American Film Institute Announces AFI AWARDS 2011 Official Selections

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2011 – the awards season event favored by artists and entertainment executives for its intimacy and collaborative recognition – that records the year's most outstanding achievements in film, television and other forms of the moving image arts. 

AFI AWARDS is the only national recognition that honors the community's creative ensembles as a whole, acknowledging the collaborative nature of the art form.  Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on American society.

"AFI AWARDS represents the proudest of moments in the Institute's calendar of events," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO.  "The event brings together the year's top artists in a celebration of community, not competition.  We're further honored that Verizon supports the event by creating scholarships in the name of each honoree for the next generation of storytellers at the AFI Conservatory."

Marking the twelfth chapter in the American Film Institute's 21st century almanac, AFI AWARDS 2011 selections are made through AFI's unique jury process in which scholars, film and television artists, critics and AFI Trustees determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection.  This year's juries – one for film and one for television – were chaired by producers and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chairs Tom Pollock (former Vice Chairman of MCA, Chairman of Universal Pictures) for the movies 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, and included Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg; film historian Leonard Maltin; scholars from prestigious universities across the nation (AFI Conservatory, Georgia Institute of Technology, USC and Wesleyan); prominent and award-winning producers and directors; AFI Board of Trustees; and critics from leading media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine and USA Today.

In addition to the top ten AFI AWARDS for movies and television, AFI SPECIAL AWARDS are given to outstanding achievements in the moving image that do not match AFI's standard criteria as summarized below:

• Feature-Length Motion Picture
  Narrative fiction format, over 60 minutes in length.
  
• American
  Motion picture with significant creative and/or production elements from the United States.  The motion picture need not be presented in the English language if it is incontrovertibly American.
  
• Theatrically-Released
  Motion pictures originally released between January 1 and December 31, 2011, which have been publicly exhibited in a commercial theater in Los Angeles for paid admission and screened for at least seven consecutive days.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at an invitation-only luncheon on Friday, January 13, 2012 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Verizon Digital Media Services is the presenting sponsor of the event.  Sponsorship includes scholarship support for the AFI Conservatory, which was named the # 1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter and is renowned for its advanced training of the next generation of storytellers in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.

Audi of America is an official sponsor of the event.  Additional sponsors include Stella Artois and American Airlines, the official airline of the American Film Institute, providing travel support throughout the year.

Additional information, awards criteria and the AFI video recap of the honorees can be found at AFI.com/AFIAWARDS later this afternoon.

SOURCE American Film Institute