American Film Institute Announces AFI Awards 2012 Honorees

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.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR

• ARGO
• BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
• THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
• DJANGO UNCHAINED
• LES MISÉRABLES
• LIFE OF PI
• LINCOLN
• MOONRISE KINGDOM
• SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
• ZERO DARK THIRTY

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

• AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM
• BREAKING BAD
• GAME CHANGE
• GAME OF THRONES
• GIRLS
• HOMELAND
• LOUIE
• MAD MEN
• MODERN FAMILY
• THE WALKING DEAD

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 2012 selections are made through AFI’s 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.

For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at: facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, twitter.com/AmericanFilm and youtube.com/AFI.