Emilia Pérez Reigns in Film, Shogun Shines in TV Rankings

Netflix’s Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez has made a remarkable achievement by joining the ranks of a select few non-English-language films that have featured in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) annual top 10 films list since 2001. This prestigious list also includes the Spanish-language Maria Full of Grace from 2004 and the French-language The Diving Bell and the Butterfly from 2007.

According to AFI’s eligibility criteria, stories may be considered regardless of the language they are presented in, as long as they are “incontrovertibly American,” involving “significant creative and/or production elements from the United States.” In this instance, it likely refers to American-born actresses Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez.

In previous years, partially non-English titles have also made the cut, including Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), The Farewell (2019), Minari (2020), and Past Lives (2023). Fully non-English films have received special recognition, such as The Artist (2011), Roma (2018), and Parasite (2019).

Other films that have joined Emilia Pérez on this year’s top 10 list include Universal’s Wicked and Conclave, A24’s The Brutalist and Sing Sing, along with several others.

Notably absent from the list are Gladiator II and Inside Out 2, among others. Furthermore, a special award will be given to Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, a British production.

“The AFI Awards is never about competition, but rather about community,” stated AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale. The AFI Awards luncheon is scheduled for January 10, 2025, at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.