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{{Short description|Lists of films for the commemoration of American cinema}}
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{AFI 100 Years... series}}
The '''AFI's 100 Years... series''' was a series of annual lists from 1998 to 2008 by the [[American Film Institute]]—typically accompanied by [[CBS]] television specials—celebrating the century of [[Cinema of the United States|American cinema]].<ref name=":0" />

As a [[centennial]] celebration of cinematic milestones, the series intended to inspire discussion and public interest in [[classical Hollywood cinema]]. As such, each list only included feature-length [[Lists of American films|American films]] that were typically released before 2005.<ref name=":0" /> AFI defined "American film" as an "English language motion picture with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States;" and "[[Feature film|feature-length film]]" as a "motion picture of [[Narrative film|narrative format]] that is typically over 60 minutes in length."<ref name=":0">{{cite press release|title='AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies,' to Be Broadcast Wednesday, June 14 on the CBS Television Network|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/afis-100-years--100-cheers-americas-most-inspiring-movies-to-be-broadcast-wednesday-june-14-on-the-cbs-television-network-55816522.html|location=Los Angeles|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|agency=[[PR Newswire]]|date=June 1, 2006|access-date=November 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419211804/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/afis-100-years--100-cheers-americas-most-inspiring-movies-to-be-broadcast-wednesday-june-14-on-the-cbs-television-network-55816522.html|archive-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-stars/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>

To determine the composition of these lists, the names of a few hundred nominated films were listed on ballots that AFI would distribute to a jury of over 1,000 leaders in the [[creative industry]], including film artists ([[Film director|directors]], [[screenwriter]]s, [[Film Actor|actors]], [[Film editing|editors]], [[cinematographer]]s), [[Film criticism|critics]], and [[Film historian|historians]].<ref name=":0" />

==Lists of the series ==
* 1998: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]] — top "greatest American films of all time"
* 1999: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars]] — the 50 greatest American "screen legends" of all time (25 women and 25 men)
**AFI defined an "American screen legend" as "an actor or a team of actors with a significant screen presence in American feature-length films whose screen debut occurred in or before 1950, or whose screen debut occurred after 1950 but whose death has marked a completed body of work."<ref name=":1" />
* 2000: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs]] — funniest American films
**While not specific to any genre, this list generally centered on [[Comedy film|comedies]], including such sub-genres as [[Satire (film and television)|satire]], [[Screwball comedy|screwball]], [[Slapstick film|slapstick]], [[action comedy film|action comedy]], [[black comedy]], [[Musical comedy film|musical comedy]], [[romantic comedy]], and [[comedy of manners]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-laughs/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2001: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]] — most 'thrilling' American films
**This list was not specific to any genre, focussing instead on the total "adrenaline-inducing impact" of a film, engaging both the audience's bodies and minds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-thrills/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2002: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions]] — the "greatest love stories of all time"
**Though not specific to the [[Romance film|romance genre]], this list concerned films with "a romantic bond between two or more characters, whose actions and/or intentions provide the heart of the film's narrative."<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]] — the top American film heroes and villains of all time (50 each)
**A "hero" was defined as "a character(s) who prevails in extreme circumstances and dramatizes a sense of morality, courage and purpose." A "villain" was defined as "a character(s) whose wickedness of mind, selfishness of character and will to power are sometimes masked by beauty and nobility, while others may rage unmasked."<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2004: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]] — the top American movie songs of all time
**For this list, "song" was defined as "[m]usic and lyrics...that set a tone or mood, define character, advance plot and/or express the film's themes in a manner that elevates" the art of film. Songs can include those "written and/or recorded specifically for the film" as well as those "previously written and/or recorded and selected by the filmmaker to achieve the above goals."<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-songs/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2005: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes]] — top American film quotes of all time
**Selection for this list considered quotes that "circulate through [[popular culture]], become part of the national [[lexicon]] and evoke the memory of a treasured film."<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movie-quotes/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2005: [[AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores]] — the 25 greatest American [[Film score|films scores]] of all time
**The list did not originally air on television; it was presented at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] during a special live event produced by the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic Association]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-of-film-scores/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2006: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] — most inspiring American films of all time
**Films in this list "inspire" viewers, encourage people "to make a difference", and leave audiences "with a greater sense of possibility and hope for the future".<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-cheers/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2006: [[AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals]] — the 25 greatest American [[musical film]]s of all time
**The list did not originally air on television; it was presented at the Hollywood Bowl during a special live event produced by the LA Philharmonic Association.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years of Musicals |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-of-musicals/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>
* 2007: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]] — an updated edition of AFI's "100 Years...100 Movies" list from 1998
**This list removed 23 films from the original list, adding in their place 4 films released from 1996 to 2006 and 19 films made before 1996. 
* 2008: [[AFI's 10 Top 10]] — the 10 greatest films in 10 classic American [[film genre]]s
**The 10 genres were: [[Animation film|animation]], [[courtroom drama]], [[Epic film|epic]], [[Fantasy film|fantasy]], [[Gangster film|gangster]], [[Mystery film|mystery]], [[romantic comedy]], [[Science fiction film|science fiction]], [[Sports film|sports]], and [[Western (genre)|western]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=AFI's 10 Top 10|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-10-top-10/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=American Film Institute|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[List of films considered the best]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://www.afi.com/100years/ AFI's 100 Years...]

{{Cinema of the United States}}

[[Category:AFI 100 Years... series| ]]
[[Category:American annual television specials]]
[[Category:Lists of American television series]]
[[Category:American film-related lists]]
[[Category:Centennial anniversaries]]