If there’s any doubt that awards season has officially begun, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced its 2020 AFI Awards for both film and television programs, as well as giving a “Special Award” to the Disney+ music Hamilton, which falls somewhere in between.
The AFI Movie Club will showcase the official selections with new and exclusive content with the filmmakers and stars, the honors culminating on February 26 with a virtual benediction.
The AFI Movies of the Year were announced as:
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Ma Rainey’ Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mank (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Nomadland (Searchlight)
One Night in Miami… (Amazon)
Soul (Disney/Pixar)
Sound of Metal (Amazon)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
The AFI Television Programs of the Year were:
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Bridgerton (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Mrs. America (Hulu)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Unorthodox (Netflix)
Plus the aforementioned Hamilton won a special award.
AFI President & CEO Bob Gazzale said, “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.”
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).
On February 26, this year’s AFI AWARDS tributes will culminate with a virtual benediction premiering on YouTube.com/AFI and AFI.com.
