“Frankenstein” poster art.
Netflix
Avatar: Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Sinners and Wicked: For Good are among the American Film Institute’s Top 10 films of 2025.
Unlike other awards bodies, the AFI doesn’t single out any particular film as the “best” and instead, simply releases a Top 10 list annually, where the titles are listed in alphabetical order.
“For more than a quarter of a century, AFI Awards has held the flag high for community without competition,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale in a statement that annouced the Top 10 list on Thursday. “It is AFI’s honor to celebrate these creative ensembles as one, as together they have proved the power of art in challenging times.”
This year’s AFI Top 10 list includes Avatar: Fire and Ash, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams and Wicked: For Good.
The organization also announced an AFI Special Award for It Was Just an Accident, directed by filmmaker and former Iranian political prisoner Jafar Panahi. The filmmaker received Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature honors on Monday at the 35th annual Gotham Awards.
AFI Also Names Top 10 TV Shows Of 2025
In addition to citing the Top 10 films on Thursday, the American Film Institute revealed its Top 10 list of television shows.
Like the film list, the TV honorees are listed in alphabetical order. They are Adolescence, Andor, Death by Lightning, The Diplomat, The Lowdown, The Pitt, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio and Task.
The AFI, which was established in 1967, has a board of trustees that includes film and television professionals, as well as academics. Several actors serve on the AFI Board of Trustees, including Sean Astin, Halle Berry, Ariana DeBose, Michael B. Jordan, Eva Longoria, Edward James Olmos and Octavia Spencer.
The AFI Board of Trustees also includes directors James L. Brooks, Jay Roach, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, as well as film executives including Pamela Abdy (Warner Bros.) and Ted Sarandos (Netflix). Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy is the AFI chair.
A celebration honoring this year’s AFI film and television honorees will be held on Friday, Jan. 9, in Los Angeles.