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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS JANUARY 4, 2008

AFI's Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) is currently accepting applications for its 2008 cycle. Established in 1974, this tuition-free program is dedicated to increasing the number of women working professionally as film and television directors by providing them with the education and resources necessary to take their first step toward career advancement by directing a short film. AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women remains the only program of its kind in the nation. Each year, hundreds of applications from all over the country are reviewed to select the eight women who will be given the opportunity to participate in this prestigious program. Applications can be downloaded from http://www.AFI.com/education/dww and must be postmarked by January 4, 2008.

"AFI's Directing Workshop for Women provides an unprecedented opportunity for aspiring filmmakers. I am eternally grateful for the experience they provided me, and the support I continue to receive. To be part of such a select group of filmmakers truly is a dream," says alumna Deb Hagan. Her 2004 DWW short film PEE SHY has been the official selection of 73 international film festivals, a winner of over 20 awards and was recently purchased by HBO. Hagan has been invited to festivals around the world and across the United States including AFI FEST, L.A. Shorts Fest and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Just two years later, Hagan directed the Lionsgate film, COLLEGE, which has a wide release set for January 2008.

Additionally, this week AFI presented the first annual Jean Picker Firstenberg Award to workshop participant Rebecca Feldman. Initiated by DWW alumna Nancy Malone, the Jean Picker Firstenberg Award is a tribute to AFI's outgoing CEO and President who has served AFI for over 27 years. Rebecca Feldman was selected by a committee based on the unequalled quality of her final project MY FIRST TIME DRIVING, a short film about a girl whose mother won’t let her drive the car.

AFI will hold an informational open house about DWW on Monday, November 12 as an opportunity to learn more about the Workshop and to ask questions to DWW staff about the application and selection process or about the Workshop in general. Alumnae of the program will be also on hand to discuss their experiences in the Workshop and select completed DWW AFI DWW Now Accepting Applications for 2008 projects will be screened. The event will be held at 7:00 p.m. in AFI’s Warner Building, Ted Ashley Screening Room. AFI is located at 2021 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90027.

AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women’s list of alumnae includes Maya Angelou (DOWN IN THE DELTA); Lesli Linka Glatter (GREY'S ANATOMY, NUMB3RS, THE O.C., THE WEST WING); Randa Haines (THE OUTSIDERS, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD); Victoria Hochberg (STATE OF GRACE, THE CHRIS ISAAK SHOW, SEX AND THE CITY), Tricia Brock (HUFF, THE L WORD) and Kellie Martin (MYSTERY WOMAN). Other graduates include Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Dyan Cannon, Patty Duke, Lynne Littman, , Lynn Roth and Joanne Woodward.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and AFI K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the U.S., AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival—as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. The AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And during the past 35 years, AFI’s Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.