AFI 100 Years… 100 Movies: An Overdue Update
Thursday, January 1, 2026 at 3:00PM 
CITIZEN KANE (1941) was the top-placer in both editions.
I ended my 2025 by watching the remaining films from the AFI 100 Years… 100 Movies (both the 1997 and the 2007 editions). From the egregiously racist The Birth of a Nation (1915) to the broodingly dark Blade Runner (1982), it was fulfilling to finally finish these films, an endeavor that I started back when I was in high school and have just now finished in my 30s.
This experience reminded me that AFI was supposed to do the 100 Movies list every ten years, but they only revisited it once, with 2017 marking its supposed update but crickets from the institute. While it is probably a longshot, 2027 marks another chance for the AFI to release an updated version of the list. For the 2007 version, the most recent films they considered were three films from 2005: Brokeback Mountain, Crash, and Good Night, and Good Luck.
So with 2025 now over, let’s do an exercise: which films from 2006 to 2025 would most likely be considered as additions to the updated list should it happen? Let’s go…
2006: Little Miss Sunshine (Dirs. Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris)
Alt: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
This indie dramedy charmed audiences back in its Sundance premiere all the way to the Oscars where it had PGA and SAG wins coming into the ceremony. Not for anything, but I do remember the intro montage for the 2007 edition of the list including a clip from this film.
2007: There Will Be Blood (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Alt: No Country for Old Men
While these two films went head-to-head come Oscar night, this Anderson feature gets a slight edge for still being called his and Daniel Day-Lewis’s best work. This has also been a top-tier regular in best of decade/century lists ever since.
2008: The Dark Knight (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
Alt: WALL-E
The film that basically changed the rules of the Oscars, this blockbuster classic redefined the superhero genre, tapped into modern paranoia, placed Nolan’s name firmly as one of the greats, and featured a career-defining performance from Heath Ledger.
2009: Avatar (Dir. James Cameron)
Alt: Inglourious Basterds
While this sci-fi epic was not included in the AFI Top 10 of 2009, there is still respect for the film as a big technical achievement in cinema. Its legacy is further cemented by two sequels released since then which also claimed box-office records for themselves.
2010: The Social Network (Dir. David Fincher)
Alt: Inception
Hailed as ‘the film of this generation’ during its release and often called Fincher’s best, this film about the rise of Facebook and the man behind it becomes more relevant by the day. If anything, its underperformance during that year’s Oscars helped galvanize enduring support for this film.
2011: Bridesmaids (Dir. Paul Feig)
Alt: The Tree of Life
A tough year to find a cultural classic. I went with this comedy, a critical and commercial hit at the time (rare for a mainstream comedy) whose status has been pretty robust since then. It doesn't hurt that most of its cast members had their careers take off post-Bridesmaids.
2012: Life of Pi (Dir. Ang Lee)
Alt: Lincoln
Another difficult year. I lean towards this technical marvel from a beloved cinematic legend, doing very well at the box-office and perhaps accepted as the runner-up to that year’s Best Picture winner. It’s either this or Spielberg’s biopic of the American president.
2013: 12 Years a Slave (Dir. Steve McQueen)
Alt: Gravity
This historical drama continues to have a high reputation years after its very close Oscar race. Tackling a dark time in American history with unflinching brutality, this is a significant step in representing history on film with a much-needed shift in perspective.
2014: Interstellar (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
Alt: Boyhood
While its reception was mixed-to-positive during release, the love for this film has only grown since. Hans Zimmer’s score played a big part in keeping this in public consciousness. Perhaps it is also Nolan’s continually rising status as an auteur.
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road (Dir. George Miller)
Alt: Carol
Even if it underperformed at the box-office in 2015, time has been very kind. Critics really backed this film and pushed it to double-digit Oscar noms. The film continues to enjoy reverence, and is widely called one of the best blockbusters of the century.
2016: Moonlight (Dir. Barry Jenkins)
Alt: La La Land
While its Best Picture win was a semi-surprise, this film definitely made its mark with critics and audiences alike as one of the best films of the decade, a cinematic milestone in Black and queer representation, and a representation of where independent filmmaking is at this stage.
2017: Get Out (Dir. Jordan Peele)
Alt: Lady Bird
Released right after the beginning of Trump’s presidency, this gender-defying commentary on race relations has continued to exponentially rise in reputation. That this remains prescient to today’s political and cultural climate is going to keep Get Out in the conversation.
2018: Black Panther (Dir. Ryan Coogler)
Alt: BlacKkKlansman
A massive commercial hit that became a landmark in Black cinema, this superhero film is one of the few films on this list that inarguably entered the Zeitgeist. Add the endearing legacy that T'Challah himself Chadwick Boseman has had since his passing and this film remains widely beloved.
2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Alt: Little Women
2019 is tough to decipher for this list. The biggest film of the year commercially (Avengers: Endgame) made little dent in awards recognition, the biggest critical success (Parasite) was not an American film and is thus ineligible, and a divisive film (Joker) that had instant cultural significance which soured after the fact. So I guess the Tarantino or the Gerwig instead?
2020: Nomadland (Dir. Chloé Zhao)
Alt: Promising Young Woman
Tough to assess a film’s cultural significance when it was stripped of the communal element because of extensive periods of isolation. I’m guessing the film that taps into that is the one that will continue to have made a mark. So it's either Nomadland or an angry film about gender politics.
2021: Dune (Dir. Denis Villeneuve)
Alt: CODA
We’re going with the big space epic that managed to enjoy both critical and commercial success, a two-punch combo that a lot were not able to experience during its initial release. Villeneuve’s intro to this sweeping space saga felt like a reintroduction of the ‘big film’ at that year’s Oscars.
2022: Everything Everywhere All at Once (Dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)
Alt: Top Gun: Maverick
One just has to look at how this family fantasy dominated that awards season, had an extended commercial release, and prominence in the pop culture. All of those thing are tough to achieve for a film during a multi-cultural landscape. And it's an independent film to boot.
2023: Oppenheimer (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
Alt: Barbie
The "Barbenheimer" phenomenon was what the film industry really needed at the time - twin cinematic events that made even the most casual filmgoers want to go back to the cinemas. That this Nolan epic was also regarded as one of his best is just the cherry on top.
2024: Wicked (Dir. Jon M. Chu)
Alt: Anora
Its massive publicity push penetrated social meia discourse and resulted in high commercial performance. The anticipation for this long-awaited cinematic adaptation of a famed theatrical property, and how its music exploded during the time of release also helped make this a culturally significant film.
2025: One Battle After Another (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Alt: Sinners
Paul Thomas Anderson's current Oscar frontrunner comments on the angst and fury of living in Trump’s second presidential term. That it was packaged as an action-packed thriller comedy starring one of cinema’s biggest stars and helmed by one of the most highly acclaimed living filmmakers has solidified its status as an instant classic.
Which films do you think will get into a hypothetical update of the AFI list?
Reader Comments (11)
My choices would be
Get Out Culturally significant,rewatchable despite knowing the outcome,Alison Williams is stellar in it.
There Will be Blood epic cinema done with an auteur's eye,still DDL's best,I do prefer Phantom Thread as Anderson's best.
Gravity sfx game changer,rewatchable but the only drawback is Clooney spoils it.
The Dark Knight Rises not a fan of Nolan's trilogy or his films in general,so po faced and humourless but this is the one I did like and that was Ledger's doing.
Everything Everywhere All At Once nothing like it before and probably nothing will be like it after plus JLC has an Oscar.
I dislike the term "instant classic" the term "classic" means something to be judged over time not within a few months so no to One Battle After Another.
Top 100!
All-time Top 100!
It's very serious, it won't change so much.
Any new inclusions for me?
Maybe "There Will Be Blood" and "Manchester by the Sea".
No others.
They're clearly never gonna make another of these lists again!! But if they did I think the only realistic possibilities would be THERE WILL BE BLOOD, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and MOONLIGHT!!
My favorite American movies of the last 20 years are Toy Story 3, Lincoln, Jackie and The Rider. If The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Lust Caution are eligible, (American directors but not in English it that counts) I'd include ithem, also. I love Anora, but it's too recent. I think a film should be around awhile before putting it on such a list.
I remember this as a kid and being so excited seeing this list. I'm so disappointed they discontinued doing it and I hope they attempt to bring it back.
2006- Cars ALT- Casino Royale
2007- No Country for Old Men ALT- There Will Be Blood
2008- WALLE ATL-Milk
2009- UP ALT- Inglorious Basterds
2010- Inception ALT- Black Swan
2011- Hugo ALT- The Descendants
2012- Life of Pi ALT- Django Unchained
2013- Gravity ALT- Frozen
2014- Whiplash ALT- Birdman
2015- Mad Max: Fury Road ALT- Spotlight
2016- La La Land ALT- Moonlight
2017- Get Out ALT- Call Me By Your Name
2018- A Quiet Place ALT- Black Panther
2019- Little Women ALT- Marriage Story
2020- Nomadland ALT- The Father
2021- Dune ALT- West Side Story
2022- Everything Everywhere All At Once ALT- Tar
2023- Barbie ALT- Oppenheimer
2024- Wicked ALT- The Substance
2025- Sinners ALT- One Battle After Another
I know you're asking for what we think will make it into a hypothetical update, but I can't help but wonder what I would choose if given the chance. That eventually led me to wonder what my favorite American film from each of these years was. So...
2006) MARIE ANTOINETTE, Sofia Coppola
2007) THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Paul Thomas Anderson
2008) WALL·E, Andrew Stanton
2009) CORALINE, Henry Selick
2010) THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher
2011) THE TREE OF LIFE, Terrence Malick
2012) FRANCES HA, Noah Baumbach
2013) THE IMMIGRANT, James Gray
2014) A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, J.C. Chandor
2015) CAROL, Todd Haynes
2016) CAMERAPERSON, Kirsten Johnson
2017) PHANTOM THREAD, Paul Thomas Anderson
2018) SUSPIRIA, Luca Guadagnino
2019) FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt
2020) DAVID BYRNE'S AMERICAN UTOPIA, Spike Lee
2021) INSIDE, Bo Burnham
2022) ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED, Laura Poitras
2023) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, Martin Scorsese
2024) BABYGIRL, Halina Reijn
2025) THE MASTERMIND, Kelly Reichardt
Yes, Claudio.
This a completely different thing.
If we're talking about OUR FAVORITE MOVIES/THE BEST MOVIES IN OUR OPINION, I also can make a list.
2006) "Flags of Our Fathers", by Clint Eastwood
2007) "There Wil Be Blood", by Paul Thomas Anderson
2008) "Synecdoche, New York", by Charlie Kaufman
2009) "Up in the Air", by Jason Reitman
2010) "The Social Network", by David Fincher
2011) "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen
2012) "The Master", by Paul Thomas Anderson
2013) "Gravity", by Alfonso Cuarón
2014) "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)", by Alejandro González Iñárritu
2015) "Carol", by Todd Haynes
2016) "Manchester by the Sea", by Kenneth Lonergan
2017) "Call Me By Your Name", by Luca Guadagnino
2018) "First Man", by Damien Chazelle
2019) "The Irishman", by Martin Scorsese
2020) "The Father", by Florian Zeller
2021) "Belfast", by Kenneth Branagh
2022) "Everything Everywhere All at Once", by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
2023) "The Holdovers", Alexander Payne
2024) "Challengers", by Luca Guadagnino
2025) ... (Of course, I didn't watch a lot of movies of the season)
Fabio Dantas Flappers -- Are these your favorites overall? Or your favorite American films, like what I did? Because if it's the latter, I don't think BELFAST had an American production.
But back to the point of this piece - sorry for digressing, Juan Carlos - I agree with most of your predictions. I think maybe I'd switch up a few of them with the alternates you already mentioned. Specifically, LINCOLN in 2012 and BOYHOOD in 2014.
I'm not sure I agree with 2006 overall. That's really the only year. For some reason, I feel like they'd go with one of Eastwood's films or UNITED 93, mayhap INLAND EMPIRE as a reaction to Lynch's passing and it being officially his last feature film.
Claudio,
Good point.
English Language Movies, not exactly American Movies.
So, the same apply for "The Father". And it's going to be tough, 'cause 2020 was a terrible year...
So...
2006) "Flags of Our Fathers", by Clint Eastwood
2007) "There Wil Be Blood", by Paul Thomas Anderson
2008) "Synecdoche, New York", by Charlie Kaufman
2009) "Up in the Air", by Jason Reitman
2010) "The Social Network", by David Fincher
2011) "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen
2012) "The Master", by Paul Thomas Anderson
2013) "Gravity", by Alfonso Cuarón
2014) "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)", by Alejandro González Iñárritu
2015) "Carol", by Todd Haynes
2016) "Manchester by the Sea", by Kenneth Lonergan
2017) "Call Me By Your Name", by Luca Guadagnino
2018) "First Man", by Damien Chazelle
2019) "The Irishman", by Martin Scorsese
2020) "Palm Springs", by Maz Barbakov
2021) "Licorice Pizza", by Paul Thomas Anderson
2022) "Everything Everywhere All at Once", by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
2023) "The Holdovers", Alexander Payne
2024) "Challengers", by Luca Guadagnino
2025) ... (Of course, I didn't watch a lot of movies of the season)
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