AFI LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE IN CELEBRATION OF
AFI's 100 YEARS . . . 100 MOVIES.
 
Continuing to commemorate the extraordinary first 100 years of American
movies, the American Film Institute (AFI) has launched its Web site
dedicated to
AFI's 100 Years. . . 100 Movies at:
 
http://AFI.100movies.com/.
 
This dynamic site offers film fans and movie buffs up-to-date information
and activities for this unprecedented celebration honoring the 100 greatest
American movies of all time being announced next month.
 
Online users can try to match the movie choices of the film community in an
online poll, chat with other movie mavens, learn interesting movie trivia
and even enter an
online sweepstakes to win a complete satellite system from U.S. Satellite
Broadcasting.
 
Movie Buffs can log on to the Web site to explore five main areas:
 
     Movie Database:
 
     The Movie Database alphabetically lists AFI's Top 400 movies
     nominated for the 100 greatest movies. Offering an online database
     of the 400 movies, the Movie Database includes stills, synopses,
     as well as credit and production information about each movie.
 
     Chat Room
 
     Each day in the AFI Chat Room, there will be a new lively topic of
     discussion relating to one or more of the Top 400 nominated
     movies. AFI's Chat Room creates an interesting forum on film and
     gives people the arena to share their own ideas on motion pictures
     and related topics.
 
     This Day in Movie History
 
     Each day, the This Day in Movie History section will provide users
     with fun facts and anecdotes about what happened on that
     particular day in motion picture history. Online users can find
     out interesting movie tidbits, view movie stills and learn more
     about a particular motion picture.
 
     Consumer Sweepstakes
 
     After perusing the Movie Database, online users can try to guess
     which movies from the list of 400 nominees will be named as the
     Top 10 on June 16. Once the user has made their selections, they
     can automatically enter to win a satellite dish and a free year of
     service from U.S. Satellite Broadcasting. Additionally, the
     Consumer Sweepstakes, sponsored by General Motors, continually
     gives up-to-the-minute rankings of the Top 10 movies, based on all
     entries, and also allows film fans to change their Top 10 picks as
     many times as they wish, prior to the close of entries on June 16.
 
     News Page
 
     AFI's News Page, sponsored by Newsweek, will provide users with
     updated information on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies. There will be
     news on the CBS special and celebrity participants, TNT's 10
     one-hour specials, as well as interesting stories which have
     appeared in the media about AFI's historic celebration. In
     addition, people can find out about Newsweek's special collector's
     issue, hitting newsstands on Wednesday, June 17, which will focus
     on the centennial of movie-making and AFI's 100 Years . . . 100
     Movies.
 
     On Tuesday, June 16, during a three-hour, primetime CBS special,
     AFI will announce the 100 greatest films as determined by a
     blue-ribbon panel of more than 1,500 leaders from across the
     American film community. The panel selected the 100 greatest
     movies from a list of 400, compiled by AFI historians and made
     through 1996, the 100th year of American movie-making. On June 23,
     one week after the CBS program, TNT will air the first of 10
     one-hour specials, one broadcast each week for 10 consecutive
     weeks, that will take an in-depth look at the 100 movies. In
     addition to the CBS and TNT programs, an historic coalition of the
     home video divisions of 13 studios and film companies have joined
     together to support AFI's special promotion of the 100 greatest
     American movies on video. Also planned is a Newsweek special issue
     that will hit newsstands on June 17th, the day after the CBS
     special.
 
     AFI is the preeminent national arts organization dedicated to
     advancing and preserving the art of film, television and the many
     other forms of the moving image. Among its many missions, AFI
     trains the next generation of great American filmmakers, preserves
     America's great movie heritage, honors the best of the moving
     image through its annual Life Achievement Award and its film
     festival in Hollywood, and explores new technologies impacting the
     movies of tomorrow. More information about AFI can be found by
     visiting its award-winning Web site located at www.afionline.org.
 
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite