The American Film Institute has announced its official lists of films and television programs that will be honored at the AFI Awards on January 5, 2018. Each year, the AFI Awards honors the best-of-the-best ten films and ten television programs which represent the year’s most significant accomplishments in the art of the moving image. Last year, honorees included films Arrival, La La Land, Moonlight, TV programs like The Crown, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and more. This year’s AFI juries include AFI Board of Trustees vice chairs Tom Pollock and Richard Frank for film and television, respectively. The juries also feature artists like Judd Apatow, Paris Barclay, Halle Berry, Jay Cassidy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jennifer Getzinger.
This year, the honorees range from DC Comics films to indie titles and horror films that represent the year 2017 and the milestones the film and television industries made regarding culture, equality, progression, storytelling and more. To no one’s surprise, Patty Jenkin’s empowering Wonder Woman made the list. Another notable honoree is Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out, a stunning and surreal look at racism in America under the guise of a clever horror/thriller. On the television side, it was no surprise that HBO’s massive fantasy series Game of Thrones picked up an honor, since it’s been honored every year since it premiered in 2011, but other excellent and new series like The Handmaid’s Tale and Big Little Lies were also recognized.
A new report on Variety lists all the AFI Awards honorees for this year’s best films and television programs. The report also confirms a special award for Ken Burns’ multi-part event The Vietnam War, which features interviews with 79 witnesses - including Americans who fought in the war or opposed it - and Vietnamese combatants and civilians from the North and South. Here are the lists of honorees:
The AFI’s moves of the year are:
“The Big Sick”
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Dunkirk”
“The Florida Project”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
“Wonder Woman”
The AFI’s TV programs of the year are:
“Big Little Lies”
“The Crown”
“Feud: Bette and Joan”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Good Place”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Insecure”
“Master of None”
“Stranger Things 2”
“This Is Us”
There is one glaring and surprising film missing from the films of the year list though - the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi. While the film hasn’t been screened to critics yet, it’s surprising becasue in 2015 the AFI postponed its announcement so The Force Awakens could be included in the list. Why the announcement wasn’t postponed for Star Wars like it was during 2015 is unknown to us, but it could be that becasue there are so many fantastic films that came out earlier in the year that took precedence over a movie that hasn’t hit theaters yet.
Whether The Last Jedi is recognized by the AFI or not, here’s to hoping that it’s a fantastic film that can rest easily alongside stand-out 2017 titles like Wonder Woman and Get Out.
MORE: The Post Named Best Film of 2017 By NBR
Screen Rant will keep you updated on all news about the AFI Awards.
Source: Variety
