American Film Institute Announces AFI Awards 2012 Official Selections

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2012 – the awards season event favored by artists and entertainment executives for its intimacy and collaborative recognition where everyone is a winner – that documents the year's most outstanding achievements in film and television. 

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.

MAD MEN now tops the list as the most recognized AFI AWARDS TV honoree, with 2012 marking its fifth appearance in the AFI almanac, followed closely by BREAKING BAD, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, MODERN FAMILY, THE SOPRANOS and THE WIRE, each with four AFI AWARDS honors since 2001.

"AFI AWARDS celebrates America's storytellers as collaborators," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO.  "We are honored to bring together artists as a community, without competition, to acknowledge the gifts they have given the world in 2012."

Verizon Digital Media Services returns as the presenting sponsor of the event, underwriting the AFI AWARDS luncheon and creating 20 scholarships in the name of each honoree for the next generation of storytellers at the AFI Conservatory, which is renowned for its advanced training in six filmmaking disciplines:  Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting.  And, AFI Conservatory alumni continue to be represented across the film and television honorees – in 2012, AFI alumni worked on programs ranging from AMERICAN HORROR STORY, BREAKING BAD and HOMELAND to movies including ARGO and LINCOLN, to name a few.

Marking the thirteenth chapter in the American Film Institute's 21st century almanac, AFI AWARDS 2012 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 Rich Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for television, and includes award-winning artists such as Angela Bassett, Brad Bird, Chris Carter, Marta Kauffman and Octavia Spencer; film historian Leonard Maltin; scholars from prestigious universities with recognized motion picture arts programs (Syracuse, UCLA, University of Texas, USC, Wesleyan); AFI Board of Trustees; and critics from leading media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, USA Today and more.

AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the selections at an invitation-only luncheon on Friday, January 11, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to Verizon, Audi of America returns as 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.

SOURCE American Film Institute