Jury Co-ChairWesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Jury Co-ChairProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Actor/Director/Producer/Choreographer/ Dancer/Singer/Songwriter
African American Film Critics Association
Actress/Singer/Songwriter
American Film Institute
Historian
Historian
The Washington Post
Director/Producer/Writer
Critic/Journalist
AFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Writer
Actress/Producer
University of Southern California
Historian
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
TV Guide
Critic/Journalist
Director/Producer/Writer
Actor/Producer
Syracuse University
Rolling Stone
Director/Producer/Writer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducer AFI Board of Trustees
Actor
Northwestern University
American Film Institute
Director/Producer
University of California, Santa Cruz
AFI Board of Trustees
The Los Angeles Times
TV Guide
Critic/Journalist
University of Southern California
Actor/Director/Producer
Syracuse University
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer AFI Board of Trustees
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
American Film Institute
The Boston Globe
Historian
The Washington Post
Historian
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Actor/Producer
University of Southern California
Historian
NPR
Rolling Stone
Actor/Producer
Syracuse University
Vanity Fair
Critic/Journalist
TV Guide
The Los Angeles Times
AFI Board of Trustees
University of California, Santa Cruz
Director/Cinematographer
American Film Institute
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Director/Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Actor/Producer
Rolling Stone
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
NPR
Historian
University of Southern California
The Denver Post
The Washington Post
Historian
American Film Institute
Actor/Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Syracuse University
University of Texas, Austin
Variety
TV Guide
The Los Angeles Times
BET Networks AFI Board of Trustees
University of California, Santa Cruz
Director
American Film Institute
SAG-AFTRAAFI Board of Trustees
NPR
Director/Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone
NPR
Historian
The Denver Post
The Washington Post
American Film Institute
Actor/Director/Producer
Editor
Actor/ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer AFI Board of Trustees
Director/Screenwriter/Producer
Syracuse University
Variety
TV Guide
The Los Angeles Times
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
BET NetworksAFI Board of Trustees
Screenwriter/Producer
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Los Angeles
Actor/Director/Producer
American Film Institute
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone
Director
MTV News
Cinematographer
Historian
University of Southern California
The Denver Post
Historian
American Film Institute
Director/Screenwriter
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Actor/Director/Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
DreamWorks StudiosAFI Board of Trustees
Screenwriter/Producer
Syracuse University
Director/ProducerUniversity of California, Los Angeles
University of Southern California
Variety
TV Guide
The Los Angeles Times
Director/Producer
American Film Institute
Harvard University
Screenwriter/ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone
Producer
Director/Screenwriter
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Director
Historian
The Denver Post
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Historian
Historian
American Film Institute
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Michael WrightAFI Board of Trustees
Syracuse University
ICM PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
University of Southern California
The Huffington Post
TV Guide
Actor
TIME
University of California, Santa Cruz
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
American Film Institute
Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone Magazine
USA Today
Historian
University of Southern California
Cinematographer
Director/Actor
Denver Post
Director/Screenwriter
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Historian
American Film Institute
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Actor
Syracuse University
ICM PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
University of Southern California
The Huffington Post
TV Guide Magazine
AFI Board of Trustees
Princeton University
Entertainment Weekly
American Film Institute
ScreenwriterSenior Lecturer, AFI Conservatory
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone Magazine
USA Today
University of Southern California
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Historian
The Denver Post
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Entertainment Weekly
American Film Institute
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Editor
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Syracuse University
University of Texas at Austin
International Creative ManagementAFI Board of Trustees
The Huffington Post
TV Guide Magazine
Time Magazine
Los Angeles Times
University of California, Los Angeles
Producer/Screenwriter
American Film Institute
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone Magazine
Actor
USA Today
University of Southern California
"Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide"
The Denver Post
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Entertainment Weekly
American Film Institute
Director/Screenwriter
Actor
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Entertainment Weekly
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
International Creative ManagementAFI Board of Trustees
TV Guide Magazine
Time Magazine
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Georgia Institute of Technology
Producer/Screenwriter
University of California, Los Angeles
The Hollywood Reporter
American Film Institute
University of California, Santa Barbara
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Rolling Stone Magazine
Producer
USA Today
Producer/Screenwriter
"Leonard Maltln's Movie Guide"
University of Southern California
Jim Hosney
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Entertainment Weekly
Actor
American Film Institute
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Board of Trustees
Tom PollockProducerChair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures
University of Texas at Austin
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesProduction DesignerAFI Board of Trustees
AOL
TV Guide Magazine
Time Magazine
Los Angeles Times
New York University
Henry Jenkins
Producer/Actor
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
American Film Institute
Producer/Screenwriter
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Princeton University
Entertainment Weekly
USA Today
THE TREATMENT
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT"Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide"
University of Southern California
American Film Institute
Columbia University
Producer/Director
Producer/Screenwriter
Editor
Wesleyan University
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Syracuse University
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
University of Southern California
Chicago Tribune
TV Guide Magazine
Actor
University of California, Santa Barbara
Producer/Screenwriter
Variety
University of California, Santa Cruz
Arizona State University
Producer
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionProducer/Screenwriter
Entertainment Weekly
Historian/Author/Documentary Filmmaker
USA Today
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
University of California, Los Angeles
THE TREATMENT
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Producer/Director
Entertainment Weekly/New York MagazineAuthor
University of Southern California
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Actor
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducer/Director
Producer/Director
University of Arizona
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
University of Southern California
TV Guide
AFI Conservatory Screenwriter
Time Magazine
Actor
Los Angeles Times
AFI President Emerita
University of California, Los Angeles
Producer/Screenwriter
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Trustee Emeritus
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Variety
AFI Trustee EmeritaUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Time Magazine
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
THE TREATMENT
University of Southern California
American Film Institute
Entertainment WeeklyAuthor
University of California, Los Angeles
Wesleyan University
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Screenwriter
University of California, Santa Barbara
The New Yorker
The Hollywood Reporter
Producer/Director/ActorAFI Trustee Emerita
University of Georgia
AFI ConservatoryScreenwriter
TV Guide
Chicago Tribune
Syracuse University
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Hosftra University
Producer/Director
Time Magazine
AFI Board of Trustees
ProducerAFI Trustee Emeritus
Producer/Screenwriter/Novelist
University of Southern California
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Trustee Emeritus
University of California, Los Angeles
AFI ConservatoryDirector/Editor
Newsweek
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesAFI ConservatoryDirector/Screenwriter
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesAFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Screenwriter
Producer/Director
Los Angeles Times
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
The Hollywood Reporter
University of Michigan
Variety
University of Southern California
TV Guide
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
Columbia University
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Directors Guild of AmericaProducer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Spyglass EntertainmentAFI Board of Trustees
University of Southern California
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
University of California, Los Angeles
Duke University
National Public Radio
Producer/Screenwriter
ProducerAFI Trustee Emeritus
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Los Angeles Times
The Hollywood Reporter
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionChair, AFI Jury for TelevisionAFI Board of Trustees
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesTribune Entertainment CompanyAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Screenwriter
University of California, Los Angeles
Producer
Producer
Seattle Post Intelligencer
University of Southern California
Time Magazine
Producer
TV Guide
AFI Conservatory
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures Producer AFI Board of Trustees
Director
The New Yorker
University of California, Santa Barbara
Producer/Director
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Director
Entertainment Weekly
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
Film Historian
San Francisco State University
Los Angeles Times
Laura Ziskin
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionThe FirmAFI Board of Trustees
Academy of Television Arts & SciencesTribune Entertainment Company AFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Screenwriter
The Daily News
Television Week
Producer/Screenwriter
University of California, Los Angeles
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
University of Southern California
Georgia Institute of TechnologyAFI Board of Trustees
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody Awards
Producer
TV Guide
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesChicago Sun-TimesEBERT & ROEPER
Newsweek
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
University of Southern California
Actor
Producer/Screenwriter
Director/Screenwriter
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Time MagazineProducer/Director/Screenwriter
Entertainment Weekly
Princeton University
Producer
Newsday
Former President & CEO, UPN
Director
TV Guide
Producer
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody Awards
Variety
University of Southern California
Producer
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Richmond
Chair, AFI Jury for TelevisionIntegrated Entertainment PartnersAFI Board of Trustees
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Editor
University of California, Los AngelesAFI Board of Trustees
AFI ConservatoryDirector/Screenwriter
Time MagazineProducer/Director/Screenwriter
Middlebury CollegeAFI Trustee Emeritus
University of Southern California
Premiere Magazine
The Hollywood Reporter
Orlando Sentinel
Wesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
Director
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Chair, AFI Jury for Television
Director
Producer
Producer/Director
The Seattle Times
University of GeorgiaGeorge Foster Peabody AwardsAFI Trustee Emeritus
Producer/Director/ScreenwriteAFI Board of Trustees
Writers Guild of AmericaScreenwriter
TV Guide
Syracuse University
Former President, ABC EntertainmentMedia Arts Group, Inc.AFI Trustee Emeritus
Entertainment Weekly
DirectorAFI Trustee Emeritus
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Newsweek
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion PicturesWesleyan UniversityAFI Trustee Emerita
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Producer
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Film Historian/Scholar
Middlebury CollegeAFI Trustee Emeritus
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
The Philadelphia Inquirer
University of Texas, Austin
Producer
Loeks-Star Theatres
Actor
Los Angeles Times
Director
Actor
Director
Variety
The Seattle Times
Salon.com
Digital Effects Artist
University of California, Los Angeles
California Institute of the Arts
Middlebury College
Producer/Production Designer
N.C. School of the Arts
The Wall Street Journal
New York Magazine
Digital Effects Artist
Cinematographer
Los Angeles Times
Composer
Actor
People Magazine
Actor
Producer
Entertainment Weekly
Production Designer
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
New York University
American Cinematheque
Director
Producer/Director/ScreenwriterAFI Board of Trustees
Actor
Philadelphia Inquirer
Producer/Screenwriter/Editor
Premiere Magazine
Syracuse University
Production Designer
Producer
Los Angeles TimesCinematographer
Cinematographer
Director
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chicago Tribune
Producer
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Production Designer
Baltimore Sun
Composer
Producer
Producer/Director/ActorAFI Board of Trustees
Editor
Newsweek
Director/Screenwriter
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Director
Producer/Screenwriter
Director/Screenwriter
Production Designer
Producer
Production Designer
Independent Features Project
Producer
NYU's Tisch School
Editor
Time Magazine
Production Designer
Digital Effects Artist
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Movieline
Director
Screenwriter
Director
Composer
Producer/Screenwriter
San Francisco Examiner
National Assoc. of Theatre Owners
Director/Screenwriter/Actor
Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Producer
Scholar/Historian
Editor
Producer/Screenwriter
The Hollywood Reporter
Independent Feature Project West
Producer/Director
Columbia University
Producer
Director/Actor
Actor
Producer/Director
Cinematographer
Preservationist
The Washington Post
ProducerAFI Board of Trustees
Screenwriter
AFI Board of Trustees
Producer
Producer
Actor
Chair, AFI 2000 JuryAFI Board of Trustees
Film Journalist/Critic
Film Scholar
AFI Board of Trustees
Film Preservationist/Historian
Film Journalist/Critic
AFI Board of Trustees
Film Scholar
AFI Board of Trustees
Film Journalist/Critic
Filmmaker
Filmmaker
The annual AFI AWARDS luncheon opens with the Institute’s signature March of Time montage – a unique cross-section of cinematic milestones from decades past, which places the year’s motion picture and television honorees into an historical context and provides a perspective on the evolution of the narrative arts.
is a story amazing – and in no good way. Director Steve McQueen shines a bright light on the horrors of the past – a time when caged and tortured humans were fuel to the machine that is America. Ultimately, this true tale is one of survival, a screenplay written by John Ridley and resting firmly upon the shoulders of Chiwetel Ejiofor, who delivers a strong and soulful performance as Solomon Northup – a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery. His injustice is set against the breathtaking beauty of Southern landscapes, which only serve to enhance atrocities disgracefully forgotten – and never before depicted with such raw intensity. Read the AFI Catalog entry
is eight-track entertainment from the feet up – exposing the question, “What is façade and what is for real?” With no detail overlooked, no hair out of place, David O. Russell’s masterful period piece wires audiences into the exhilarating cons of Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper. Enter Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner, with all players playing against type, and you have a tale of ambition that is rollicking and emotionally raw – and an anthem to the notion that the art of survival is a story that never ends. Read the AFI Catalog entry
sails the high seas of heroism in this adrenaline-fueled thriller, where a blinking dot on a radar screen signals the collision of two worlds. Melding documentary realism with pure action filmmaking, Paul Greengrass’ pulse-pounding narrative is anchored by a taut script from Billy Ray and a commanding performance from Tom Hanks, who again captures a character that we all live and breathe. Explosive turns by Barkhad Abdi and other first-time Somali actors ignite the film’s urgent telling of a true tale – an extraordinary effort to save the life of one man and preserve an American ideal. Read the AFI Catalog entry
illustrates the power of an art form to find the humanity in a headline. With a steady hand, Ryan Coogler conducts this haunting chronicle of injustice to its inevitable final destination by allowing audiences to share an intimate, bittersweet day with Oscar Grant. Michael B. Jordan brings a delicate, raw nuance to his portrayal of the struggling but hopeful youth, and Octavia Spencer’s big-hearted mom adds to the power of the message – that change will come when we understand and appreciate each other as fellow passengers on a train toward tomorrow. Read the AFI Catalog entry
holds audiences with the power of a force of nature. Reaching skyward with pioneering ambition, Alfonso Cuarón paints with a canvas so vast and visuals so breathtaking, that the film instantly rockets into the heavens of unforgettable achievements. A theatrical spectacle humbling beyond words, it is at its core a human drama that floats between wonder and terror, with a beating heart provided by two of America’s brightest stars – Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Bullock’s lead role is so deeply felt and epic in emotion that we stand with her at film’s end, grateful to have experienced one helluva ride. Read the AFI Catalog entry
asks what it is to connect – and what it means to love. This near-future romance is a profoundly relevant valentine to today’s world – a modern fairy tale written and directed by the mind-soaring talents of Spike Jonze. Deeply personal, vulnerable performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson tell the story of one man’s passion for an operating system and her shared joy for him. The inevitability of human evolution is a concept scary to some and embraced by others, but this is art at its most powerful – to imagine “what if?” – and present it with a pure, beating heart. Read the AFI Catalog entry
embodies the spirit of a great American folk tale – but finds the power of a lyrical odyssey when told by the talents of Joel and Ethan Coen. With T Bone Burnett as their musical muse, the Coens brilliantly encapsulate the saturated soul of the early sixties, as they play this cyclical ballad sparked by a bar fight and a cat on an incredible journey. Oscar Isaac’s finely tuned performance is inseparable from character as he wanders down the road to redemption; lost between undeniable talent and hopeless abjection, he sees his music as we see the film – it’s never new and it never gets old; it’s a folk song. Read the AFI Catalog entry
paints a stark portrait of Midwestern America – a Rockwell drained of both color and nostalgia, but nonetheless infused with astounding depth and sentiment. Shadows cast with austere beauty by director Alexander Payne reveal innumerable shades of gray in the film’s characters – evoking empathy, if not sympathy, for an embittered family on an unlikely pilgrimage. Bruce Dern’s million-dollar performance as wayward patriarch Woody Grant creates a quietly stirring and darkly comic study on aging, and Will Forte shines as the son who helps Woody look to the future as the long, open road of memory disappears in the rear-view mirror. Read the AFI Catalog entry
soars to the highest heights, elevating the memory of one of American film’s most celebrated stories. Magic leaps from the pages of Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel’s script, as director John Lee Hancock brilliantly blends the story and the back story of MARY POPPINS’ flight to the silver screen. Icons as icons, Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks spar deftly and delightfully as P.L. Travers and Walt Disney, beautifully embodying the struggle inherent in creating a character so deeply personal and then sharing it with the world. Like Poppins herself, the film is practically perfect in every way. Read the AFI Catalog entry
howls at a moon hanging high above an atavistic America. This cinematic exploration of excess is a cautionary tale, administered like a dangerously addictive drug by a master of cinema. Here, Martin Scorsese and his talented team – with Terence Winter’s script as guide – write another chapter in the history of New York crime families, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s fearless performance hypnotizing those who believe that money matters above all else. Complicit in his transgressions is an all-star ensemble – with Jonah Hill emerging as his colorful partner in crime. Read the AFI Catalog entry
embeds audiences into a seductive study of the conflicting loyalties between undercover Soviet spies and their adopted American suburbs. Joe Weisberg’s taut Cold War thriller doubles as a portrait of a troubled middle-class marriage – with stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys providing the glowing core to this new take on the nuclear family.
held the world captive in its addictive final episodes – breathlessly waiting for word on Walter White’s cancerous descent from sympathetic family man to the darkest of villains. Vince Gilligan and his crack creative ensemble missed no opportunity for conflict and character development as they cooked up an epic conclusion worthy of the series’ undeniable place in the pantheon.
soars to new heights on dragons’ wings. Rare are the moments when a series so thoroughly shakes its audience with a grim marriage of shock and bloodshed – but in an epic feat, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss execute an exquisite betrayal, turning a strategic alliance into a red wedding so infamous that the world was left gasping for breath.
raises the bar in its fifth year with an audacious act of reinvention. Creators Michelle and Robert King upset the status quo with the dissolution of the series’ core legal team – making politics deeply personal in a delicious dance played out by a sparkling, sophisticated ensemble led by Julianna Margulies.
has built a monument to revenge with the careful hand of Beau Willimon. With equal parts bravado and bluff, Kevin Spacey flourishes as a mastermind of Shakespearean ambition – one whose instantly iconic asides reveal the darkly comic and deeply cynical underbelly of the American political system.
cuts a fashionable figure in its impeccably tailored sixth year – which finds Jon Hamm’s Don Draper and a stellar ensemble careening through the dark days of 1968. Creator Matt Weiner’s stylish stories serve as both a poetic recreation of America’s past and a sobering reminder that nothing endures but change.
remembers a time before the world was awash in images of sex – and in doing so, finds the ground to become the rare work actually about sex. Michelle Ashford’s lushly produced period piece embraces both the kinky and clinical aspects of Masters and Johnson’s pioneering research, allowing the series to lay bare its subject with candor and humor – raising consciousness as it raises eyebrows.
escapes conventional TV models with a liberating look at life inside a women’s prison. Jenji Kohan’s fearlessly funny and intensely dramatic stories navigate a new world, where fiercely original characters remind audiences that gender and race should be explored and celebrated – on the inside and the outside.
is a grand opera of passionate political delights – amplified for modern day by maestro Shonda Rhimes. Hot topics are handled with a matter-of-fact approach to diversity that makes the series incisively relevant. Operating on all cylinders is Kerry Washington, who dazzles each week as she leads her gladiators into the world to fix the lives of all but their own.
is second to none in today’s television comedies. Armando Iannucci’s satiric eye peers into the office of the Vice President – embodied by the hilariously deadpan Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her oafish entourage of snakes and sycophants. This incisive indictment of government dysfunction finds humor in bureaucratic bad behavior – a political reality that’s so painfully funny because it might just be true.
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.
Honorees are selected based on works which:
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]
