AFI Top Ten List

Remember, the AFI Top Ten list is only American films. Here's the final top ten list, which does not include Avatar--it nabs a special mention for technical achievement. I have to say, going with The Hangover over Avatar is hard to fathom. And I found Dominican baseball film Sugar admirable but flat. Love it that they picked two animated films. Full release and jury on jump.

Coraline
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
The Messenger
Precious
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Sugar
Up
Up in the Air

Tenth Annual AFI Almanac Honors 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures and TV Programs of the Year

LOS ANGELES, December 13, 2009—American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2009, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well as significant moments in the world of the moving image.

AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honors the film and television creative ensembles as a whole—those both in front of and behind the camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television.

Unlike any other film or television award, the AFI AWARDS 2009 selections are made through AFI’s unique 13-person jury process in which scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees discuss, debate and determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection. Two AFI juries—one for motion pictures and one for television—convened in Los Angeles for two days of deliberations at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. The jurors have remained confidential until today. (Complete list is below.)

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at a luncheon sponsored by Hewlett-Packard on Friday, January 15, 2010 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The luncheon is by invitation only.

Once again, HP has created scholarships for the AFI Conservatory in conjunction with their support of the AFI AWARDS. The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced training of the next generation of storytellers.

“AFI AWARDS 2009 is the tenth chapter in a century-long program to honor the artists and their work," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "This program celebrates the creative community - not competition - and it is in this spirit that the institute brings America's storytellers together to acknowledge their contributions to our nation's rich cultural heritage."

The honorees are listed below in alphabetical order:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

CORALINE

THE HANGOVER

THE HURT LOCKER

THE MESSENGER

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE

A SERIOUS MAN

A SINGLE MAN

SUGAR

UP

UP IN THE AIR

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE BIG BANG THEORY


BIG LOVE


FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS


GLEE


MAD MEN


MODERN FAMILY


THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY


NURSE JACKIE


PARTY DOWN


TRUE BLOOD

Additional information and video of the honorees can be found at www.afi.com/afiawards.


AFI AWARDS 2009 JURORS

AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES

Norman Jewison
Chair, AFI Awards Jury for Motion Pictures
Director/Producer

Sean Astin
Actor

Dustin Lance Black
Writer/Director/Producer

Leo Braudy
University of Southern California

Mark Harris
Author
Entertainment Weekly/New York Magazine

Patty Jenkins
Director/Producer

Leonard Maltin
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

Elvis Mitchell
THE TREATMENT

Chon Noriega
University of California, Los Angeles

Tom Pollock
Producer
Chair Emeritus, AFI Board of Trustees

Claudia Puig
USA Today

Richard Schickel
Historian/Author/Documentary Filmmaker

Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly


AFI JURY FOR TELEVISION

Neal Baer
Chair, AFI Jury for Television
Writer/Producer

Stanley Brooks
Producer

Bambi Haggins
Arizona State University

L.S. Kim
University of California, Santa Cruz

Brian Lowry
Variety

David Milch
Writer/Producer

Lisa Parks
University of California, Santa Barbara

CCH Pounder
Actor

Matt Roush
TV Guide Magazine

Maureen Ryan
Chicago Tribune

Ellen Seiter
University of Southern California

John Shaffner
President, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Robert J. Thompson
Syracuse University