Five graduates from the class of 2014 will receive funding for excellence in their thesis work.

Director-producer Rick Rosenthal (AFI Class of 1973) announced the following:

The William J Fadiman Award for Screenwriting ($15,000) was awarded to both Emily Ackerman for the screenplay Higher and Derek Ustruck for the screenplay Yì Qi; and

The Richard P Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award ($15,000) to director Stefan Kubicki for the film Against Night, which was recently nominated for a 2015 Student Academy Award in the Narrative category;

AFI Conservatory Dean Jan Schuette also presented:

The Franklin J Schaffner Fellow Awards ($10,000 each) to director Chloe Okuno for the film Slut and to director Logan Sandler for the film Tracks.