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 182  7.3  7.7 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander, James Urbaniak, Earl Billings, James McCaffrey, Maggie Moore, Vivienne Benesch DIRECTOR Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman PRODUCER Ted Hope SCREENWRITER Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman COMPOSER John Kuramoto CINEMATOGRAPHER Terry Stacey EDITOR Robert Pulcini PRODUCTION DESIGN Therese DePrez DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Gary Leib RATIONALE: AMERICAN SPLENDOR is a celebration of the painful dance between life and art. This wry and original comedy of depression tells its story through fiction, documentary, animation and archival footage as if it were turning the pages of a comic book. Harvey Pekar and Paul Giamatti, in a brilliantly bruised performance as the fictional Harvey Pekar, capture the theme of the film best when they say, "Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff." 
2183 7.7 8.2 FINDING NEMO CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush DIRECTOR Andrew Stanton PRODUCER Graham Walters SCREENWRITER Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds COMPOSER Thomas Newman PRODUCTION DESIGNER Ralph Eggleston CINEMATOGRAPHER Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky EDITOR David Ian RATIONALE: FINDING NEMO swam its way into America's heart by combining a razor sharp script that harkens back to the comedy of Preston Sturges and a stunning animated world that entrances with each shift in the light. Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres bring a funny, but always touching human element to the film that will make it an animation classic for generations to come.  
74 5.9 6.3 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Wentworth Miller DIRECTOR Robert Benton PRODUCER Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Scott Steindorff SCREENWRITER Nicholas Meyer COMPOSER Rachel Portman CINEMATOGRAPHER Jean-Yves Escoffier EDITOR Christopher Tellefsen PRODUCTION DESIGN David Gropman DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST James McQuaide RATIONALE: THE HUMAN STAIN is a moving exploration of three American obsessions ---sex, race and class. The bold casting of Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman addresses the fundamental issue of the film --the silent pain of passing for something you're not. Their brilliant performances and Robert Benton's nuanced direction create a complex ,emotional core for this skillful adaptation of Philip Roth's novel. 
96 7.4 7.9 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine, Djimon Hounsou, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger DIRECTOR Jim Sheridan PRODUCER Jim Sheridan & Arthur Lappin SCREENWRITER Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan COMPOSER Gavin Friday & Maurice Seezer CINEMATOGRAPHER Declan Quinn EDITOR Naomi Geraghty PRODUCTION DESIGN Mark Geraghty RATIONALE: IN AMERICA is a spellbinding fable that captures the modern day immigrant experience and retells it through the eyes of a child. Jim Sheridan's heartfelt tale struggles between the thrill of a new life and the longing to escape the ghosts that follow us there. Real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger bring a sense of wonder and excitement to a film that overflows with joy for the adventure of tomorrow. 
870 7.1 7.8 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada DIRECTOR Ed Zwick PRODUCER Marshall Herskovitz, Ed Zwick, Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Scott Kroopf, Tom Engelman SCREENWRITER John Logan, Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz COMPOSER Hans Zimmer CINEMATOGRAPHER John Toll EDITOR Steve Rosenblum, Victor du Bois PRODUCTION DESIGN Lilly Kilvert DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Jeffrey A. Okun RATIONALE: THE LAST SAMURAI presents a timeless story of honor in the cinematic tradition of Akira Kurosawa. This beautifully crafted star vehicle serves one of America's modern screen icons, and Tom Cruise not only rises to the challenge, but carries the film into the history books with great dignity. The recreation of 19th Century Japan is a feast for the eyes, and Ed Zwick's masterful direction not only presents spectacular battle scenes, but never loses sight of what the individual warriors stood for. 
2285 8.1 8.8 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Mirando Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Lawrence Makoare, Paul Norell, Marton Csokas DIRECTOR Peter Jackson PRODUCER Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh SCREENWRITER Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson COMPOSER Howard Shore CINEMATOGRAPHER Andrew Lesnie EDITOR Jamie Selkirk PRODUCTION DESIGN Grant Major DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Joe Letterie, Jim Rygiel RATIONALE: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING punctuates the greatest trilogy in American film with an exclamation point. Peter Jackson proves himself to be the true magician of this masterpiece, for only a wizard could summon all the forces of American film three times and utilize them to such astounding success. Against all odds, Jackson met the challenge of visualizing J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved classics for a demanding, global audience.  
1102 7.4 7.9 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson DIRECTOR Sofia Coppola PRODUCER Ross Katz, Sofia Coppola SCREENWRITER Sofia Coppola COMPOSER Kevin Shields CINEMATOGRAPHER Lance Acord EDITOR Sarah Flack PRODUCTION DESIGN Anne Ross, K.K. Barrett RATIONALE: LOST IN TRANSLATION is only the second feature film by Sofia Coppola, yet it presents a unique voice in American film. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson bring great humor and credibility to characters adrift inside the neon and steel of today's Tokyo. The film creates and sustains a bold, but delicate mood where they share days of isolation and celebrity and marriage and loneliness - two foreigners who need each other in an alien landscape. 
382 6.7 7.5 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany DIRECTOR Peter Weir PRODUCER Peter Weir, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and Duncan Henderson SCREENWRITER Peter Weir & John Collee COMPOSER Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon and Richard Tognetti CINEMATOGRAPHER Russell Boyd EDITOR Lee Smith PRODUCTION DESIGN William Sandell DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Stefen Fangmeier, Nathan McGuinness, Robert Stromberg, Daniel Sudick RATIONALE: MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD transports its audience to a 19th Century ship and shows what it would be like to live among its crew. The film unfolds in the tradition of sea-going movie classics, but with a modern attention to detail and camerawork that fully enlists the viewer in the journey. Russell Crowe proves once again that he is the leading man for human tales in epic form. 
333 6.9 7.4 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Charlize Theron, Christine Ricci, Bruce Dern DIRECTOR Patty Jenkins PRODUCER Charlize Theron, Mark Damon, Clark Peterson, Donald Kushner, Brad Wyman SCREENWRITER Patty Jenkins COMPOSER BT CINEMATOGRAPHER Steve Bernstein EDITOR Jane Kurson PRODUCTION DESIGN Edward T. McAvoy RATIONALE: MONSTER tells the gruesome story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos and manages to find a human being amidst the horror. Writer and director Patty Jenkins brings light to this dark tale of a woman whose tragic story is never condoned but deftly brought to life in all its complexity. Charlize Theron gives a breathtaking performance that ranks among the best of the year. 
559 7.3 8 CREATIVE ENSEMBLE: PRINCIPAL CAST Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney DIRECTOR Clint Eastwood PRODUCER Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Judie G. Hoyt SCREENWRITER Brian Helgeland COMPOSER Clint Eastwood CINEMATOGRAPHER Tom Stern EDITOR Joel Cox PRODUCTION DESIGN Henry Bumstead RATIONALE: MYSTIC RIVER is a masterful portrait of fate and friendship across generations. Director Clint Eastwood draws brilliant performances from an outstanding ensemble cast in which Sean Penn's searing portrayal of a father in pain calls to mind a young Marlon Brando. The use of locations in working class Boston presents an authentic background for a story of people whose lives are woven together in a world that they cannot escape.  Comments
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Description Distinguished AFI Juries Select Ten Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year which are: AMERICAN SPLENDOR FINDING NEMO THE HUMAN STAIN IN AMERICA THE LAST SAMURAI THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING LOST IN TRANSLATION MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD MONSTER MYSTIC RIVER LOS ANGELES, December 15, 2003-The American Film Institute (AFI) presented the jury rationales for each of the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2003 announced Sunday, December 14, 2003) and significant moments in the world of the moving image which serve as part of AFI's almanac which documents the year's most outstanding achievements in film. AFI AWARDS 2003 is the only form of national recognition that honors the film and creative ensemble as a whole-those people in front of and behind the camera-acknowledging the collaborative nature of film. The selections were made through AFI's unique 13-person jury process in which scholars, artists, critics and AFI trustees discuss, debate and determine the most outstanding achievements of the year and provide a rationale for each selection. Two AFI Juries-one for motion pictures convened in Los Angeles, California, for two days of deliberation. AFI MOMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE: PIRACY ISSUE ACHIEVES CRITICAL MASS The crucial moment has arrived for motion picture makers as the threat of piracy has begun to affect decision-making at every level of the process-production, distribution, exhibition and marketing. How the industry will combat the global threat of illegal copying and swapping of movies is yet to be seen, but with the troubled music business as a model, film studios have made this issue a priority. At stake is the future of the motion picture as we know it. AMERICA'S EYE ON QUEER EYE Bravo's QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY captured the nation's fancy each week as five gay men known as the "The Fab Five" provided a make-over to a straight man in each of their respective expertise: fashion, food, interior design, grooming and culture. QUEER EYE brought gay culture to the national fore by spoofing and celebrating stereotypes, and unlike other reality shows, it did so in a winning and genuine manner that developed a bond between the gay and straight men. Its impact proved far-reaching, effectively changing the meaning of the word "queer" by bringing it into the vernacular in a positive light. It also broke broadcast barriers as the show's popularity encouraged NBC, Bravo's parent company, to air the show for its more mainstream audience. TWO TICKETS, PLEASE...TO A DOCUMENTARY 2003 marked the emergence of a new trend in exhibition in which people who go to the multiplex for entertainment have the opportunity to choose documentaries. Old barriers between non-fiction and fiction films have fallen in part because of the narrative intensity and unique subject matters of such films as WINGED MIGRATION, SPELLBOUND and CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS. EMBEDDED REPORTERS IN IRAQ WAR Television reporters who wish to cover the war in Iraq must now comply by rules provided by the United States Government. This double edged sword provides the American public a real-time view of the war, but also threatens the purity of a news voice by requiring reporters to shape their view of the war as the government mandates they experience it. AMERICAN FILM GIANTS PASS ON INTO THE FLICKERING LIGHT In 2003, America said goodbye to several movie legends: Gregory Peck, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Elia Kazan, Art Carney, Stan Brackage, Donald O'Connor. The cumulative effect of these dimming stars is a forceful reminder that a generation has passed. It is AFI's mission to preserve and protect their film legacies, but the institute also looks to the future to see who in time, if anyone, will take their place. REALITY OWNS THE WATERCOOLER Reality programming continues to capture the fascination of viewers across America. From the rise and fall of JOE MILLIONAIRE to TRISTA AND RYAN'S WEDDING, viewers are attracted to the idea of unscripted television, even though the number of writers and story editors on "reality shows" continues to increase. Interestingly, this type of programming is among the least recorded by VCRs and TiVo, suggesting that an added value to the viewer is the ability to share the experience the next day with family and friends. DIGITAL REVOLUTION CONTINUUM The availability and relative affordability of the tools to make movies has more filmmakers doing so in their homes and away from Hollywood. In 2003, this trend is personified by multi-hyphenate Robert Rodriguez, who created two mainstream films from the comfort of his personal studio in Texas. The success of both ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO and SPY KIDS 3-D will provide more power to people who own their tools and hopefully open the door for other voices. ERA OF TELEVISION PASSES WITH FRED ROGERS Known to generations of people around the world as "Mr. Rogers," Fred McFeely Rogers passed away in 2003. Rogers' death is emblematic of the end of an era, one where children's television was a new tool for learning. Mr. Rogers was a unique figure who had a one-on-one relationship with his audience, teaching children tolerance and understanding for people not like them. Rogers was also notable for the measured and mannered way he presented information to children. Rogers served as star, writer, composer, puppeteer and producer of MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD since its initial broadcast in 1968, making it the longest-running program on public television. The show's library of nearly 900 episodes continues to be seen around the country. WAR OF WORDS Television provides a window on a world where an increased lack of civility in political discourse and commentary are threatening to undermine creative freedoms. People with opposing views no longer discuss and debate, but instead, destroy. This is notable in news talk shows where commentators shout over each other to prove their point; in television programming, where a movie about former President Ronald Reagan found unfavor among a vocal group who demanded it not be aired on network television; and in the movie world, where Mel Gibson's film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is being damned by many groups who have not yet seen it. Differences of opinion should be embraced in this nation and discussion should be encouraged to explore all sides of an issue, for only then will our nation truly be able to find its voice and, ultimately, its cultural legacy. WHAT IS AFI AWARDS? America's cultural legacy resonates around the world through movies and television. When placed in an historical context, these stories archive a complex, rich, visual record of our modern civilization. AFI was created to protect and preserve the legacy of the moving image art form so that future generations will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the proud heritage reflected in the realities of a new modern day. Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in the moving image arts within the context of a year in review. This is the next chapter in AFI's national mandate - specifically, the creation of an annual almanac that records and preserves the evolution of the moving image arts in the 21st century. AFI AWARDS adds a volume to the history of American film and television each year by documenting the collective opinion of the moving image communities, recognizing the year's significant moments and honoring the individuals and creative ensembles who have created the year's outstanding achievements. Share this list
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