AFI Honors Top Ten Most Outstanding
Motion Pictures and Television Programs of the Year

New Special Awards Added

LOS ANGELES, December 12, 2010 – American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2010, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film, television, and other forms of the moving image arts.

AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honors the community’s creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form.  Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on American society.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR

BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE TOWN
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER’S BONE

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

THE BIG C
BOARDWALK EMPIRE
BREAKING BAD
GLEE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE PACIFIC
TEMPLE GRANDIN
30 ROCK
THE WALKING DEAD

AFI SPECIAL AWARDS

THE KING’S SPEECH
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

“As AFI Awards entered its second decade of documenting excellence across the century, it became clear from the scholars, critics and artists who come together for the American Film Institute that acknowledging outstanding work outside the traditional AFI criteria would provide greater context to our goal of recording a true history of the art form,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO.  “This year and moving forward, in addition to honoring American storytelling in the narrative format, the juries may name Special Awards and it is AFI’s honor to shine a proper light on these artists and their achievements.”

AFI AWARDS 2010 selections are made through AFI’s unique jury process in which scholars, film and television artists, critics and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection.  AFI SPECIAL AWARDS are given to outstanding achievements in the moving image that do not fit into AFI’s criteria for the other honorees:

Feature-Length Motion Picture
Narrative fiction format, over 60 minutes in length.

American
Motion picture with significant creative and/or production elements from the
United States. The motion picture need not be presented in the English language if it is incontrovertibly American.

Theatrically-Released
Motion pictures originally released between January 1 and December 31, 2010, which have been publicly exhibited in a commercial theater in Los Angeles for paid admission and screened for at least seven consecutive days.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at a luncheon sponsored by Hewlett-Packard on Friday, January 14, 2011 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The luncheon is by invitation only.

HP, the event’s sponsor for five years, has once again created scholarships for the AFI Conservatory in conjunction with its support of AFI AWARDS.  The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced training of the next generation of storytellers in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.

American Airlines is the official airline of the American Film Institute, providing travel support throughout the year.

Additional information, awards criteria and AFI video announcement of the honorees can be found at afi.com/afiawards.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
Press coverage of the AFI AWARDS luncheon is very limited and by invitation only. Photos and video footage will be available through AFI and Platform Media Group by 4pm immediately following the event on January 14, 2011.

About the American Film Institute

AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work, and to educate the next generation of storytellers.  AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.

AFI preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an authoritative record of American films from 1893 to the present, and the AFI Archives, which contains rare footage from across the history of the moving image.

AFI honors the artists and their work through a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI Awards.  For 38 years, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film while AFI Awards, the institute’s almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year.  AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, as well as AFI Night at the Movies, have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers.  And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI offers film enthusiasts a variety of events throughout the year, including AFI Fest presented by Audi, the longest running international film festival in Los Angeles; AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, the largest documentary festival in the US; and year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre in the Washington, D.C. area.

AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, offering a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.  AFI also explores new digital technologies through special workshops.

Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society.  The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems.  More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at hp.com.

AFI AWARDS 2010 JURORS

AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES

Tom Pollock
Chair, AFI Awards Jury for Motion Pictures
AFI Board of Trustees
Producer

Jeanine Basinger
Wesleyan University

Donn Cambern
Editor

Diablo Cody
Writer/Producer

Lee Daniels
Director/Producer

Jane Gaines
Columbia University

Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute

Akira Mizuta Lippit
University of Southern California

Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy/ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

Elvis Mitchell
THE TREATMENT/AT THE MOVIES

Claudia Puig
USA Today

Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Michael Wood
Princeton University

AFI JURY FOR TELEVISION

Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for Television
AFI Board of Trustees
Producer

Steven Bochco
Producer/Writer

Bob Gazzale
American Film Institute

Marshall Herskovitz
AFI Board of Trustees
Producer/Writer/Director

Jennifer Love Hewitt
Actor/Producer

Henry Jenkins
University of Southern California

Anna McCarthy
New York University

Mary McNamara
Los Angeles Times

James Poniewozik
Time Magazine

Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine

Maureen Ryan
AOL

John Shaffner
AFI Board of Trustees
Chairman and CEO, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Production Designer

Janet Staiger
University of Texas at Austin

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CONTACT:
Hilary Morse
PMG-Platform Media Group
Hmorse@platformgrp.com
310.717.9592