The American Film Institute released its choices for the top films and television programs of the year today. While its annual list of outstanding films normally names 10, this year, for the first time, the list expanded to include 11 movies.
The films ranged alphabetically from American Sniper to Whiplash. The list also includes Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game, Interstellar, Into the Woods, Nightcrawler, Selma and Unbroken.
The AFI TV programs of the year: The Americans, Fargo, Game of Thrones, How to Get Away With Murder, Jane the Virgin, The Knick, Mad Men, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley and Transparent.
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AFI Awards acknowledge the creative team behind each film and TV program. The honorees were selected by two juries, one for film, one for TV, based on which movies and TV shows 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.
“We celebrate these films and television programs as more than just milestones in a year of excellence,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “They are a part of our American cultural heritage — collectively, a new chapter in the story of the art form and of our nation.”
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This year’s juries were chaired by producers and AFI Board of Trustees vice chairs Tom Pollock (former vice chairman of MCA, chairman of Universal Pictures) for the movies and Rich Frank (former chairman of Walt Disney Television, president of Walt Disney Studios, president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for television, and include artists such as Anne Garefino (AFI Class of 1988), Vince Gilligan, Marshall Herskovitz (AFI Class of 1975), Patty Jenkins (AFI Class of 2000), Kasi Lemmons, Matthew Libatique (AFI Class of 1992) and Phylicia Rashad; film historian Leonard Maltin; authors and scholars from universities with recognized motion picture arts programs; AFI board of trustees; and critics from leading media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Time, TV Guide, USA Today and more.
The honorees will be recognized at the annual AFI Awards private luncheon on Jan. 9 in Los Angeles.
