“Wonder Woman” earned rave reviews and grossed over $821 million worldwide, and now we know we can count The American Film Institute among its millions of fans. AFI has announced its 10 best movies and TV shows of the year, and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” made the cut. Gal Gadot stars as the iconic superhero.
Just one other woman-directed film has been named among AFI’s Movies of the Year: Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.” Loosely inspired by Gerwig’s own experiences, “Lady Bird” sees Saoirse Ronan playing Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a Sacramento-based teen who desperately wants to leave her hometown behind and move to New York City.
Halle Berry and Jamie Lee Curtis were among those who served on AFI’s jury. The titles selected for recognition are “works AFI’s juries have determined advance the art of the moving image, enhance the cultural heritage of America’s art form, inspire audiences and artists, and make a mark on American society,” The Hollywood Reporter writes.
It’s worth noting that five of the 10 films — including “Wonder Woman” and “Lady Bird” — center on female protagonists. Fairy tale “The Shape of Water” stars Sally Hawkins as a lonely woman who works at a hidden, high-security government laboratory, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” sees Frances McDormand playing a woman seeking justice for her murdered daughter, and “The Florida Project” follows a single mother (Bria Vinaite) and her daughter (Brooklynn Prince) struggling to pay rent at the hotel they live in. And “The Post,” co-written by Liz Hannah, features an ensemble cast, but includes Meryl Streep playing Kay Graham, the country’s first female newspaper publisher.
“Insecure,” co-created by and starring Issa Rae, is among the titles named as AFI TV Programs of the Year. None of the other series are created by women, but six out of ten of them are women-centric, including “Insecure”: murder mystery “Big Little Lies,” Margaret Atwood adaptation “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hollywood tale “Feud: Bette and Joan,” afterlife comedy “The Good Place,” and “The Crown,” a look into the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
AFI is giving a special award to doc series “The Vietnam War,” co-directed by Lynn Novick.
“At a time when the world seems defined by division, storytellers bring us together as one,” AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “AFI Awards is honored to celebrate this community of artists who challenge and inspire us, entertain and enlighten us — ultimately reminding us of our common heartbeat.”
Honorees will be celebrated at a luncheon held in Los Angeles on January 5.
