AFI Awards 2004 Official Selections Announced

AFI Awards 2004 Official Selections Announced Fifth Annual AFI Almanac Names 10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures and TV Programs of the Year LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2004, AFI's almanac which 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 2004 is the only form of national recognition that honors the film and television creative ensemble as a whole -- those people in front of and behind the camera -- acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television. Unlike any other film or television award currently given, the AFI AWARDS 2004 selections were made through AFI's unique 13-person jury process in which scholars, 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 deliberation. The jurors have remained confidential until today. (Complete list is below.) AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the honorees at a luncheon sponsored by Ellen Tracy on Friday, January 14, 2005, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The jury rationales for each selection will be revealed at this event. "AFI is proud to honor these 20 collaborative teams that have made 2004 such a remarkable year in film and television. As the institute recognizes and celebrates excellence across the century, these honorees will be part of the record that documents America's enduring cultural legacy," commented Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI's Director and CEO. The honorees are listed below in alphabetical order: AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS THE AVIATOR COLLATERAL ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS THE INCREDIBLES KINSEY MARIA FULL OF GRACE MILLION DOLLAR BABY SIDEWAYS SPIDER-MAN 2 AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM DEADWOOD DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES LOST NIP/TUCK THE SHIELD SOMETHING THE LORD MADE THE SOPRANOS SOUTH PARK AFI AWARDS 2004 JURORS AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES AFI JURY FOR TELEVISION Roger Ebert Richard Frank Chicago Sun-Times/Ebert & Roeper The Firm Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures AFI Board of Trustees Chair, AFI Jury for Television David Ansen Newsweek Richard Askin, Jr. Tribune Entertainment Company Jeanine Basinger President, Academy of Wesleyan University Television Arts & Sciences AFI Trustee Emeritus AFI Board of Trustees Leo Braudy Neal Baer University of Southern California Producer/Writer James Cromwell David Bianculli Actor The Daily News Naomi Foner Alex Ben Block Writer/Producer Television Week Tom Pollock Barbara Corday Producer Writer/Producer AFI Board of Trustees Mary Corey Robert G. Rehme University of California, Producer Los Angeles AFI Board of Trustees Melanie McFarland Richard Schickel Seattle Post-Intelligencer Time Magazine Producer/Writer/Director Tara McPherson University of Southern California Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Janet Murray Georgia Institute Joan Micklin Silver of Technology Director/Writer AFI Board of Trustees Michael Wood Horace Newcomb Princeton University University of Georgia Director, George Foster Janet Yang Peabody Awards Producer Jerry Offsay Producer Matt Roush TV Guide About the American Film Institute AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world- renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through AFI's New Media Ventures. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival and SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, while offering year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years ... series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 32 years, AFI'S LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com. Source: American Film Institute CONTACT: Alison Deknatel, +1-323-856-7896, adeknatel@AFI.com, or Erin Hurff, +1-323-856-7603, ehurff@AFI.com, or Linda Dozoretz, +1-323-656-4499, linda@ldcomm.co, all of American Film Institute Web site: http://www.afi.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment