AFI Awards 2006 Official Selections Announced

AFI Awards 2006 Official Selections Announced

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

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2006, 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 is the only form of national recognition that honors the film and television creative ensemble 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 currently given, the AFI AWARDS 2006 selections were 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 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 Hewlett-Packard on Friday, January 12, 2007 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

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

"AFI AWARDS brings the community together -- not as winners or losers -- but as artists who have enriched our cultural legacy. This year, it is particularly meaningful that our honorees will be supporting the future of this great art form through the HP scholarships," commented Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI's President and CEO.

The honorees are listed below in alphabetical order:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR - OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BABEL

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF
KAZAKHSTAN

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

DREAMGIRLS

HALF NELSON

HAPPY FEET

INSIDE MAN

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

UNITED 93

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

DEXTER

ELIZABETH I

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

HEROES

THE OFFICE

SOUTH PARK

24

THE WEST WING

THE WIRE

AFI AWARDS 2006 JURORS

AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES
Robert G. Rehme
Producer
AFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures

Michael Apted
Director/Producer/Writer
President, Directors Guild of America
AFI Board of Trustees

Roger Birnbaum
Co-Chairman and CEO, Spyglass Entertainment
AFI Board of Trustees

Leo Braudy
University of Southern California

James L. Brooks
Director/Producer/Writer

Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles

Jane Gaines
Duke University

Elvis Mitchell
National Public Radio

Diana Ossana
Writer/Producer

David V. Picker
Producer
AFI Trustee Emeritus

Tom Pollock
Producer
Chair Emeritus, AFI Board of Trustees

Anne Thompson
The Hollywood Reporter

Kenneth Turan
The Los Angeles Times

AFI JURY FOR TELEVISON
Richard 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

Steven Bochco
Producer/Writer

Kevin S. Bright
Producer/Director

Paul Brownfield
The Los Angeles Times

Michael Dinner
Director/Producer/Writer

Barry Garron
The Hollywood Reporter

Amanda D. Lotz
University of Michigan

Brian Lowry
Variety

Tara McPherson
University of Southern California

Matt Roush
TV Guide

Vivian Sobchack
University of California, Los Angeles
AFI Board of Trustees

Kristal Brent Zook
Columbia University

CRITERIA

Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in American film and television by recognizing the creative ensembles which 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, 2006, and December 31, 2006, which have premiered in a commercial theater and screened for at least five consecutive days in Los Angeles or New York City.

About the AFI Conservatory

The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced professional training designed to nurture the talents and enhance the skills of tomorrow's leading storytellers in the global motion picture and television professions. The curriculum focuses on narrative, visual storytelling through hands-on collaboration, taught by working professionals from the film and television communities. Master of Fine Arts degrees are granted in six filmmaking disciplines-Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. The AFI Conservatory has trained more than 3,000 artists since its founding in 1969. These graduates have, and will continue to have, a major impact on the art of film, television and digital media.

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 the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. 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-as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. 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 34 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.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The complete jury rationales for each AFI AWARDS selection and the AFI AWARDS Moments of Significance will be revealed at a later date.

Press coverage of the AFI AWARDS luncheon is very limited. Photos and video footage will both be available through AFI immediately following the event on January 12, 2007.

Source: American Film Institute

CONTACT: Alison Deknatel of the American Film Institute, +1-323-856-
7896, adeknatel@AFI.com, or Jessica Ozar of the American Film Institute,
+1-323-856-7603, jozar@AFI.com

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