FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WALLY PFISTER
TO BE HONORED AS ALUMNUS OF
THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE
CINEMATOGRAPHER OF THE DARK NIGHT RISES TO RECEIVE
22ND ANNUAL FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER ALUMNI MEDAL
Joins Previous AFI Conservatory Alumni Including
Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch and Terrence Malick
LOS ANGELES, CA, May 31, 2012 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that Wally Pfister,
recognized as one of the most gifted cinematographers in the world today, will receive the 2012 Franklin J.
Schaffner Alumni Medal. Pfister will be presented with the medal as part of the AFI Life Achievement Award
honoring Shirley MacLaine, to be held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City on June 7, 2012, and
broadcast on TV Land on June 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of a graduate of the AFI
Conservatory or AFI Directing Workshop for Women who symbolizes the legacy of Franklin Schaffner. The
AFI Conservatory – named the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter – is renowned for its
collaborative approach to hands-on filmmaking and its advanced training of the next generation of
storytellers in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design
and Screenwriting.
A graduate of the AFI Conservatory in 1991, Pfister joins 21 AFI alumni who have been awarded this honor,
including Darren Aronofsky (BLACK SWAN, THE WRESTLER), Amy Heckerling (FAST TIMES AT
RIDGEMONT HIGH), Janusz Kamiński (SCHINDLER’S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN), David Lynch (BLUE
VELVET), Terrence Malick (TREE OF LIFE, BADLANDS) and Ed Zwick (GLORY).
Pfister is best known for his collaboration with director Christopher Nolan, which spans every motion picture
Nolan has directed since MEMENTO (2000), including INSOMNIA (2002); BATMAN BEGINS (2005); THE
PRESTIGE (2006); THE DARK KNIGHT (2008); INCEPTION (2010), for which Pfister received the Oscar; and
this summer’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012). Other recent films include MONEYBALL (2011) and the
documentary MARLEY (2012), now playing in theaters. He has been nominated for four Oscars and was
twice nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in
Cinematography.
The son of a television news executive, Pfister began working as a news cameraman upon graduation from
high school and covered the United States Congress, the White House and breaking news for a Washington
news service in the early 1980s. When director Robert Altman needed a real news cameraman to appear in
TANNER ’88, he hired Pfister as an actor. The producers saw his footage and brought him on as second
unit cameraman, his first exposure to dramatic material.
Pfister pursued his passion for Cinematography at the AFI Conservatory where he collaborated with
classmates on SENZENI NA? (1990), a dark look at apartheid nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Live Action Short Film. Janusz Kamiński (AFI Class of 1987), the 2010 recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner
Alumni Medal, saw the film and recruited Pfister to work with Roger Corman and Phedon Papamichael. His
long and productive collaboration with Christopher Nolan followed. Pfister is currently in pre-production on
his directorial debut for Alcon Entertainment.
Verizon’s Digital Media Services group is the proud sponsor of the presentation of the Schaffner Alumni
Medal to Wally Pfister and additionally honored to support the next generation of filmmakers through
scholarships to the AFI Conservatory.
HP is the Presenting Sponsor of the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute honoring Shirley MacLaine. Official
Sponsors include Audi of America, Deloitte, Verizon Digital Media Services and American Airlines – the
official airline of AFI, with additional support provided by Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
and Stella Artois.
2 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 directing 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 of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women who symbolize the legacy of Franklin Schaffner. The
distinguished recipients of the Schaffner Alumni Medal are: David Lynch (1991), Edward Zwick (1992), Randa Haines
(1993), Martin Brest (1994), Jon Avnet (1995), Carl Franklin (1996), John McTiernan (1997), Amy Heckerling (1998),
Mimi Leder (1999), Terrence Malick (2000), Darren Aronofsky (2001), Todd Field (2002), John Dahl (2003), Patty
Jenkins (2004), Paul Schrader (2005), Marshall Herskovitz (2006), Gary Winick (2007), Mark Waters (2008), Steve
Golin (2009), Janusz Kamiński (2010) and Steven Rosenblum (2011).
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to
educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is
dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.
AFI preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage for future generations through the AFI Archive, comprised of rare
footage from across the history of the moving image and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an authoritative record of
American films from 1893 to the present.
AFI honors the artists and their work through a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life
Achievement Award and AFI Awards. Celebrating its 40th year in 2012, the AFI Life Achievement Award has
remained the highest honor for a career in film while AFI Awards, the Institute’s almanac for the 21st century, honors
the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television
events and movie reference lists have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers.
And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI offers film enthusiasts a variety of events throughout the
year, including AFI Fest presented by Audi, the Institute’s annual celebration of excellence in global cinema; AFIDiscovery Channel Silverdocs, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., celebrating its 10th edition this year; and
year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre in the Washington, DC area.
AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, named the #1 film school in
the world by The Hollywood Reporter for the quality of its instructors and speakers, and its “glittering parade of
alumni.” 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.
For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm,
facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.
About Verizon Digital Media Services
Verizon Digital Media Services is a first-of-its-kind, end-to-end digital media solution that automates manual workflow
processes associated with formatting, managing and mass distributing digital media to virtually any device or platform.
By leveraging Verizon’s world-class global IP network, expansive data center infrastructure and leading managed
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integrated business solutions portfolio. Visit VERIZON DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES for more information.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and
society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal
computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE:
HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.
About TV Land
TV Land is the programming destination featuring the best in entertainment on all platforms for consumers in their 40s
and 50s. Consisting of original programming, classic and contemporary television series acquisitions, hit movies and a
full-service Web site, TV Land is now seen in over 98 million U.S. homes.
Contact:
Jessica Smith – American Film Institute
323.856.7766 or jsmith@AFI.com
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