Jamie Lee Curtis Receives Honorary Degree at AFI Conservatory Commencement
Curtis was introduced on stage by director John Carpenter.
By: Josh Sharpe Aug. 12, 2024
The American Film Institute (AFI) conferred a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa for contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image upon Jamie Lee Curtis during the AFI Conservatory’s Class of 2024 commencement ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Curtis was introduced on stage by John Carpenter. The commencement celebrated the AFI Fellows’ completion of two years of intense study in AFI’s MFA program which is ranked the top film school in the nation. The 141 graduating filmmakers specialized in one of six disciplines – Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design or Screenwriting – and collectively created the equivalent of 10 feature films during their two years at AFI. The class features 67% female filmmakers, 45% domestic Fellows of color and 40% international filmmakers.
The ceremony began with opening remarks by Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO, welcoming the graduating Fellows and their friends and families.
John Carpenter, who cast Curtis in his 1978 horror classic HALLOWEEN marking her film debut, took to the stage to a standing ovation—and the iconic score Carpenter composed for HALLOWEEN —to bestow the honorary degree upon the acclaimed actress. He spoke about first meeting Curtis, “She was and is a force of nature.”
A montage of clips from Curtis’ well-known and renowned projects filled the TCL Chinese Theatre screen. When Curtis stepped to the podium, the audience gave her a standing ovation.
In accepting her AFI Honorary Degree, Curtis shared a quote that she loves, “Life hinges on a couple seconds you never see coming.” She concluded her speech offering the following advice to the Fellows, “Stay open, stay free, stay engaged, stay absolutely enthusiastic, don’t get lazy, fight for it, work for it, save the universe please, god bless you all, thank you.”
Curtis joins an esteemed group of distinguished past recipients, including Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Angela Bassett, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Ernest R. Dickerson, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, Jodie Foster, Lesli Linka Glatter, Lawrence Herbert, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Paul Schrader, Quentin Tarantino, Lily Tomlin, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler, John Williams and Michelle Yeoh.
Following Curtis, Susan Ruskin, Dean of the AFI Conservatory and Executive Vice President of AFI, addressed the Class of 2024 and praised their hard work, dedication and creativity.
AFI Class of 2024 Representative Allysa Lisbon then addressed the audience. Lisbon, a Cinematography Fellow, was selected by her classmates for the honor. She encouraged her fellow creatives to challenge themselves. “In a world where the only constant is change, what stories are we going to believe in? How will we direct the change we know is coming?”
Past Alumni of the AFI Conservatory, ranging from modern masters to bold new voices defining the state of the art form, include Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Aster, Deniese Davis, Sam Esmail, Brad Falchuk, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Liz Hannah, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas, Polly Morgan, Rachel Morrison and Wally Pfister, among others.
In addition to the commencement ceremony, AFI is hosting several industry showcases featuring the work of the graduating filmmakers. The showcases are part of AFI’s Bridge to the Future program for Conservatory graduates. The Production Design Showcase – filled with work by AFI Conservatory Production Design graduates – will hold its final open house on August 11 from 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. The Cinematography Showcase, which screens a collection of three-minute films all shot on motion picture film by AFI Conservatory Fellows, will take place on August 11 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with an encore presentation on August 12 at 11:00 a.m. The Conservatory Screenwriting Showcase is slated for September 12, with the Directing Showcase set for October 22. To RSVP or learn more about AFI Conservatory showcases, please email information@AFI.com.
Applications to the AFI Conservatory open on September 6, 2024. Learn more at AFI.edu.
About Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an actress, hitting new heights with her performance in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, for which she won the Academy Award® and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance, Curtis was also nominated for a Golden Globe® Award and an Independent Spirit Award. In 2021, Curtis received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival.
She has demonstrated her versatility in acclaimed films including the blockbuster TRUE LIES, for which she won a Golden Globe® Award and TRADING PLACES, for which she earned a BAFTA Award. Curtis garnered BAFTA and Golden Globe® Award nominations for A FISH CALLED WANDA, and a Golden Globe® nomination for FREAKY FRIDAY. Its sequel FREAKY FRIDAY 2 will be released in 2025.
Her film debut in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic HALLOWEEN brought her worldwide attention. Forty years later, Curtis reprised her iconic role in David Gordon Green’s record-breaking HALLOWEEN (2018), produced by Jason Blum. Its opening weekend was the biggest debut ever, for any movie in any genre, to feature a female lead character over 55 years of age. The film trilogy also includes HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021) and HALLOWEEN ENDS (2022).
Curtis’ extensive film credits also include KNIVES OUT, YOU AGAIN, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS, THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, BLUE STEEL, MY GIRL, MY GIRL 2 and many others.
On television, Curtis most recently guest-starred on the award-winning FX on Hulu series THE BEAR, for which she received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Other television highlights include SCREAM QUEENS, for which she received a Golden Globe® nomination; the sitcom ANYTHING BUT LOVE, co-starring Richard Lewis, for which she earned a Golden Globe® Award; TNT’s adaptation of the Wendy Wasserstein play THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, for which she earned a Golden Globe® nomination; and the CBS television film NICHOLAS’ GIFT, for which she was nominated for an Emmy® Award.
In 2019, Curtis formed Comet Pictures, a film, television and podcast production company that has a first-look deal with Blumhouse. Comet's projects in the works include: SCARPETTA, a series based on Patricia Cornwell's best-selling novels about forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta which will star Nicole Kidman; Apple Original Films’ THE LOST BUS, starring Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera and directed by Paul Greengrass; and MOTHER NATURE, an eco-horror film based on the graphic novel written by Curtis and Russell Goldman and illustrated by Karl Stevens that Curtis co-wrote with Goldman and that she will direct.
Curtis is also the founder and CEO of My Hand In Yours, a charitable organization that offers comfort and celebration items with 100% of every sale donated directly to Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Curtis is also a New York Times best-selling children’s book author, having written 13 books. Her most recent book, “Just One More Sleep,” was released earlier this year.
Photo Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI
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