AFI Awards 2007 Official Selections Announced

AFI Awards 2007 Official Selections Announced

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

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2007, 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 2007 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 11, 2008 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The luncheon is by invitation only.

Additionally, HP has created 20 scholarships to the AFI Conservatory for a second consecutive year, one for each of the AFI honorees. The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced training of the next generation of storytellers.

"AFI was established 40 years ago to educate and to honor great American film artists. AFI AWARDS does both -- it celebrates the achievements of these 20 extraordinary ensembles and through the HP scholarships in their name, the program invests in the next generation of storytellers," commented Bob Gazzale, AFI's President and CEO.

   The honorees are listed below in alphabetical order:                 AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR - OFFICIAL SELECTIONS                      BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD                     THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY                               INTO THE WILD                                    JUNO                                 KNOCKED UP                              MICHAEL CLAYTON                           NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN                                RATATOUILLE                                THE SAVAGES                            THERE WILL BE BLOOD               AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR - OFFICIAL SELECTIONS                                    DEXTER                           EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS                            FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS                                  LONGFORD                                  MAD MEN                              PUSHING DAISIES                                THE SOPRANOS                            TELL ME YOU LOVE ME                                  30 ROCK                                 UGLY BETTY     AFI AWARDS 2007 JURORS    AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES    Frank Pierson   Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures   Writer/Director   Artistic Director and Distinguished Filmmaker-in-Residence,   AFI Conservatory   AFI Board of Trustees    David Ansen   Newsweek    Donn Cambern   Editor/Director   Senior Mentor, AFI Conservatory    Mary Corey   University of California, Los Angeles    Lawrence Kasdan   Writer/Producer/Director   AFI Trustee Emeritus    Leonard Maltin   ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT    Tara McPherson   University of Southern California    Diana Ossana   Novelist/Screenwriter/Producer    David Picker   Producer   AFI Trustee Emeritus    Tom Pollock   Vice Chair and Chair Emeritus, AFI Board of Trustees    Richard Schickel   Time    Gary Winick   Director/Producer   AFI Conservatory Alumnus    Kristal Brent Zook   Hosftra University     AFI JURY FOR TELEVISION    Rich Frank   Chair, AFI Jury for Television   Vice Chair, AFI Board of Trustees    Dick Askin   President and CEO, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences   AFI Board of Trustees    Neal Baer   Writer/Producer   AFI Conservatory Alumnus    Anna Everett   University of California, Santa Barbara    Nancy Franklin   The New Yorker    Barry Garron   The Hollywood Reporter    Melissa Gilbert   Actor/Director/Producer   AFI Trustee Emeritus    Horace Newcomb   University of Georgia    Del Reisman   Writer   Senior Lecturer, AFI Conservatory    Matt Roush   TV Guide    Maureen Ryan   Chicago Tribune    Robert Thompson   Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, Syracuse University    Ron Underwood   Director/Producer/Writer   AFI Conservatory Alumnus     CRITERIA  

Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in American film and television by recognizing the creative ensembles that collaborate to create the year's outstanding movies and television programs, all of which best advanced the art of the moving image; enhanced the rich cultural heritage of America's art form; inspired audiences and artists alike; and/or made a mark on American society.

   AFI will consider eligible any film that fulfills the following criteria:    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, 2007, and December 31, 2007, which have premiered in a commercial theater and screened for at least five consecutive days in Los Angeles or New York City.

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. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: American Film Institute

CONTACT: Alison Deknatel, +1-323-856-7896, adeknatel@AFI.com, or Amy
Kruse, +1-323-856-7603, akruse@AFI.com, both of American Film Institute

Web site: http://www.afi.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: The complete jury rationales for each AFI AWARDS selection and the AFI AWARDS Moments of Significance will be distributed at a later date. Press coverage of the AFI AWARDS luncheon is very limited and by invitation only. Photos and video footage will both be available through AFI immediately following the event on January 11, 2008.

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Profile: International Entertainment