Siân Heder, who directed and won an Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Best Picture winner CODA for Apple TV+, will receive the American Film Institute’s 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal.
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the U.S. Heder will receive the honor June 9 during the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to Julie Andrews, which will air June 16 on TNT.
The Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal is awarded annually to an alumnus of either the AFI Conservatory or the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women, who best embodies the qualities of the late director: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality filmmaking.
“Siân Heder is a voice the world needs now more than ever,” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said. “We are proud to honor her as an alumna of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women – and, more importantly, as a storyteller who drives culture forward with an inspiring alchemy of intellect and heart.”