AFI Counts 100 Movies - AGAIN

Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Driving Miss Daisy") will host AFI'S 100 YEARS…100 MOVIES — 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION, a new entertainment special counting down the greatest movies of all time, to be broadcast Wednesday, June 20 (8:00–11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. During the broadcast, the confidential list of the 100 greatest American films of all time will be revealed by some of Hollywood 's biggest stars.

Those scheduled to be included in the special are Tim Allen, Halle Berry, Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Bridges, Laurence Fishburne, Peter Fonda, Harrison Ford, William Friedkin, Dennis Hopper, Norman Jewison, Spike Lee, Shirley MacLaine, Malcolm McDowell, Eva Mendes, Liza Minnelli, Sydney Pollock, Debbie Reynolds, Martin Scorsese, Martin Sheen and M. Night Shyamalan.

In this 10th annual installment of the Emmy Award-winning series, both classic favorites and newly eligible films released from 1996 to 2006 will be considered. New entries to the ballot include titles such as "American Beauty," "The Aviator," " Brokeback Mountain ," "Lord of the Rings," "The Matrix," "Saving Private Ryan," "Sideways," "Traffic" and "Titantic."

"AFI’s critically acclaimed series has sparked national debate on what makes a great movie and why, ultimately driving people to discover—and re-discover—the classics of American film," said host Morgan Freeman. "I am honored to be a part of this national celebration of film."

This will be the 10th annual special in the AFI's continuing celebration of American cinema, following the nine critically-acclaimed Network specials: "AFI's 100 Years… 100 Movies," "…100 Stars," "…100 Laughs," "…100 Thrills," "…100 Passions," "…100 Heroes & Villains," "…100 Songs," "…100 Movie Quotes" and "…100 Cheers," which annually spark a national discussion of America's film history among movie lovers across the nation.

To compile the final list, AFI distributed a ballot with 400 nominated movies to a jury of over 1,500 leaders in the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians.

The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria in making their selections:

FEATURE-LENGTH FICTION FILM
Narrative format, typically over 60 minutes in length.

AMERICAN FILM
Motion picture with significant creative and/or production elements from the U.S.

CRITICAL RECOGNITION
Formal commendation in print, television and digital media.

MAJOR AWARD WINNER
Recognition from competitive events including awards from peer groups, critics, guilds and major film festivals.

POPULARITY OVER TIME
Including success at the box office, television and cable airings, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
A film's mark on the history of the moving image through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation or other groundbreaking achievements.

CULTURAL IMPACT
A film's mark on American society in matters of style and substance.

AFI allows five write-in votes per ballot.