Honorees To Be Celebrated At Private Luncheon On January 12, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Los Angeles, CA, December 7, 2023 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the recipients of AFI AWARDS 2023. AFI AWARDS honorees include 10 outstanding motion pictures and 10 outstanding TV programs deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image.

“As our nation and our world continue to navigate difficult times, AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon these works of art that lift us up and, ultimately, lead us to empathy,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “That we do so without competition is AFI’s hallmark, and we are proud to gather this community of artists together – as one – to celebrate their extraordinary contributions to our time.”

Honorees will gather on Friday, January 12, 2024, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills — an event favored by the entertainment community for its informal intimacy and its inclusive acknowledgement of excellence.

FIJI Water is returning as the Official Water Sponsor for the event. The No. 1 premium imported water bottle brand in the U.S. will keep luncheon honorees and attendees hydrated with Earth’s Finest, iconic 500mL bottles made from 100% recycled material (rPET). This, along with the 330mL, is part of the brand’s effort to shift the entire portfolio to recycled plastic bottles. FIJI Water is excited to help AFI celebrate entertainment’s past year of performance and production milestones.

AFI AWARDS celebrates film and television arts’ collaborative nature and is the only national program that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. All of the honored works advance the art of the moving image, inspire audiences and artists alike and enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form. When placed in a historical context, these stories provide a complex and rich visual record of our modern world.

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 juries — one for motion pictures and one for television — included artists Paris Barclay, Sarah Broshar, David Chase, Carol Leifer, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Joe Weisberg; scholars Mark Harris, Leonard Maltin and more from Syracuse University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas at Austin; members of the AFI Board of Trustees; critics Ann Hornaday, Mary McNamara, Janet Maslin, Peter Travers and others from The New Yorker, TV Guide and more. The juries were chaired by AFI Board of Trustees 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).

The 2023 recipients join a distinguished group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees whose works define the art form and contribute to our rich cultural legacy. View past AFI AWARDS honorees.

About the American Film Institute (AFI)

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked the #1 film school in America. AFI’s enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

Press contact:

American Film Institute

Shari Mesulam, [email protected]