Chief Executive, President, American Film Institute

The flagship AFI film school continues to top college rankings, and Gazzale is also pursuing other initiatives. The Hollywood Hills-based nonprofit champions the moving image as an art form. In March, the Disney/AFI Underrepresented Storytellers Initiative was launched to remove economic barriers for new filmmakers, and January saw the release of a comprehensive study, “Women They Talk About,” that credits the contributions women made during silent-film era. Last year, AFI’s Cinematography Intensive for Women workshop relaunched, and an educational partnership was formed with the Telluride Film Festival. Gazzale is a film historian and Emmy-winning producer.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5