Kathryn Bigelow, Julianne Moore, Lee Daniels, Tom Ford, Jon Hamm, Woody Harrelson, Jason Reitman, Henry Selick, Gabourey Sidibe and many other artists from in front of and behind the camera were among the attendees honored by the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles today, during its AFI AWARDS 2009 luncheon sponsored by Hewlett-Packard.
This tenth annual event remained an honoree-only affair, with no press and no public in attendance. For each of the honored films and television programs, HP creates a scholarship to the world-renowned AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles.
AFI refers to the event as its almanac, documenting excellence across the 21st century. Because 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic NORTH BY NORTHWEST, AFI acknowledged this landmark by offering the event’s final word to Eva Marie Saint, who shared stories about the making of the film and raised a glass to the work of artists today.
In his introduction, AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said, “50 years ago, she was the 5th and most beautiful face on Mount Rushmore.” Saint jokingly offered a willingness to return for a sequel if George Clooney were available to play the Cary Grant role. She concluded her remarks to the honorees by reflecting on how the joy of watching the performances onscreen inspired her own legendary career, saying “You make a difference to people around the world. Maybe out there somewhere you’ve made a difference to another little blonde girl.”
Among the artists present were: Adam Arkin and Michael Stuhlbarg (A SERIOUS MAN); Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner (THE HURT LOCKER); Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS); Anna Kendrick and Jason Reitman (UP IN THE AIR); Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe (PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE); Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (UP); Michelle Forbes and Sam Trammell (TRUE BLOOD); Tom Ford and Julianne Moore (A SINGLE MAN); Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone and Oren Moverman (THE MESSENGER); Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Todd Phillips (THE HANGOVER); Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and Matthew Weiner (MAD MEN); Ryan Murphy (GLEE); Mark V. Olsen, Bill Paxton and Will Scheffer (BIG LOVE); Henry Selick (CORALINE).
Also among the guests present were members of the AFI Board of Trustees including: Chris Albrecht; Jon Avnet; Bob Daly; Jean Picker Firstenberg; Rich Frank; Brad Grey; Marshall Herskovitz; Alan Horn; Daniel Petrie, Jr.; Frank Pierson; Tom Pollock; Anne Sweeney; Ed Zwick.
Norman Jewison, the Chairman for the AFI Jury for Motion Pictures, and CCH Pounder, a member of the AFI Jury for Television, entered the jury rationales into the almanac by reading them as scenes from the films and TV programs were presented. Announced for the first time today, the complete rationales can be found at AFI.com.
The official selections are listed below in alphabetical order:
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEARโOFFICIAL SELECTIONS
CORALINE
THE HANGOVER
THE HURT LOCKER
THE MESSENGER
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE
A SERIOUS MAN
A SINGLE MAN
SUGAR
UP
UP IN THE AIR
AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEARโOFFICIAL SELECTIONS
THE BIG BANG THEORY
BIG LOVE
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
GLEE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY
NURSE JACKIE
PARTY DOWN
TRUE BLOOD
Additional information and video of the honorees can be found at afi.com/afiawards.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.
AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archives, explores new digital technologies at the AFI Digital Content Lab and honors artists and their work through a variety of programs and special events.
For 37 years, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film. AFI also honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year at AFI Awards, the institute’s almanac for the 21st century, while AFI’s 100 Yearsโฆ series has introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers. And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI’s festivals include AFI FEST presented by Audi in Los Angeles and AFI/Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS documentary festival in Silver Spring, Maryland. AFI exhibition also offers year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington DC, area. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
