“American Fiction,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “May December,” “Oppenheimer,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” were named Thursday as movies of the year by the American Film Institute.
The organization’s list is long on films that are expected to be major awards contenders this year, with relatively few surprises. Acclaimed films like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” are not eligible for AFI recognition, with omissions among films that are eligible including “The Color Purple,” “Origin,” “Napoleon,” “Ferrari,” “Rustin” and “Air.”
Celine Song’s “Past Lives” was the smallest film to make the list, while “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was the first animated film to make the list since “Soul” in 2020.
TV programs on the AFI’s “Television Programs of the Year” list are “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Beef,” “Jury Duty,” “The Last of Us,” “The Morning Show,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Poker Face,” “Reservation Dogs” and “Succession.”
The honorees will be saluted at a luncheon on Friday, Jan. 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
“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 AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “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.”
Over the last decade, about two-thirds of the films on the AFI list have gone on to receive Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Last year, seven of the 10 Best Picture nominees were on the AFI list, with an eighth, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” receiving a special award after being ineligible for the main list because it was not an American-made production.
The AFI Top 10 lists are chosen by juries made up of academics, filmmakers, actors, historians, journalists and critics. This year’s film jury was chaired by Jeanine Basinger, and the television jury by Richard Frank.
AFI MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN FICTION
BARBIE
THE HOLDOVERS
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
MAESTRO
MAY DECEMBER
OPPENHEIMER
PAST LIVES
POOR THINGS
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY
THE BEAR
BEEF
JURY DUTY
THE LAST OF US
THE MORNING SHOW
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
POKER FACE
RESERVATION DOGS
SUCCESSION