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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