American Film Institute

America’s National Champion for Cinema

The American Film Institute (AFI) was established in 1967 with a national mandate to preserve the legacy of American cinema for future generations. Founded as an independent non-profit and initially supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the AFI has grown into one of the most vital cultural institutions in the United States. Its mission is threefold: to preserve the nation’s film heritage, to educate the next generation of storytellers, and to celebrate cinematic artistry. Through these core pillars, the AFI serves as a crucial bridge connecting the past, present, and future of motion pictures.

Preservation, Education, and Celebration

The AFI’s activities are diverse and profoundly impactful, each fulfilling a key part of its mission.

• Preservation: The AFI is at the forefront of film preservation. Its most ambitious project is the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an unparalleled scholarly initiative that meticulously documents every American feature film ever made since the dawn of the art form. This exhaustive database is an essential resource for historians, scholars, and preservationists working to save and restore at-risk films.

• Education: The world-renowned AFI Conservatory is an elite, top-ranked graduate school for filmmaking. Rather than a traditional academic environment, the Conservatory operates like a professional studio, immersing its students—known as ‘Fellows’—in a hands-on, collaborative learning process. Its alumni are a veritable who’s who of modern cinema, including directors like David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Darren Aronofsky, and Patty Jenkins.

• Celebration: The AFI is perhaps best known to the public for its high-profile celebrations of film. The AFI Life Achievement Award is considered the highest honor for a career in American film. The annual AFI Awards are unique in that they are non-competitive; instead of naming a single ‘best,’ they honor the ten most outstanding films and television programs of the year. Most famously, the AFI’s 100 Years… series of televised specials, particularly 100 Years…100 Movies, has been instrumental in shaping public consensus about the cinematic canon and fostering a national conversation about America’s greatest films.