Jeanine Basinger
Jury Co-ChairWesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Frank
Jury Co-ChairProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Debbie Allen
Actor/Director/Producer/Choreographer/ Dancer/Singer/Songwriter
Shawn Edwards
African American Film Critics Association
Cynthia Erivo
Actress/Singer/Songwriter
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Mark Harris
Historian
Molly Haskell
Historian
Ann Hornaday
The Washington Post
Rian Johnson
Director/Producer/Writer
Lisa Kennedy
Critic/Journalist
Debra Lee
AFI Board of Trustees
David Mandel
Producer/Writer
Marlee Matlin
Actress/Producer
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Claudia Puig
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Maureen Ryan
Critic/Journalist
Amy Sherman-Palladino
Director/Producer/Writer
Wes Studi
Actor/Producer
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Lulu Wang
Director/Producer/Writer
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducer AFI Board of Trustees
John Amos
Actor
Aymar Jean Christian
Northwestern University
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Lesli Linka Glatter
Director/Producer
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Debra Lee
AFI Board of Trustees
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Maureen Ryan
Critic/Journalist
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Betty Thomas
Actor/Director/Producer
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer AFI Board of Trustees
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Renee Graham
The Boston Globe
Mark Harris
Historian
Ann Hornaday
The Washington Post
Annette Insdorf
Historian
Callie Khouri
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Delroy Lindo
Actor/Producer
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Amy Nicholson
NPR
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Courtney B. Vance
Actor/Producer
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Sonia Saraiya
Vanity Fair
Maureen Ryan
Critic/Journalist
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Debra Lee
AFI Board of Trustees
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Ernest Dickerson
Director/Cinematographer
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
David Benioff
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Paris Barclay
Director/Producer
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Alfre Woodard
Actor/Producer
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Claudia Puig
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Amy Nicholson
NPR
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Ann Hornaday
The Washington Post
Mark Harris
Historian
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Joan Chen
Actor/Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Janet Staiger
University of Texas, Austin
Maureen Ryan
Variety
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Debra Lee
BET Networks AFI Board of Trustees
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Jennifer Getzinger
Director
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Gabrielle Carteris
SAG-AFTRAAFI Board of Trustees
David Bianculli
NPR
Paris Barclay
Director/Producer
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Amy Nicholson
NPR
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Ann Hornaday
The Washington Post
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Jamie Lee Curtis
Actor/Director/Producer
Jay Cassidy
Editor
Halle Berry
Actor/ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Judd Apatow*
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer AFI Board of Trustees
Diane English
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Maureen Ryan
Variety
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Lori McCreary
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Debra Lee
BET NetworksAFI Board of Trustees
Michelle King
Screenwriter/Producer
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Darnell Hunt
University of California, Los Angeles
Jon Hamm
Actor/Director/Producer
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Patricia Riggen
Director
Amy Nicholson
MTV News
Rachel Morrison
Cinematographer
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Mark Harris
Historian
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Robert Benton
Director/Screenwriter
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Banks
Actor/Director/Producer
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Michael Wright
DreamWorks StudiosAFI Board of Trustees
Matt Williams
Screenwriter/Producer
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Renee Tajima-Peña
Director/ProducerUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Maureen Ryan
Variety
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Mary McNamara
The Los Angeles Times
Michelle MacLaren
Director/Producer
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Harvard University
Neal Baer
Screenwriter/ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Emma Thomas
Producer
John Ridley
Director/Screenwriter
Carrie Rickey
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Bennett Miller
Director
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Molly Haskell
Historian
Mark Harris
Historian
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Michael Wright
Michael WrightAFI Board of Trustees
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Chris Silbermann
ICM PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Maureen Ryan
The Huffington Post
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Phylicia Rashad
Actor
James Poniewozik
TIME
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Vince Gilligan
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Anne Garefino
Producer
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone Magazine
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Matthew Libatique
Cinematographer
Kasi Lemmons
Director/Actor
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Patty Jenkins
Director/Screenwriter
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Mark Harris
Historian
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Noah Wyle
Producer/Actor
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Chris Silbermann
ICM PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Maureen Ryan
The Huffington Post
Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine
Frederick S. Pierce
AFI Board of Trustees
Jeff Nunokawa
Princeton University
Melissa Maerz
Entertainment Weekly
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Dorothy Fontana
ScreenwriterSenior Lecturer, AFI Conservatory
Jon Avnet
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone Magazine
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Nancy Meyers
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Leonard Maltin
Historian
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Mark Harris
Entertainment Weekly
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Roman Coppola
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Anne V. Coates
Editor
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Janet Staiger
University of Texas at Austin
Chris Silbermann
International Creative ManagementAFI Board of Trustees
Katey Sagal
Maureen Ryan
The Huffington Post
Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine
James Poniewozik
Time Magazine
Mary McNamara
Los Angeles Times
L.S. Kim
University of California, Los Angeles
Marta Kauffman
Producer/Screenwriter
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Chris Carter
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone Magazine
Octavia Spencer
Actor
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Leonard Maltin
"Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide"
Lisa Kennedy
The Denver Post
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Mark Harris
Entertainment Weekly
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Brad Bird
Director/Screenwriter
Angela Bassett
Actor
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Ken Tucker
Entertainment Weekly
Betsy Thomas
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Chris Silbermann
International Creative ManagementAFI Board of Trustees
Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine
James Poniewozik
Time Magazine
Fred Pierce
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Janet Murray
Georgia Institute of Technology
Stephen Kronish
Producer/Screenwriter
Marde Gregory
University of California, Los Angeles
Tim Goodman
The Hollywood Reporter
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Anna Everett
University of California, Santa Barbara
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone Magazine
Suzanne Todd
Producer
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Diana Ossana
Producer/Screenwriter
Leonard Maltin
"Leonard Maltln's Movie Guide"
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Jim Hosney
Jim Hosney
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Mark Harris
Entertainment Weekly
Whoopi Goldberg
Actor
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES
Tom PollockProducerChair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures
Janet Staiger
University of Texas at Austin
John Shaffner
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesProduction DesignerAFI Board of Trustees
Maureen Ryan
AOL
Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine
James Poniewozik
Time Magazine
Mary McNamara
Los Angeles Times
Anna McCarthy
New York University
Henry Jenkins
Henry Jenkins
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Producer/Actor
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Steven Bochco
Producer/Screenwriter
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Michael Wood
Princeton University
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Elvis Mitchell
THE TREATMENT
Leonard Maltin
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT"Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide"
Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California
Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute
Jane Gaines
Columbia University
Lee Daniels
Producer/Director
Diablo Cody
Producer/Screenwriter
Donn Cambern
Editor
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan University
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Robert J. Thompson
Syracuse University
John Shaffner
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Maureen Ryan
Chicago Tribune
Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine
CCH Pounder
Actor
Lisa Parks
University of California, Santa Barbara
David Milch
Producer/Screenwriter
Brian Lowry
Variety
L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz
Bambi Haggins
Arizona State University
Stanley Brooks
Producer
Neal Baer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducer/Screenwriter
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Richard Schickel
Historian/Author/Documentary Filmmaker
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Chon Noriega
University of California, Los Angeles
Elvis Mitchell
THE TREATMENT
Leonard Maltin
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Patty Jenkins
Producer/Director
Mark Harris
Entertainment Weekly/New York MagazineAuthor
Leo Braudy
University of Southern California
Dustin Lance Black
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Sean Astin
Actor
Norman Jewison
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer/Director
Tony To
Producer/Director
Beretta E. Smith-Shomade
University of Arizona
John Shaffner
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Del Reisman
AFI Conservatory Screenwriter
James Poniewozik
Time Magazine
Kathleen Nolan
Actor
Mary McNamara
Los Angeles Times
Jean Picker Firstenberg
AFI President Emerita
John Caldwell
University of California, Los Angeles
Neal Baer
Producer/Screenwriter
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Trustee Emeritus
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Robert Towne
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Anne Thompson
Variety
Vivian Sobchack
AFI Trustee EmeritaUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Richard Schickel
Time Magazine
Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Elvis Mitchell
THE TREATMENT
Rick Jewell
University of Southern California
Jim Hosney
American Film Institute
Mark Harris
Entertainment WeeklyAuthor
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan University
Leonard Maltin
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Rich Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Dick Askin
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesAFI Board of Trustees
Neal Baer
Producer/Screenwriter
Anna Everett
University of California, Santa Barbara
Nancy Franklin
The New Yorker
Barry Garron
The Hollywood Reporter
Melissa Gilbert
Producer/Director/ActorAFI Trustee Emerita
Horace Newcomb
University of Georgia
Del Reisman
AFI ConservatoryScreenwriter
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Maureen Ryan
Chicago Tribune
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Ron Underwood
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Kristal Brent Zook
Hosftra University
Gary Winick
Producer/Director
Richard Schickel
Time Magazine
Tom Pollock
AFI Board of Trustees
David Picker
ProducerAFI Trustee Emeritus
Diana Ossana
Producer/Screenwriter/Novelist
Tara McPherson
University of Southern California
Leonard Maltin
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Lawrence Kasdan
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Trustee Emeritus
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Donn Cambern
AFI ConservatoryDirector/Editor
David Ansen
Newsweek
Frank Pierson
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesAFI ConservatoryDirector/Screenwriter
Dick Askin
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Steven Bochco
Producer/Screenwriter
Kevin S. Bright
Producer/Director
Paul Brownfield
Los Angeles Times
Michael Dinner
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Barry Garron
The Hollywood Reporter
Amanda D. Lotz
University of Michigan
Brian Lowry
Variety
Tara McPherson
University of Southern California
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Vivian Sobchack
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
Kristal Brent Zook
Columbia University
Robert G. Rehme
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Michael Apted
Directors Guild of AmericaProducer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Roger Birnbaum
Spyglass EntertainmentAFI Board of Trustees
Leo Braudy
University of Southern California
James L. Brooks
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Jane Gaines
Duke University
Elvis Mitchell
National Public Radio
Diana Ossana
Producer/Screenwriter
David V. Picker
ProducerAFI Trustee Emeritus
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Anne Thompson
The Hollywood Reporter
Marshall Herskovitz
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionChair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Dick Askin
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesTribune Entertainment CompanyAFI Board of Trustees
Lionel Chetwynd
Producer/Screenwriter
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Tony Jonas
Producer
Jeffrey Kramer
Producer
Melanie McFarland
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tara McPherson
University of Southern California
James Poniewozik
Time Magazine
Dorothea Petrie
Producer
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Del Reisman
AFI Conservatory
Robert G. Rehme
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures Producer AFI Board of Trustees
Martha Coolidge
Director
David Denby
The New Yorker
Anna Everett
University of California, Santa Barbara
Norman Jewison
Producer/Director
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Jay Roach
Producer/Director
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Vivian Sobchack
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
David Thomson
Film Historian
Stephen Ujlaki
San Francisco State University
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionThe FirmAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Askin, Jr.
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesTribune Entertainment Company AFI Board of Trustees
Neal Baer
Producer/Screenwriter
David Bianculli
The Daily News
Alex Ben Block
Television Week
Barbara Corday
Producer/Screenwriter
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Melanie McFarland
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tara McPherson
University of Southern California
Janet Murray
Georgia Institute of TechnologyAFI Board of Trustees
Horace Newcomb
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody Awards
Jerry Offsay
Producer
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Roger Ebert
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesChicago Sun-TimesEBERT & ROEPER
David Ansen
Newsweek
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
Leo Braudy
University of Southern California
James Cromwell
Actor
Naomi Foner
Producer/Screenwriter
Joan Micklin Silver
Director/Screenwriter
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Robert G. Rehme
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Richard Schickel
Time MagazineProducer/Director/Screenwriter
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Michael Wood
Princeton University
Janet Yang
Producer
Diane Werts
Newsday
Dean Valentine
Former President & CEO, UPN
Penelope Spheeris
Director
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Dorothea Petrie
Producer
Horace Newcomb
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody Awards
Brian Lowry
Variety
Helaine Head
University of Southern California
Ted Harbert
Producer
Chuck Fries
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Irby Brown
University of Richmond
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionIntegrated Entertainment PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Anne V. Coates
Editor
Vivian Sobchack
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
Leonard Schrader
AFI ConservatoryDirector/Screenwriter
Richard Schickel
Time MagazineProducer/Director/Screenwriter
Ted Perry
Middlebury CollegeAFI Trustee Emeritus
Curtis Marez
University of Southern California
Glenn Kenny
Premiere Magazine
Kirk Honeycutt
The Hollywood Reporter
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
John Badham
Director
Leonard Maltin
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for Television
Neema Barnett
Director
Barbara Corday
Producer
Lesli Linka Glatter
Producer/Director
Kay McFadden
The Seattle Times
Horace Newcomb
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody AwardsAFI Trustee Emeritus
Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Producer/Director/ScreenwriteAFI Board of Trustees
Victoria Riskin
Writers Guild of AmericaScreenwriter
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Anthony Thomopoulos
Former President, ABC EntertainmentMedia Arts Group, Inc.AFI Trustee Emeritus
Ken Tucker
Entertainment Weekly
Peter Werner
DirectorAFI Trustee Emeritus
Tom Pollock
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
David Ansen
Newsweek
Jeanine Basinger
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesWesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
Julie Dash
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Lindsey Doran
Producer
Leonard Maltin
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Fay Kanin
ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Jim Hosney
Film Historian/Scholar
Ted Perry
Middlebury CollegeAFI Trustee Emeritus
Bob Rehme
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Carrie Rickey
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Tom Schatz
University of Texas, Austin
Saul Zaentz
Producer
Barrie Lawson Loeks
Loeks-Star Theatres
Lucy Liu
Actor
Brian Lowry
Los Angeles Times
Sidney Lumet
Director
Shirley MacLaine
Actor
Delbert Mann
Director
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Kay McFadden
The Seattle Times
Joyce Millman
Salon.com
Dennis Muren
Digital Effects Artist
Chon Noriega
University of California, Los Angeles
Beverly O’Neill
California Institute of the Arts
Ted Perry
Middlebury College
Polly Platt
Producer/Production Designer
Dale Pollock
N.C. School of the Arts
Dorothy Rabinowitz
The Wall Street Journal
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Ken Ralston
Digital Effects Artist
Robert Richardson
Cinematographer
Howard Rosenberg
Los Angeles Times
Laurence Rosenthal
Composer
Gena Rowlands
Actor
Leah Rozen
People Magazine
Eva Marie Saint
Actor
Edgar Scherick
Producer
Lisa Schwartzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Jan Scott
Production Designer
John Singleton
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Robert Sklar
New York University
Barbara Smith
American Cinematheque
Penelope Spheeris
Director
Steven Spielberg
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Rod Steiger
Actor
Jon Storm
Philadelphia Inquirer
Mary Sweeney
Producer/Screenwriter/Editor
Anne Thompson
Premiere Magazine
Robert Thompson
Syracuse University
Richard Sylbert
Production Designer
Steve Tisch
Producer
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles TimesCinematographer
Amy Vincent
Cinematographer
Peter Werner
Director
Joanne Weintraub
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Ethel Winant
Producer
David Wolper
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Eugenio Zanetti
Production Designer
David Zurawik
Baltimore Sun
Hans Zimmer
Composer
Saul Zaentz
Producer
Debbie Allen
Producer/Director/ActorAFI Board of Trustees
Dede Allen
Editor
David Ansen
Newsweek
Darren Aronofsky
Director/Screenwriter
Alan Ball
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Neema Barnette
Director
Ron Bass
Producer/Screenwriter
Robert Benton
Director/Screenwriter
Bob Boyle
Production Designer
Pieter Jan Brugge
Producer
Henry Bumstead
Production Designer
Michelle Byrd
Independent Features Project
Marcy Carsey
Producer
Mary Schmidt Campbell
NYU's Tisch School
Anne V. Coates
Editor
Richard Corliss
Time Magazine
Leslie Dilley
Production Designer
Richard Edlund
Digital Effects Artist
Nora Ephron
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Steven Farber
Movieline
Milos Forman
Director
Stephen Gaghan
Screenwriter
Leslie Linka Glatter
Director
Jerry Goldsmith
Composer
Gary David Goldberg
Producer/Screenwriter
Tim Goodman
San Francisco Examiner
Mary Ann Grasso
National Assoc. of Theatre Owners
Christopher Guest
Director/Screenwriter/Actor
Amy Heckerling
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Leonard Hill
Producer
Foster Hirsch
Scholar/Historian
Tina Hirsch
Editor
Winnie Holzman
Producer/Screenwriter
Kirk Honeycutt
The Hollywood Reporter
Dawn Hudson
Independent Feature Project West
Greg Hoblit
Producer/Director
Annette Insdorf
Columbia University
Mark Johnson
Producer
Spike Jonze
Director/Actor
Shirley Jones
Actor
Glenn Jordan
Producer/Director
Janusz Kamiński
Cinematographer
James Katz
Preservationist
Rita Kempley
The Washington Post
Kathleen Kennedy
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Callie Khouri
Screenwriter
James V. Kimsey
AFI Board of Trustees
Arnold Kopelson
Producer
Alan Ladd, Jr.
Producer
Martin Landau
Actor
Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI 2000 JuryAFI Board of Trustees
David Ansen
Film Journalist/Critic
Jeanine Basinger
Film Scholar
Bill Duke
AFI Board of Trustees
James Katz
Film Preservationist/Historian
Rita Kempley
Film Journalist/Critic
Michael Nesmith
AFI Board of Trustees
Thomas Schatz
Film Scholar
Vivian Sobchack
AFI Board of Trustees
Anne Thompson
Film Journalist/Critic
Saul Zaentz
Filmmaker
Steven Zaillian
Filmmaker
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN
…will make you laugh — and there is no greater gift in the world today. This entertaining film probes the universal fears of sex, intimacy and chest hair, and follows in the tradition of classic American comedies; it is character-driven, sincere and insightful and will have audiences reexamining their own hang-ups — with a smile. The film also introduces the world to a new leading man of laughter — Steve Carell. Read the AFI Catalog entry
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
…is a powerful insight into America’s obsession with violence and how it relates to the roles we play, the disguises we choose and the truth in those choices. With surprises at every turn, the film turns classic movie elements on their head and asks us to look at genre from a new perspective. Sexy and bloody, alluring and revolting, the film’s delicate balancing act is artfully captured in each suspense-filled shot by David Cronenberg and his gifted creative ensemble. Read the AFI Catalog entry
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
…is one of the great love stories in American film. The revolutionary subject matter paints a portrait of passion, longing and loss against the sweeping backdrop of the changing American West. The film is a triumph of acting — Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal bring power and poignancy to two people caught in an emotional maelstrom, without the means to understand their feelings, or the words to express them. The film is a tragic meditation on loneliness, and yet a powerful celebration of friendship and love beyond our control. Read the AFI Catalog entry
CAPOTE
…is a vividly detailed portrait of an elusive American literary icon at a turning point in his life. Philip Seymour Hoffman inhabits Truman Capote in a performance that captures every nuance of one of the 20th Century’s most flamboyant and intriguing characters — layering wit, pain, love and ambition in a crucible of creative and ethical choice. The filmmakers tell this revealing story with economy and power showing how the writer achieved everything he ever wanted and lost his soul. Read the AFI Catalog entry
CRASH
…is a cinematic fantasia on the duality of man — exploring with astonishing candor how we are divided and tormented by race. There is a sublime poetry to the film that emerges from the union of words and images, using the automobile as a metaphor for how we both distance and touch each other, sometimes violently. The film is distinguished by its extraordinary writing and an acting ensemble that fires on all pistons. Read the AFI Catalog entry
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
…is a refreshingly spare reflection on a controversial and difficult time in the 1950s and, at the same time, an explosive examination of the current American news landscape. Brilliantly choreographed and co-written by director George Clooney, the film illuminates the burden of courage in a free press at odds with both its government and its corporate parent. Clooney’s ingenious use of archival footage adds to the great sense of fear and incredulity that these events took place in America. The film’s greatest contribution may be to remind audiences that “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” Read the AFI Catalog entry
KING KONG
…is why we go to the movies. It’s a love story. It’s funny. And it’s also a chest-thumping, larger-than-life, thrill-a-minute adventure tale that knows no equal in its use of digital effects to tell a story. And though Peter Jackson continues to awe audiences with his imaginative use of new technologies, it is his great love and respect for the original film that both preserves and expands upon the themes that have made it a classic. In that sense, KING KONG is not only a valentine to American film history — it is American film history. Read the AFI Catalog entry
MUNICH
…reminds us how lucky we are to live in the time when Steven Spielberg is making movies. This is another landmark contribution to American film from one of its master storytellers. The movie asks difficult questions about the moral complexities of vengeance — and who, ultimately, stands proud in the name of family and home. Great movies stir great debate, and that Spielberg would embrace such a controversial subject and present it as a prayer for peace is as brave and bold a move as we would expect from one of this country’s great artists. Read the AFI Catalog entry
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
…is a funny film about pain — the deep, aching pain of a family dissolved. It is rare for a film to be comedic and heartbreaking beyond cliches, but the film’s standout performances capture the characters with such truth that one cannot help but feel that we’ve lived with them — and lost them. Made for relatively little money, the movie also reflects the great spectrum of budgets in American film and reminds us that a personal vision, great heart and the commitment of a talented creative ensemble are priceless. Read the AFI Catalog entry
SYRIANA
…is a complex and intelligent political thriller that demands its audience become an active participant, compelling us to think — and to think globally. In a year when the United States’ reliance on oil bubbled up and over the headlines, Stephen Gaghan and his creative ensemble have masterfully woven together a number of plotlines that could each have been a film in itself. The result is a masterwork of storytelling, where each scene leaves your heart racing and your mind engaged. Read the AFI Catalog entry
AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
24
has changed the face of television — one hour, one minute, one second at a time. This is a masterpiece of episodic storytelling and continues to deal with the bright color issues in America’s war on terror with a degree of difficulty that is off today’s television charts. Powerful and involving, with characters who are more fully realized with each season, the show still has viewers on the edge of their seats, both riveted to the action and begging, pleading for a modicum of relief.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
soars light years beyond the expectations of science fiction on television. Au courant and hard-hitting, it’s one of the best series today about United States entanglements in the war on terror, addressing the moral quandary — when at war, when does a society become that which it opposes? It is this kind of deep thinking in space that makes the show both a cautionary tale and a rip-roaring, out-of-this-world adventure.
DEADWOOD
is a Shakespearean epic in spurs and continues to blaze new trails in television as it enters its second season. David Milch’s use of language continues to astound, and when the superb ensemble acting, production design and costumes are added to the artistry of the page, the viewer enters a fully realized world of exceptional heft — which is just one of the four-letter words that best describe DEADWOOD.
GREY'S ANATOMY
is one hour of pure pleasure each week — a medical mixer on our need to connect and a McDreamy reminder that one of television’s primary goals is to entertain. The program hit its stride in 2005, intertwining life and death and love in a scintillating package — one that is enriched by the show’s color-blind casting and bedpan humor.
HOUSE
has redefined the medical television show. No longer a world where an idealized doctor has all the answers or a hospital where gurneys race down the hallways, HOUSE’s focus is on the pharmacological — and the intellectual demands of being a doctor. The trial-and-error of new medicine skillfully expands the show beyond the format of a classic procedural, and at the show’s heart, a brilliant but flawed physician is doling out the prescriptions — a fitting symbol for modern medicine.
LOST
is a tribute to the intellect of its viewing audience — with a dozen major characters and a vast number of story lines leading us through the wilds of a remote island and the bizarre and thrilling mysteries that are found there. This year, the show dared to go too far — and succeeded — mostly by carrying the story forward through flashback. The creative ensemble utilized the device with such effectiveness that it has created a new form of storytelling — characters are more finely developed, mysteries are intensified, and yet audiences are never lost…and always wanting more.
RESCUE ME
takes an American hero sacrosanct after 9/11 — the firefighter — and with great respect, honors its legacy by celebrating the struggle under the symbol. Denis Leary is the engine of the show and has created one of the most self-destructive characters in recent memory; one who rescues, but desperately needs to be saved. That the show has life after 9/11 is not only a tribute to the creative ensemble, but also to the healing power of the nation, who loves a hero most when it finds him human.
SLEEPER CELL
is a frighteningly real look at the clash of civilizations in a post-9/11 world. The program peels away at the mundanity of American suburbia and exposes the terror that lives just below the surface. Complex, and well-plotted; nuanced, and bold — the show’s most significant achievement is that it is, simply, dramatically plausible…which makes it all the more terrifying.
SOMETIMES IN APRIL
is a shining example of what television is capable of — illuminating, educating, and in the process, transcending the pain of a subject that would otherwise be impossible to embrace emotionally. After all, how does one tell the story of Rwandan genocide? Here the creative ensemble’s courage and artistry has earned them the right not only to present the historically complex saga, but also to offer the question of reconciliation. Spanning this chasm is the function of art in our world.
VERONICA MARS
is a celebration of what it is to be a young woman — and a welcome alternative to the feminine model that is threatening to consume American culture. The show is smart and cool and clever — all virtues that are lauded in its geeky heroine. The show’s writing and casting also transcend the teen detective log line by not imagining Veronica as a super girl, but a teenager with a strong father figure and loyal friends who live in a community with complicated images of race, class and family — like all of us.
MOMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE
2005 MARKED BY CONTINUING CONSOLIDATION And then there were six.
The film community continues to consolidate as both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a force in American entertainment since 1924 and, in many regards, a symbol for the golden age of Hollywood, and DreamWorks, the youngest film and television studio, were bought by larger corporations.
Both MGM and DreamWorks were founded by movie mavericks — from Louis B. Mayer to Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, & David Geffen — and AFI hopes that this trend for consolidation will respect the rich history that marks our cultural legacy and encourage the creative spirit that drives the art form.
MOVIES AND TELEVISION PICTURE A POST 9/11 WORLD 2005 marked a fully found artistic reaction to 9/11 and the new realities created in its wake. Art not only has the ability to expose the complexities of the changed world we live in, but also to provide a unifying voice for a country trying to heal while still in conflict.
On television, shows like 24, SLEEPER CELL, RESCUE 9/11 and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA all dramatize terrorism, heroism and the struggle to find a common ground.
In theatres, the movies explored these themes in ways that effected audiences physically, intellectually and emotionally: Steven Spielberg’s WAR OF THE WORLDS viscerally moved and terrified audiences with invaders from another world. George Clooney’s GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK celebrated the challenge and bravery of independent journalists. THE MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, a French documentary that chronicled the journey of emperor penguins in Antarctica, proved the surprise hit of the year for its universal message — the need to be part of a community that cares for each other.
THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE IN CRISIS
At the dawn of American film, there was magic in the moviegoing experience. Strangers came together in the dark and were awed by images of light and a story well told.
Over the first century of American film, great strides were made in this collective experience — ongoing technological leaps in sound, color and projection. But in 2005, it became apparent that a steady downward trend in the experience was a harsh reality, and, in fact, that moviegoing might be at risk.
The reasons for this are vast and varied, including:
· the dramatically increased competition for leisure time from other entertainments that can be delivered on-demand;
· the improvement of home entertainment technologies;
· the rise in video games, where an immersive experience is also interactive;
· the increased availability of motion pictures via illegal downloads or bootleg DVDs.
The coming years will bring new technologies to movie theatres, and AFI hopes that all parties will come together — distributors, exhibitors and patrons — to appreciate the value of the communal experience…at a theatre near you.
TV BREAKS OUT OF THE BOX
The exodus became official in 2005 as television content migrated to multiple screen platforms. Most notably:
· Apple Computer introduced a new video iPod in concert with a content distribution deal with ABC that made LOST and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES available for download. Later, NBC Universal announced a deal to deliver more than 300 episodes from prime time, cable, late-night and classic TV shows via iPod.
· Twentieth Century Fox premiered a serial drama created specifically for cellular phones based on its television drama 24. The 24 one-minute long “mobisodes” — short for “mobile episode” — are based on the series.
· Time Warner and AOL announced the creation of a new broadband network — named In2TV — that allows on-demand access to thousands of episodes of classic television shows via the Internet.
In the wake of the popularity of digital video recorders, these technological breakthroughs meet the consumers’ needs for content on demand, but also move the receipt of visual storytelling more dramatically toward an isolated experience, to the point where watercooler phenomena may soon be a term of the past.
TELEVISION AND HURRICANE KATRINA/DISASTER
Hurricane Katrina decimated America’s Gulf Coast, and television brought images of American suffering to the world — images that revealed the existence of an underclass not often seen on television and exposed the world’s most powerful country in a deeply sad and unfavorable light.
In the days that followed, television was not a complacent reporter, but an active participant in the rescue and clean up. When it appeared that local, state and national governments could not respond in a timely manner to the needs of those in trouble, television put a spotlight on the contradictions between what officials were reporting and the images viewers’ were seeing in their living rooms. Reminiscent of television’s coverage of the 1968 Democratic Convention, this forged a new relationship between television and its audience.
The coverage of the hurricane also brought to light the limitations of the medium, where misinformation is embraced as truth and the rush to judgment is fueled by images and words out of context.
Ultimately, the coverage was a testimony to the power of television, to bring us together as a nation, ask difficult questions and offer solutions.
CONVERGENCE COMES OF AGE
America Online’s exclusive on-line coverage of the multi-city Live 8 concert proved a seismic moment in global access to live events, a role that has evolved from radio to television and, now, to the Internet.
Over five million viewers logged on to the AOL Live 8 site, drawing a larger audience than MTV and ABC’s primetime highlights special, which averaged 2.9 millions viewers. Additionally, in the following week, there were over 25 million on-demand plays of different performances from the concert.
The event has demonstrated how the Internet allows a breadth and depth of coverage not possible through traditional television broadcasting. On the day of the concert, fans could switch between events, see live updates, access full artist information, and share views with fellow fans. After the event, audiences could relive it on demand–watching what they want, when they want it.
Technically, it’s of note that AOL provided the largest number of simultaneous video streams in the history of the Internet without a single break, instilling a level of trust in the consumer that is essential in the migration from one technology to another
AFI AWARDS was created in 2000 to recognize the films and television programs which contribute to our collective cultural legacy. When placed in an historical context, these stories provide a complex, rich, visual record of our modern world. Since then, AFI AWARDS has honored 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of the year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.
Collectively celebrating the most outstanding film and television programs of the year, AFI AWARDS 2021 honorees will be announced in December 2021.
Unique in its celebration of the art form’s collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole – recognizing those in front of and behind the camera.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Honorees are selected based on works which:
- Advance the art of the moving image
- Inspire audiences and artists alike
- Enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form
A UNIQUE JURY PROCESS
AFI AWARDS selections are made through AFI’s unique jury process – in which scholars, artists, critics and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year.
For additional information about AFI AWARDS, contact Josh Kushins at [email protected]
AFI is a 501c3 non-profit advancing the art of the moving image by empowering storytellers and inspiring audiences
