posthumous) Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.
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Darren Aronofsky
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterdirectorwriterfilm actor
- Biography
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Darren Aronofsky is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and the British Academy Film Award. Aronofsky studied film and social anthropology at Harvard University before studying directing at the AFI Conservatory. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, Supermarket Sweep, which became a National Student Academy Award finalist. In 1997, he founded the film and TV production company Protozoa Pictures. His feature film debut, the surrealist psychological thriller Pi (1998), earned him the award for Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
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Charlie McDowell
- Occupations
- actorscreenwriterfilm director
- Biography
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Charles Malcolm McDowell is an American film director and screenwriter. McDowell made his directorial film debut with the romantic thriller The One I Love (2014). He has since written and directed the Netflix drama films The Discovery (2017) and Windfall (2022).
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Ari Aster
- Occupations
- writerfilm directordirectorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Ari Aster is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their unsettling combination of dark comedy, horror, and graphic violence. After garnering some recognition for writing and directing the short horror film The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011) as part of his studies at the AFI Conservatory, he became widely known for writing and directing the horror films Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), establishing himself in the genre of elevated horror.
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Brad Falchuk
- Enrolled in American Film Institute Conservatory
- In 1994 graduated with Master of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- film directordirectortelevision directortelevision producershowrunner
- Biography
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Bradley Douglas Falchuk is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for co-creating the television series Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, The Brothers Sun, and Pose with Ryan Murphy, as well as the 911 franchise with Murphy and Tim Minear. He was also a writer and executive producer for Nip/Tuck and is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Recently he became the host of the peculiar TV show Famous Last Words where as an interviewer he has chats with many famous and notorious celebrities right before their deaths.
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Terrence Malick
- Enrolled in American Film Institute Conservatory
- In 1969 graduated with Master of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- film producerfilm actorfilm directorjournalistdirector
- Biography
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Terrence Frederick Malick is an American filmmaker. Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers and received numerous accolades, including the Palme d'Or and the Golden Bear, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a DGA Award, and a WGA Award.
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Sam Esmail
- Occupations
- television directorfilm producerfilmmakershowrunnerfilm director
- Biography
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Sam Esmail is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter who runs the production company Esmail Corp. He is best known as the creator, writer, and director of the award-winning USA Network television series Mr. Robot (2015–2019), starring Rami Malek. He wrote and directed the feature films Comet (2014) and Leave the World Behind (2023). He produced and directed the first season of the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller Homecoming (2018–2020), starring Julia Roberts and Janelle Monáe, and produced USA's Briarpatch (2020), Starz's Gaslit (2022), and Peacock's Angelyne (2022) and The Resort (2022).
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Paul Schrader
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm criticfilm directordirector
- Biography
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Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scorsese, writing or co-writing Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader has also worked extensively as a director: his 23 films include Blue Collar (1978), Hardcore (1979), American Gigolo (1980), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Light Sleeper (1992), Affliction (1997), and First Reformed (2017), with the last of these earning him his first Academy Award nomination. Schrader's work frequently depicts "man in a room" stories which feature isolated, troubled men confronting an existential crisis.
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Patty Jenkins
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterdirectortelevision directorexecutive producer
- Biography
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Patricia Lea Jenkins is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films Monster (2003), Wonder Woman (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).
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John McTiernan
- Occupations
- screenwriterdirectorfilm directorfilm produceractor
- Biography
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John Campbell McTiernan Jr. is an American film director, producer and writer best known for his work in the action film genre. His films include Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Last Action Hero (1993), The Thomas Crown Affair and The 13th Warrior (both 1999).
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Edward Zwick
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directordirectorfilm producer
- Biography
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Edward M. Zwick is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and epic historical film genres and received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for his work producing Shakespeare in Love (1998).
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Todd Field
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorfilm score composerfilm producerfilm actor
- Biography
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William Todd Field is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing In the Bedroom (2001), Little Children (2006), and Tár (2022), which were nominated for a combined fourteen Academy Awards. Field has personally received six Academy Award nominations for his films; two for Best Picture, two for Best Adapted Screenplay, one for Best Director, and one for Best Original Screenplay. He also co-created the concept for bubble gum brand Big League Chew.
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Janusz Kamiński
- Occupations
- manufacturerdirectorcinematographerfilm directorcamera operator
- Biography
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Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński is a Polish cinematographer and director. He is known for his frequent collaborations with Steven Spielberg.
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Amy Heckerling
- Occupations
- film producerfilm directortelevision produceractordirector
- Biography
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Amy Heckerling is an American writer, producer, and director. Heckerling started out her career after graduating from New York University and entering the American Film Institute, making small student films. Heckerling is a recipient of AFI's Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal celebrating her creative talents and artistic achievements. She struggled to break out into big films up until the release of her breakout film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).
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Jack Fisk
- Occupations
- film directorproduction designer
- Biography
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Jack Fisk is an American production designer and director.
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Zal Batmanglij
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorwriterfilm producerexecutive producer
- Biography
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Zal Batmanglij is an American film director and screenwriter. He directed and co-wrote the 2011 film Sound of My Voice and the 2013 film The East, both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Netflix series The OA, which debuted in 2016.
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Andrea Arnold
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directortelevision presenteractor
- Biography
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Andrea Patricia Arnold OBE is an English filmmaker and former actress. She won an Academy Award for her short film Wasp in 2005. Her feature films include Red Road (2006), Fish Tank (2009) and American Honey (2016), all of which have won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, while her first documentary feature Cow premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
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Mimi Leder
- Occupations
- film producertelevision producerfilm director
- Biography
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Miriam Leder is an American film and television director and producer; she is noted for her action films and use of special effects. She has directed the films The Peacemaker (1997), Deep Impact (1998), Pay It Forward (2000), and On the Basis of Sex (2018). She was the first female graduate of the AFI Conservatory, in 1973. She has been nominated for ten Emmy Awards, winning two.
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Robert Richardson
- Occupations
- cinematographer
- Biography
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Robert Bridge Richardson, ASC is an American cinematographer.
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Steve Golin
- Occupations
- film producerproducertelevision producer
- Biography
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Steven Aaron Golin was an American film and television producer and the founder and CEO of Anonymous Content LLP, a multimedia development, production and talent management company and co-founder and CEO of Propaganda Films. Golin graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1976 and attended the AFI Conservatory. He won Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards for Spotlight.
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Rodrigo García Márquez
- Occupations
- film directordirectortelevision directorcamera operatorauthor
- Biography
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Rodrigo García Barcha is a Colombian and Mexican television and film director, screenwriter, author and former cinematographer, best known for his films Nine Lives (2005), Mother and Child (2009), Albert Nobbs (2011), Last Days in the Desert (2015), as well as his work on the HBO drama series In Treatment. He also created, wrote, and directed the award-winning web series Blue (2012–2015), starring Julia Stiles, for which he won an IAWTV Award in 2014. In 2021 García released his first memoir, A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes: A Son's Memoir of Gabriel García Márquez and Mercedes Barcha.
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John Dahl
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directordirectortelevision director
- Biography
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John Dahl is an American film and television director and writer, best known for his work in the neo-noir genre.
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Carl Franklin
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directordirectoractortelevision producer
- Biography
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Carl Michael Franklin is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and former actor. He began his career in the 1970s as a television actor, playing regular roles as Dr. Fred Walters on The Fantastic Journey, Detective Jerry Cross on McClain's Law, and Captain Crane on The A-Team. In the 1980s, he graduated from the AFI Conservatory, and began directing B-movies at Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures.
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Matthew Libatique
- Occupations
- cinematographer
- Biography
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Matthew José Libatique ASC, LPS is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Darren Aronofsky, Joel Schumacher, Spike Lee, and Bradley Cooper. He has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography - for Black Swan (2010), A Star Is Born (2018), and Maestro (2023). He is also a two-time Independent Spirit Award winner, and two-time BAFTA Award nominee.
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Frank Spotnitz
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision directorfilm producertelevision producer
- Biography
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Frank Charles Spotnitz is an American television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the series The X-Files (1995–2002) and its spin-off The Lone Gunmen (2001), and as the developer/creator of The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019), Medici (2016-19), Ransom (2017-19), and Leonardo (2021)
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Doug Ellin
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterdirectortelevision producerfilm director
- Biography
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Douglas Reed Ellin is an American screenwriter and film and TV director, known best for creating the HBO television series Entourage. Ellin also served as executive producer, director, head writer and supporting actor for the series, and wrote, directed and produced its 2015 film adaptation.
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Rachel Morrison
- Occupations
- film directordirectorcinematographerfilm producertelevision director
- Biography
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Rachel Morrison is an American cinematographer and director.
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Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
- Occupations
- television directordirectorfilm directorfilm produceractor
- Biography
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Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is an American film and television director. He made his directorial film debut with the slasher film The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014). He has since directed the coming of age film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015), and the historical drama The Current War (2017).
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Dean Israelite
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriterfilm director
- Biography
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Dean Israelite is a South African filmmaker, best known for directing the found footage film Project Almanac (2015), the 2017 reboot of Power Rangers, and the 2019 reboot of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
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Jon Avnet
- Occupations
- producerscreenwriterdirectorwriterfilm director
- Biography
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Jonathan Michael Avnet is an American director, writer, and producer.
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Drake Doremus
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Drake Doremus is an American film director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing the films Like Crazy (2011), which won the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Douchebag (2010), which was in Dramatic competition at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and Equals (2015).
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Miguel Arteta
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directordirectoractor
- Biography
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Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican filmmaker known for his work in independent cinema and television. His film Chuck & Buck (2000) received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature made for under $500,000, while The Good Girl (2002) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was met with positive critical reception. In television, Arteta has directed episodes for series such as The Office, Succession, and Enlightened. His work on Succession earned him a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.
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Manny Coto
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorfilm producertelevision producer
- Biography
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Manuel Hector Coto (June 10, 1961 – July 9, 2023) was a Cuban-born American screenwriter, television and film director, and producer on various films and television programs.
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Julie Dash
- Occupations
- writernovelistfilm directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Julie Ethel Dash is an American filmmaker, music video and commercial director, author, and website producer. Dash received her MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmmakers known as the L.A. Rebellion.
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Matthew Robbins
- Occupations
- screenwriterdirectorfilm directorfilm produceractor
- Biography
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Matthew Robbins is an American screenwriter and film director best known for his writing work within the American New Wave movement.
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Gary Winick
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorfilm producerfilm editor
- Biography
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Gary Scott Winick was an American filmmaker whose films as a director include Tadpole (2002) and 13 Going on 30 (2004), and who also produced such films as Pieces of April (2003) and November (2004) through his New York City-based independent film production company InDigEnt.
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Marshall Herskovitz
- Enrolled in American Film Institute Conservatory
- Studied in 1975
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorfilm producertelevision producer
- Biography
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Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz is an American film director, writer, and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are Traffic, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and I Am Sam. Herskovitz has directed two feature films, Jack the Bear and Dangerous Beauty. Herskovitz was a creator and executive producer of the television shows thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again, and also wrote and directed several episodes of all three series.
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Jeffrey Reiner
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision directorfilm directorfilm editortelevision producer
- Biography
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Jeffrey Reiner is an American film director, editor, screenwriter, television director, and producer.
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David M. Rosenthal
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterfilm director
- Biography
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David Mitchell Rosenthal is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. He has directed the films A Single Shot, How It Ends, Janie Jones, and The Perfect Guy, among others.
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Kirby Dick
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directordirectorfilm producer
- Biography
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Kirby Bryan Dick is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing documentary films. He received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature for directing Twist of Faith (2005) and The Invisible War (2012). He has also received numerous awards from film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.
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Duke Johnson
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directordirectorfilm producer
- Biography
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Duke Johnson is an American film director who specializes in stop-motion animation. He currently serves as a director and junior partner for Dino Stamatopoulos's animation production studio Starburns Industries in Burbank, California.
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Neal Baer
- Occupations
- showrunnertelevision producerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Neal Baer is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows Designated Survivor, ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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Jennifer Phang
- Occupations
- screenwriterdirectorfilm directorfilm editorfilm producer
- Biography
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Jennifer Phang is an American filmmaker (writer, director, producer), most known for her feature films Advantageous (2015) and Half-Life (2008). Advantageous premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, winning a Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision, and was based on her award-winning short film of the same name. Half-Life premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won "Best Film" awards at a number of film festivals including the Gen Art Film Festival, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (now known as CAAMFest) as well as an "Emerging Director Award" at the Asian American International Film Festival.
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Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
- Occupations
- documentary filmmakerphotographerfilm director
- Biography
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Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is an American documentary filmmaker and portrait photographer based in New York City. The majority of his work is shot in large format.
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Maria Ripoll
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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Maria Ripoll Julià is a Spanish film director from Barcelona, with an international background and eight feature films to her credit. The success of her film It's Now or Never placed her as the highest-grossing Spanish female film director to that date.
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Susan Johnson
- Occupations
- film producermusic video directorfilm director
- Biography
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Susan Johnson is an American film producer and director, known for directing the 2016 comedy film Carrie Pilby and the 2018 feature To All the Boys I've Loved Before.
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Anku Pande
- Occupations
- television producer
- Biography
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Anku Pande is a film producer from Nainital, Uttarakhand in India.
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Gavin Heffernan
- Occupations
- photographerfilm producerfilm directorfilm editoractor
- Biography
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Gavin Heffernan is a Canadian filmmaker, photographer, and producer. He co-wrote the psychological horror film The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) with writing partner Adam Robitel. Also known for directing experimental visual works, primarily timelapse, featured in the Rolling Stones' 2015 Zip Code Tour as well as their 2016 Desert Trip shows. Heffernan also contributed visuals to Pink Floyd's Roger Waters' 2016 concerts, Paul Simon's 2018 Homeward Bound Farewell Tour, and John Mayer's 2022 Sob Rock tour.
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Alonso Mayo
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwriterfilm director
- Biography
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Alonso Mayo is a Peruvian film director and screenwriter best known for his independent film The Story of Luke (2012). He has won a Student Academy Award (for Wednesday Afternoon).
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David Milhous
- Occupations
- television editortelevision producer
- Biography
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David Milhous is an American film editor. He is known best as the editor of Crime Watch Daily, which won an Emmy Award for Editing in 2017. He is also a founding member of the American post-punk band Lippy's Garden.
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Sandra Espinet
- Years
- 1964-.. (age 62)
- Occupations
- interior designer
- Biography
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Sandra Espinet is a luxury interior designer who resides in and has offices in both San José del Cabo, Mexico and Los Angeles, California.
