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    AFCI elects new board with expanded global representation and inclusion

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2227 Views
    Top row (l-r): Erin Stam of AusFilm, Sorrel Geddes of the British Film Commission, and Silvia Echeverri of the Columbia Film Commission. Bottom row: Timothy Qwase of the Kenya Film Commission (l) and Steven Davenport of Screen Ireland.
    LOS ANGELES --

    The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) now has its most geographically and culturally diverse board of directors in the organization’s 45-year history. 

    The 2021 AFCI board includes five newly elected members: Timothy Owase from the Kenya Film Commission, Erin Stam from AusFilm, Silvia Echeverri from the Columbia Film Commission, Sorrel Geddes from the British Film Commission (also elected to serve as 2021 secretary) and Steven Davenport from Screen Ireland. Each will serve a two-year term. 

    “AFCI is the voice for film commissioners all over the world, and our 2021 board brings even more global perspective and awareness to everything that we do as an organization,” said AFCI 2020–2022 board chair Tim Clark from the Buffalo Niagara Film Office. “Our new and returning board members have what it takes to help AFCI fulfill its mission through the pandemic and into the post-COVID world.” 

    Returning board members include Clark, along with 1st vice chairman Bas Van der Ree from the Netherlands Film Commission, 2nd vice chairman Donne Dawson from the Hawaii State Film Office, treasurer David Shepheard from the Vancouver Film Commission and Nina Parikh from the Mississippi Film Office. Van der Ree, Dawson and Shepheard all serve in their newly elected board officer positions. 

    The 2021 board will focus on a range of issues and initiatives to ensure that AFCI members get the training, industry connectivity and best practices they need to succeed as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    Founded in 1975, AFCI is the only global non-profit professional organization representing city, state, regional, provincial and national film commission members on six continents. AFCI provides advocacy, connectivity and education necessary for film commissions and businesses in the screen sector to foster economic growth, promote infrastructure development and provide essential tools for professional development in a fair, sustainable and socially diverse manner. AFCI is based in Los Angeles and produces two signature events each year, AFCI Week and Cineposium.

    Tags:AFCIAssociation of Film Commissioners InternationalErin StamSilvia EcheverriTimothy Owase



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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