Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Probably the best thing about Award Season is when the scholarships are handed out for newcomers on the way up. SOUL is tipped for great things for 2021, but Bailey Selway's nod as a Cinematography Fellow from AFI Awards in association with Audi for SOUL will impact filmmaking in the future.

That's the goal, at least, when institutions like AFI help forge a path for upcomers. Kudos to Bailey Salwey. :)

LOS ANGELES, CA: AFI AWARDS celebrates SOUL with brand new content featuring actress Tina Fey and director Pete Docter. Fey accepts the AFI AWARDS honor on behalf of the creative ensemble and introduces the film to the AFI Movie Club audience, while Docter takes the audience “Behind the Scene” and talks about the influence of jazz and appreciating both music teachers and performers in the film.

“SOUL  is a modern movie miracle. This ambitiously imaginative burst of life finds the spark of spirituality in American cinema – and delivers it to audiences of all ages in equal parts entertainment and enlightenment. Pete Docter and his talented team at Pixar tackle issues of the highest plane – death, regret, acceptance – and place their answers in the talented voices of Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey. The alchemy that results invites audiences to look to the future without fear – and to find the joy in their soul.” -The American Film Institute.

The AFI AWARDS celebration is sponsored by Audi, a supporter of AFI programs for the past 17 years. To commemorate each of the AFI AWARDS recipients, Audi has created the AFI AWARDS Audi Scholarships initiative providing scholarships in the name of the honorees to women and BIPOC Fellows at the AFI Conservatory – for a total contribution of $250,000. Congratulations to Bailey Salwey, Cinematography Fellow, recipient of the AFI AWARDS Audi Scholarship in the name of AFI AWARDS Honoree SOUL.

WHERE:          Tina Fey Intro Video on AFI’s YouTube channel

                        Pete Docter’s “Behind the Scene” video on AFI’s YouTube  

The American Film Institute (AFI)

Established in 1967, the American Film Institute is the nation’s non-profit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring artists and audiences through initiatives that champion the past, present and future of the moving image. AFI’s pioneering programs include filmmaker training at the AFI Conservatory; year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and at AFI Festivals across the nation; workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community; honoring today’s masters through the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI AWARDS; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films that uphold film history for future generations.  Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/American Film and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

Audi of America
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands, delivering about 1.845 million vehicles globally in 2019. In the U.S., Audi of America sold just over 224,000 vehicles in 2019 and launched the brand’s first fully electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron – one of four fully electric models coming to the U.S. market in the next two years. Globally, the brand aims to be CO2 neutral by 2050. Visit audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

###