At the 2006 AFI Fest, the DGA presented "A Conversation with Director Darren Aronofsky" on Friday, November 10, 2006. Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Pi) answered questions about filmmaking, the industry and the creation of his new science-fiction romance The Fountain that screened as the AFI Fest Centerpiece Gala film on November 11. DGA director-member Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless) served as moderator for the event.

Aronofsky, who joined the DGA in 2000, received his M.F.A. in directing from AFI in 1992 and in 2001 was honored with the institute's prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. He spoke of the great training ground AFI provided. "I got to make a bunch of films really quickly and to learn the craft in a very intense way."

For 20 years the American Film Institute (AFI) has presented a slate of features, documentaries and shorts as part of its annual AFI Fest competition. This year's AFI Fest showcased a total of 111 features (91 narrative, 20 documentary) and 36 shorts (33 narrative, 3 documentary) for a total of 147 films from 45 different countries. The DGA is a longtimea sponsor of the festival and has hosted luncheons for the filmmakers and other programming.