AFI to recognize inspiring films

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” “E.T.,” “Rocky” and “The Passion of the Christ” are among the 300 candidates that the American Film Institute is asking more than 1,500 industry workers, critics and historians to choose from in selecting America’s most inspiring movies for a TV special.

The program, “AFI’s 100 Years ... 100 Cheers,” follows on the heels of other AFI specials that paid tribute to film history’s top comedies, stars and quotes, among other topics. It will be broadcast on CBS in June, saluting what AFI Director Jean Picker Firstenberg described as “the films that inspire us, encourage us to make a difference and send us from the theater with a greater sense of possibility and hope for the future.”