AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE BRINGS HOLLYWOOD'S BRIGHTEST STARS TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE "AFI's 10 TOP 10," TUESDAY, JUNE 17 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

11th Annual Countdown to Unveil Top 10 Films in 10 Genres Revealed by Jessica Alba, Kirk Douglas, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, James Woods, Gabriel Byrne and Sean Astin

Also Scheduled To Be Included Are Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda, Michael J. Fox, Gene Hackman, George Lucas, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sarandon, Steven Spielberg, Vanessa Williams and More

Institute to Crown Number One Animated, Fantasy, Gangster, Sci-Fi, Western, Sports, Mystery, Romantic Comedy, Courtroom Drama and Epic Films

Some of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars, including Jessica Alba, Kirk Douglas, Cuba Gooding Jr., Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, James Woods, Gabriel Byrne and Sean Astin will unveil the Top 10 films in 10 genres on AFI'S 10 TOP 10, a new chapter in its Emmy Award-winning "AFI's 100 Years..." series, counting down the top 10 films from 10 classic American film genres, Tuesday, June 17, (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Also scheduled to be included are Harrison Ford, Jane Fonda, Michael J. Fox, Gene Hackman, George Lucas, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sarandon, Steven Spielberg, Vanessa Williams, and more.

To pay homage to the 10 revered genres including animation, fantasy, science fiction, gangster, western, sports, romantic comedy, courtroom drama, mystery and epic film, AFI enlisted film artists associated with each category to count down the top films, while providing their unique insight on each. The hosts for each genre include: Jessica Alba for Romantic Comedy; Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Sports; Sigourney Weaver for Sci-Fi; Kirk Douglas for Epic; Jennifer Love Hewitt for Animation; James Woods for Courtroom Drama; Gabriel Byrne for Mystery; and Sean Astin for Fantasy. The hosts for Gangster and Western film categories will be announced shortly.

This will be the 11th annual special in the AFI's continuing celebration of American cinema, following the 10 critically-acclaimed Network specials: "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies - 10th Anniversary Edition," "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.

The primetime special will be executive produced and directed by Gary Smith; executive produced for AFI by former AFI Board Chair Emeritus Frederick S. Pierce; and produced by Dann Netter. SFM Entertainment LLC is the distributor of the program. Sponsors of the series have included General Motors, Pepsi, Best Buy, Breyers, ConAgra, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Sony and all major motion picture companies.

About the Jury Process

This year, the jury was asked to choose up to 10 movies per genre from a comprehensive list, including entries such as: Animated: "Pinocchio" (1941) and "Shrek" (2001); Fantasy: "King Kong" (1933) and "The Lord of the Rings" (2001); Sci-Fi: "The War of the Worlds" (1953) and "The Matrix" (1999); Gangster: "Scarface" (1932) and "The Departed" (2006); Westerns: "The Searchers" (1956) and "Unforgiven" (1992); Sports: "The Pride of the Yankees" (1942) and "Seabiscuit" (2003); Romantic Comedy: "It Happened One Night" (1934) and "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997); Courtroom Drama: "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957) and "A Few Good Men" (1992); Mystery: "Sherlock Holmes" (1939) and "The Usual Suspects" (1995); and Epics: "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "Braveheart" (1995).

To compile the final list, AFI distributed a ballot with 500 nominated movies (50 per genre) to a jury of over 1,500 leaders from the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians.

AFI asks jurors to consider the following criteria in their selection process:

FEATURE-LENGTH FICTION FILMS

Narrative format, typically over 60 minutes in length.

AMERICAN FILM

English-language film with significant creative and/or production elements from the United States. Additionally, only films released before Jan. 1, 2008 will be considered.

GENRE:

ANIMATED

AFI defines "animated" as a genre in which the film's images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.

FANTASY

AFI defines "fantasy" as a genre where live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.

GANGSTER

AFI defines the "gangster film" as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting.

SCIENCE FICTION

AFI defines "science fiction" as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.

WESTERN

AFI defines "western" as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier.

SPORTS

AFI defines "sports" as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.

MYSTERY

AFI defines "mystery" as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.

ROMANTIC COMEDY

AFI defines "romantic comedy" as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.

COURTROOM DRAMA

AFI defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative.

EPIC

AFI defines "epic" as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past. Their scope defies and demands - either in the mode in which they are presented or their range across time.

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 airing, and DVD/VHS sales and rentals.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

A film's mark on the history of the moving images through visionary narrative devices, technical innovation, or other ground breaking achievements.

CULTURAL IMPACT

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

AFI allows one write-in vote per genre.

About the American Film Institute

AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.