2019 AFI Top Films and Television: 'The Farewell,' 'Richard Jewell,' 'Watchmen,' 'Succession' and more

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2019. Unique in its celebration of the film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS – now in its 20^thyear – is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera.  

AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image. In addition to the 20 honorees, AFI also recognizes PARASITE and FLEABAG with an AFI Special Award, designated for a work of excellence outside the Institute’s criteria for American film and television.

All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form and make a mark on American society. When placed in an historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.

AFI MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR

• 1917
• THE FAREWELL
• THE IRISHMAN
• JOJO RABBIT
• JOKER
• KNIVES OUT
• LITTLE WOMEN
• MARRIAGE STORY
• ONCE UPON A TIME IN…HOLLYWOOD
• RICHARD JEWELL

SPECIAL AWARD

PARASITE

AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

• CHERNOBYL
• THE CROWN
• FOSSE/VERDON
• GAME OF THRONES
• POSE
• SUCCESSION
• UNBELIEVABLE
• VEEP
• WATCHMEN
• WHEN THEY SEE US

SPECIAL AWARD

FLEABAG

AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, scholars, artists and critics determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.

This year’s juries — one for film and one for television — featured acclaimed artists including Emmy®-nominated actor John Amos, Emmy®-nominated director Lesli Linka Glatter, Oscar®-winning writer Callie Khouri, Tony-nominated actor Delroy Lindo and Emmy®-nominated director Betty Thomas; renowned authors and scholars representing prestigious universities with recognized motion picture arts and television programs; film historian Leonard Maltin; the AFI Board of Trustees; and film and television critics from media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, TV Guide and Variety. The juries were chaired by AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chairs Tom Pollock (former Vice Chairman of MCA, Chairman of Universal Pictures) for film and Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for television.

Honorees will gather on January 3, 2020, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon in Los Angeles, CA — an event favored by the entertainment community for its informal intimacy and its inclusive acknowledgement of excellence.  

The 2019 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy. View all past AFI AWARDS honorees here.

The AFI AWARDS luncheon will be sponsored by Audi, a supporter of AFI and its programs for the past 16 years. The AFI AWARDS luncheon is also sponsored by American Airlines, the official airline of AFI.

About the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute was established by presidential proclamation in the White House Rose Garden, and launched its national mandate on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI’s founding Trustees included Chairman Gregory Peck, Vice Chairman Sidney Poitier, Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Jack Valenti and George Stevens, Jr., as Director.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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