AFI's Top 10 films

The American Film Institute records the year's most outstanding achievements in film, and honors the creative ensembles for each of the honorees at the annual AFI AWARDS. Below are the chosen films listed in alphabetical order within each year the film was premiered. Each film also includes the year of national release, which is sometimes in the year following the New York/Los Angeles premiere.

2010

• 127 Hours (2010)
• Black Swan (2010)
• The Fighter (2010)
• Inception (2010)
• The Kids Are All Right (2010)
• The Social Network (2010)
• The Town (2010)
• Toy Story 3 (2010)
• True Grit (2010)
• Winter's Bone (2010)

2009

• Coraline (2009)
• The Hangover (2009)
• The Hurt Locker (2009)
• The Messenger (2009)
• Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009)
• A Serious Man (2009)
• A Single Man (2009)
• Sugar (2009)
• Up (2009)
• Up in the Air (2009)

2008

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• Frost/Nixon (2008)
• Frozen River (2008)
• Gran Torino (2008)
• Iron Man (2008)
• Milk (2008)
• WALL-E (2008)
• Wendy and Lucy (2008)
• The Wrestler (2008)

2007

• Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
• Into the Wild (2007)
• Juno (2007)
• Knocked Up (2007)
• Michael Clayton (2007)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Ratatouille (2007)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
• The Savages (2007)
• There Will Be Blood (2007)

2006

• Babel (2006)
• Borat (2006)
• Dreamgirls (2006)
• Half Nelson (2006)
• Happy Feet (2006)
• Inside Man (2006)
• Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
• United 93 (2006)

2005

• A History of Violence (2005)
• Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• Capote (2005)
• Crash (2005)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
• King Kong (2005)
• Munich (2005)
• Syriana (2005)
• The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
• The Squid and the Whale (2005)

2004

• The Aviator (2004)
• Collateral (2004)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• Friday Night Lights (2004)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Kinsey (2004)
• Maria Full of Grace (2004)
• Million Dollar Baby (2005)
• Sideways (2004)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)

2003

• American Splendor (2003)
• Finding Nemo (2003)
• The Human Stain (2003)
• In America (2003)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• Lost in Translation (2003)
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
• Monster (2004)
• Mystic River (2003)

2002

• About a Boy (2002)
• About Schmidt (2002)
• Adaptation (2002)
• Antwone Fisher (2002)
• Chicago (2003)
• Frida (2002)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• The Hours (2002)
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Quiet American (2002)

2001

• A Beautiful Mind (2002)
• Black Hawk Down (2002)
• In the Bedroom (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
• Memento (2001)
• Monster's Ball (2002)
• Moulin Rouge! (2001)
• Mulholland Dr. (2001)
• Shrek (2001)

2000

• Almost Famous (2000)
• Before Night Falls (2001)
• Best in Show (2000)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Gladiator (2000)
• High Fidelity (2000)
• Requiem for a Dream (2000)
• Traffic (2001)
• Wonder Boys (2000)
• You Can Count on Me (2000)