Like the National Film Registry but in a more 'in the now' kind of way the American Film Institute offers up a top ten list each year meant to denote American screen entertainments that are "culturally and artistically representative" of the artform that year. This year's jury included luminaries like Oscar winner Marlee Martlin, Oscar nominees Cynthia Erivo and Rian Johnson, Honorary Oscar winner Wes Studi, 2021 Kennedy Center Honoree Debbie Allen, Emmy winner Amy Sherman-Palladino, Director Lulu Wang, film historians like Molly Haskell, Mark Harris, and Leonard Maltin, and many more including critics from Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and The Washington Post. Here's what they came up with after the jump...
MOVIES OF THE YEAR
- DA 5 BLOODS
- JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
- MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
- MANK
- MINARI
- NOMADLAND
- ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
- SOUL
- SOUND OF METAL
- THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
When this award first started, it wasn't so Oscar predictive but, as we've discussed before, over the years it started to focus less on the zeitgeist and on films being discussed for the Best Picture race. Several of these are already frontrunners for that most coveted nomination. And the others (Soul, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Sound of Metal) are pretty easy to imagine as nominees, too, if the Globes or SAG also respond well to them. The AFI used to honor films with this list that really didn't have a shot at Best Picture but had made a culural impact (usually but not always at the box office). One good option this year in that regard would have been Invisible Man. And in terms of getting people talking or inspiring a ton of critical conversation you'll notice that Promising Young Woman and First Cow are missing. (Given that Judas didn't start screening until quite recently in 2021 it must have been the last thing they saw before voting.)
TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
- BETTER CALL SAUL
- BRIDGERTON
- THE CROWN
- THE GOOD LORD BIRD
- LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
- THE MANDALORIAN
- MRS AMERICA
- THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
- TED LASSO
- UNORTHODOX
SPECIAL AWARD
- HAMILTON
Since the AFI awards American work specifically made for film and television they use the "Special Award" each year for things that don't fit that criteria. Sometimes it's a film from another country that's nominated or something British (one option this year might have been "Small Axe" by Steve McQueen) but they opted to honor the filmed version of Hamilton Live which is... well, it's a good choice. It definitely speaks to 2020.
What'cha think?