What is it about?
A lonely woman who takes care of her paralyzed husband saves an alien who cannot experience emotions. As she tries to teach it what it’s like to be human, she discovers that feelings can be misleading.
We are fundraising to make LIKE US a reality. Having already raised $13,000, we are on the way to reaching our final budget! Help us get there by donating before our fundraising deadline on October 4th, 2019!
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Select “AFI Thesis Film 2009-LIKE US
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donation levels
We appreciate and welcome your generosity. Donations within certain levels will receive a special credit at the end of the film:
$1-99 Special Thanks
$100 to $499 Benefactor
$500 to $999 Partner
$1000 to $1999 Sponsor
$2000 to $4999 Associate Producer
$5000 and up Executive Producer
By Mail
Please make your check payable to 'American Film Institute'.
Note LIKE US #2009 in the check memo.
Mail to:
Thesis 2009, LIKE US
C/O American Film Institute
2021 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Matching grants
Many companies will match donations made by their employees to non-profit charitable institutions. Your Human Resources Department will be able to inform you if your employer offers this benefit. If so, please select “My company will match my gift” on the AFI Web Donation Portal. Please contact us for any additional help.
IN-kind donations
Help comes in many forms. We will gratefully accept any in-kind donations to our film - and you will make the credits! Please contact us and let us know how you can help. We'll gladly accept any of following: Filming Locations (Restaurants, Parking Lots, Houses), Equipment (Camera, Grip, Lighting), Art Department & Construction Supplies, Visual Effects, Color Correction, Sound Mixing, Music Composing, Craft Services/Catering, Picture Vehicles.
tax deductions
The American Film Institute is a Government-recognized 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, and holds tax exempt status. Donations made toward LIKE US may be tax deductible under Section 170 of the U.S. Tax Code. A letter of acknowledgement from AFI will be sent for all contributions.
The Team
Meet the creative team!
Mikhail saburov - Writer/director
With background in theater, Mikhail Saburov moved to NYC from Yekaterinburg, Russia, and graduated from School of Visual Arts with a BFA in directing. His second-year film, REMEMBER US, was nominated and won prizes at multiple film festivals while successfully securing distribution at Marche du Film, Cannes Film Festival, via Amazon Prime in Germany, the U.S., UK and Japan. Saburov's BFA thesis film SILVER was nominated for best cinematography at ASC Heritage Awards, and used by Panasonic to promote their new equipment at the NAB event in Las Vegas. Currently Mikhail is in his second year at AFI Conservatory graduate program aiming to continue his career as writer & director.
Ryan Kerr - Cinematographer
Ryan Kerr earned his BA in Cinema Arts and Sciences from Columbia College Chicago, with a specialization in Cinematography. His thesis film, REACH, was selected to premiere at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for the Dances With Films festival. Kerr spent the two years shooting music videos, shorts, feature films, and commercial work for FCB before being accepted into the AFI Cinematography program. Kerr continues to seek out every opportunity to collaborate and grow as a cinematographer, looking forward to the work he will create in the future.
Timur khanachet - producer
Timur Khanachet is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He began his career at Curious Pictures, working on a variety of projects including stop-motion animation for EUREKA's holiday special "Do You See What I See." He worked for four years in Dubai, UAE, producing promos for the pay-TV network OSN, and content for such brands as Emirates airline, TGI Fridays and WWE. Returning to America, he has worked on independent short films, web series and branded content for WWE and Hyundai.
Wilandrea blair - story editor
Wilandrea Blair is from Flint, Michigan, and attended the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, earning BAs in both English and Communications, and an MA in Film/TV Studies. After moving to LA, she worked on several film projects including the critically acclaimed mockumentary WHO'S THE CABOOSE? Her path has now come full circle from being a broadcast news writer/producer to creative director in advertising and back to her first love — screenwriting. As an AFI Conservatory Screenwriting Fellow, she's excited to explore stories from a perspective that celebrates diversity while recognizing our shared humanity. She's a dog lover, special-needs volunteer, sports fan and coffee virgin.
yu “York” fu - editor
York Fu graduated from DePaul University with a BFA in Film and Television, concentrating in Editing. He started his film education at the Beijing Film Academy Modern Creative Media College in China. With seven years of learning experience, he has edited a variety of different projects, which includes narrative shorts, commercials, documentaries, and trailers. He has also gained experience in directing and cinematography. This year the film Running Between the Crack of Time, which he edited, won the Silver Remi Award in WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival.
The AFI Conservatory
At the world-renowned American Film Institute Conservatory, a dedicated group of working professionals from the film and television communities serve as mentors in a hands-on, production-based environment nurturing the talents of tomorrow's storytellers. The Conservatory is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top film schools.
With an emphasis on narrative visual storytelling and personal expression, each class breaks into teams that mirror a real production environment. Those teams collaborate on and produce more films than any other graduate level film program.
Established in 1969, the two-year Master of Fine Arts program provides training in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Admission to AFI Conservatory is highly selective, with a maximum of only 140 graduates per year.
AFI alumni continually celebrate critical recognition, including wins at the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, and Grand Prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.
The American Film Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
DIRECTING
Darren Aranofsky - Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream
Patty Jenkins - Wonder Woman, Monster
Andrea Arnold – Wuthering Heights, Fish Tank (Both as Writer)
Gill Dennis – Walk the Line, Riders of the Purple Sage (Both as Writer)
Amy Heckerling – Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Jonathan Levine – 50/50, The Wackness
David Lynch – Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life, The Thin Red Line, Badlands
John McTiernan – Die Hard, The Thomas Crown Affair
Paul Schrader – Raging Bull and Taxi Driver (Both as Writer)
Ed Zwick – Blood Diamond (Writer), Glory
SCREENWRITING
David Arata – Children of Men, Spy Game
Brad Falchuk – American Horror Story, Glee, Nip/Tuck
Scott Frank – Minority Report, Out of Sight
John Shiban – Breaking Bad, The X-Files
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Matthew Libatique - A Star is Born, Venom, Black Swam
Caleb Deschanel – The Natural, The Right Stuff, The Black Stallion
Robert Elswit – There Will Be Blood, Good Night And Good Luck
Janusz Kamiński – Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List
Rachel Morrison – Fruitvale Station, Cake Dope, Black Panther
Wally Pfister – Inception, The Dark Knight
Robert Richardson – Inglorious Basterds, The Aviator
EDITING
Victor DuBois – The Last Samurai, Grey's Anatomy
Affonso Gonçalves – Beasts of the Southern Wild, True Detective
Howard Smith – The Abyss, Glengarry Glenross
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Andrew Max Cahn – Up in The Air, The Hangover
Theresa Guleserian – Togethernes, The Overnight, The One I Love
Sharon Seymour – The Town, The Ides of March
PRODUCING
Mikkel Bodesen - Burn Notice, The Killing (Both as Executive Producer)
Liz Hannah - The Post, All The Bright Places
Julie Dash - The Rosa Parks Story, Daughters of the Dust
David Gross - Room, Goon
Paul Hellerman - Jackie Brown, The Mexican (Both as Co-Producer)
Allison Jones - Veep, Bridesmaids
Stefan Simchowitz - Requiem for a Dream, Wild (Both as Executive Producer)
Heidi Levitt - The Artist, Natural Born Killers
Steve Golin - Spotlight, The Revenant
Pieter Jan Brugge - The Insider, Heat (Both as Executive Producer)