Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In his speech at the 1967 launch of the American Film Institution in the White House Rose Garden, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the primary goal of what was then a small government program: to bring together leading artists in the film industry, outstanding educators, and young men and women who wished to pursue this art form as their life's work.
This would be no easy task; at the time, film was regarded as either high art or disposable popular entertainment. But AFI was uniquely positioned to bridge that gap in the minds and imagination of Americans and champion the concept of film as a critical cultural record.
Told in a unique memoir style, AFI: 50 Years of the American Film Institute gives a candid look at how the organization brought its goal to life, despite facing major challenges along the way. From its early years operating out of the Greystone mansion under the leadership of George Stevens Jr., through its remarkable growth into a cultural institution under the leadership of Jean Picker Firstenberg in the 1980s and '90s at its Los Feliz location, to its continued excellence into the twenty-first century, this book chronicles the history of AFI through in-depth essays by those who were active in the trenches. These stories portray the constantly changing landscape of film culture that shaped AFI itself.
Now celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, AFI has flourished into a self-sustaining arts authority with international reach, whose supporters, board members, and trustees have included Steven Spielberg, Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, Meryl Streep, Sidney Poitier, David Lynch, Francis Ford Coppola, and many more. With passionate determination, AFI overcame the hurdles of advancing technology, political shifts, and new audience dynamics to turn its aspirations into a sustainable organization, becoming one of America's few successful national arts entities and maturing into the respected educational and cultural institution that it is today.
Synopsis
For over fifty years, the American Film Institute has flourished as one of America's great cultural entities. Its graduates, faculty, supporters, and trustees have included such acclaimed individuals as Steven Spielberg, Maya Angelou, Gregory Peck, Meryl Streep, Les Moonves, Patty Jenkins, David Lynch, Jane Fonda, Edward James Olmos, Shonda Rhimes, James L. Brooks, and many other respected leaders in the worlds of film, television, digital media, and philanthropy. Written in a unique memoir style, Becoming AFI: 50 Years Inside the American Film Institute offers a candid look at how this remarkable organization has brought together aspiring filmmakers, outstanding educators, and visionary artists in the film industry. The book also details AFI's journey to becoming the foremost national champion for moving images as a vital form of art and a critical component of America's cultural record. From its early years operating out of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and the legendary Greystone mansion in Beverly Hills under the leadership of George Stevens, Jr., through its incredible growth into an influential cultural institution at its landmark Hollywood campus under the guidance of Jean Picker Firstenberg, to its continued excellence today under the dynamic leadership of Bob Gazzale, Becoming AFI chronicles the history of the organization through in-depth essays from those who have been involved in its adventures, growth, and success. Becoming AFI provides an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at how AFI, with passionate determination, overcame the hurdles of advancing technology, political shifts, and new audience dynamics to turn its aspirations into a substantial and highly successful organization, becoming a tireless advocate of moving images as one of America's most popular forms of art, and maturing into one of the world's most respected educational and cultural institutions.