Update 1/26/21: Nomadland and Mrs. America added to the list of shows/films honored.
Soul, The Mandalorian, Nomadland, Mrs. America, and Hamilton (with a special award) are titles selected to be honored by the American Film Institute by being named among the top ten film and television productions of 2020.
What’s Happening:
- The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2020. AFI’s global Movie Club program will showcase the official selections beginning in February, with new and exclusive content released daily, including special guests from the honored works introducing the titles and AFI “Behind the Scene” conversations with filmmakers and actors.
- On February 26, the AFI AWARDS tributes will culminate with a virtual benediction premiering on YouTube.com/AFI and AFI.com.
- Celebrating film and television arts’ collaborative nature, AFI AWARDS is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding films and 10 outstanding television programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.
- In it, multiple Disney titles will be honored:
- For Film, Soul, the latest entry from Pixar Animation Studios directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers, that examines some of life’s most philosophical questions under the guise of a body-swap misadventure.
- In Television, The Disney+ Original, The Mandalorian, which fans and critics alike have said is more worthy of the Star Wars moniker than anything released since Disney acquired Lucasfilm.
- Also in television, FX’s Mrs. America received a nod, which tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The series can be seen on Hulu.
- In AFI Movies of the Year, Nomadland has been honored. The film received nominations for Best Feature and Best Actress – Frances McDormand at the Gotham Awards and was the People’s Choice Award winner at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film comes to Hulu in February.
- Hamilton – AFI also is also recognizing Hamilton (of which a filmed version debuted on Disney+ last July) with an AFI Special Award, designated for a work of excellence outside the Institute’s criteria for American film and television.
- All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form and make a mark on American society. When placed in an historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.
- The AFI AWARDS celebration will be sponsored by Audi, a supporter of AFI programs for the past 17 years. To commemorate each of the AFI AWARDS recipients, Audi has created the AFI AWARDS Audi Scholarships initiative providing scholarships in the name of the honorees to women and BIPOC Fellows at the AFI Conservatory – for a total contribution of $250,000.
- AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, artists, critics and scholars determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.
- This year’s jury featured acclaimed artists including Debbie Allen, Cynthia Erivo, Rian Johnson, David Mandel, Marlee Matlin, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Wes Studi and Lulu Wang; renowned authors and scholars representing prestigious universities with recognized motion picture arts and television programs; film historians Mark Harris, Molly Haskell and Leonard Maltin; the AFI Board of Trustees; and film and television critics from media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, TV Guide and The Washington Post. The jury was chaired by AFI Board of Directors member Jeanine Basinger (Chair Emerita and Founder of the Film Studies Department, Wesleyan University) and AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences).
- Honorees will be celebrated across all AFI platforms leading up to the benediction on Feb. 26.
- The 2020 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy.
- Soul, The Mandalorian, and Hamilton are now streaming on Disney+.
What They’re Saying:
- Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO: “For 20 years, AFI AWARDS has been a moment to gather artists in one room with a singular goal – to create community over competition. This year we cannot gather but will instead celebrate each honoree by creating exclusive content to be shared with a global audience through AFI Movie Club, shining a proper light on excellence.”
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