Film and TV Honorees to Be Celebrated at Invitation-Only Luncheon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — September 5, 2017, Los Angeles, CA — Recognizing the year's most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image, AFI AWARDS is the American Film Institute's annual almanac of excellence — celebrating works of significance in both film and television. AFI will honor the talented teams that created the 10 most outstanding films and 10 most outstanding television programs of the year at a private luncheon in Los Angeles on Friday, January 5, 2018.
Favored by artists and entertainment executives for its intimacy and collaborative recognition, the annual gathering is the only form of national appreciation that honors the creative ensemble as a whole — those in front of and behind the camera — and is popular with honorees because there are no winners or losers.
Marking the 18th chapter in the American Film Institute's ongoing almanac, AFI AWARDS honorees are selected by a jury process comprised of experts from across the moving image communities — including film and television artists, critics, scholars and AFI Trustees. Audi returns as an Official Sponsor of AFI AWARDS.
Submissions and deadlines will be announced later this month.
The honorees will be announced in December 2017.
About the American Film Institute
Celebrating its golden milestone, the American Film Institute began its mission 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. Established by Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential mandate in the White House Rose Garden, AFI is America's promise to educate today's audiences and tomorrow's artists. The Institute was anchored by a foundation of luminaries from the film community including Gregory Peck as Chair, Sidney Poitier as Vice Chair, George Stevens, Jr., as Director and CEO with board members Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Jack Valenti. In 1969, AFI opened the Center for Advanced Film Studies, now called the AFI Conservatory, an elite MFA program whose inaugural class included Terrence Malik, Caleb Deschanel and Paul Schrader. The program's acclaimed film and television alumni include Andrea Arnold, Darren Aronofsky, Julie Dash, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, David Lynch and Robert Richardson, among others.
In addition to the AFI Conservatory, AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI AWARDS, honoring the most outstanding movies and TV series of the year; AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.
