“Drama” can be defined as a category of narrative film intended to be more serious than humorous in tone, however, drama is often qualified with additional genre-defining terms that specify its particular sub-genre.
List of Approved Movies
Created by Dr. Nathan Pritts and Dr. James Meetze (2020)
Throughout this class, you will be able to select a film to use as the basis for your analysis. This is a list of approved choices.
NOTE: If you would like to write about a film that is not on this list, you must email your professor in advance. If you write about an unapproved film option in this class you may not receive credit.
Many of the films on these lists are sourced from the Ten AFI Top 10 lists, where you will find additional information and resources. Please note, though, that the different AFI Top 10 lists include films that are not approved.
Drama
“Drama” can be defined as a category of narrative film intended to be more serious than humorous in tone, however, drama is often qualified with additional genre-defining terms that specify its particular sub-genre.
| Film | Year |
| Imitation of Life | 1959 |
| Shadows | 1959 |
| A Raisin in the Sun | 1961 |
| Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner | 1967 |
| Wanda | 1970 |
| Do the Right Thing | 1989 |
| Boyz N the Hood | 1991 |
| Daughters of the Dust | 1991 |
| Mississippi Masala | 1991 |
| Winter’s Bone | 2010 |
| Dear White People | 2014 |
| Chi-Raq | 2015 |
| Tangerine | 2015 |
| Moonlight | 2016 |
| Beatriz at Dinner | 2017 |
| The Hate U Give | 2018 |
| Blindspotting | 2018 |
| If Beale Street Could Talk | 2018 |
| Clemency | 2019 |
Biographical Drama
A “biographical drama” is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or group of people.
| Film | Year |
| Malcom X | 1992 |
| Milk | 2008 |
| Fruitvale Station | 2013 |
| Dallas Buyers Club | 2013 |
| 12 Years a Slave | 2013 |
| The Wolf of Wall Street | 2013 |
| Selma | 2014 |
| Hidden Figures | 2016 |
| Loving | 2016 |
| BlacKkKlansman | 2018 |
| Harriet | 2019 |
Courtroom drama
AFI defines “courtroom drama” as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.
| Film | Year |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 |
| 12 Angry Men | 1957 |
| Kramer vs. Kramer | 1979 |
| The Verdict | 1982 |
| A Few Good Men | 1992 |
| Witness for the Prosecution | 1957 |
| Anatomy of a Murder | 1959 |
| In Cold Blood | 1967 |
| A Cry in the Dark (Evil Angels) | 1988 |
| Judgment at Nuremberg | 1961 |
| Just Mercy | 2019 |
Epic
AFI defines “epic” as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.
| Film | Year |
| Lawrence of Arabia | 1962 |
| Ben-Hur | 1959 |
| Schindler’s List | 1993 |
| Gone with the Wind | 1939 |
| Spartacus | 1960 |
| Titanic | 1997 |
| All Quiet on the Western Front | 1930 |
| Saving Private Ryan | 1998 |
| Reds | 1981 |
| The Ten Commandments | 1956 |
Fantasy
AFI defines “fantasy” as a genre in which live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.
| Film | Year |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 2001 |
| It’s a Wonderful Life | 1946 |
| King Kong | 1933 |
| Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 |
| Field of Dreams | 1989 |
| Harvey | 1950 |
| Groundhog Day | 1993 |
| The Thief of Bagdad | 1924 |
| Big | 1988 |
Gangster
AFI defines the “Gangster film” as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a modern setting.
| Film | Year |
| The Godfather | 1972 |
| Goodfellas | 1990 |
| The Godfather Part II | 1974 |
| White Heat | 1949 |
| Bonnie and Clyde | 1967 |
| Scarface | 1932 |
| Pulp Fiction | 1994 |
| The Public Enemy | 1931 |
| Little Caesar | 1931 |
| Scarface | 1983 |
Mystery
AFI defines “mystery” as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.
| Film | Year |
| Vertigo | 1958 |
| Chinatown | 1974 |
| Rear Window | 1954 |
| Laura | 1944 |
| The Third Man | 1949 |
| The Maltese Falcon | 1941 |
| North by Northwest | 1959 |
| Blue Velvet | 1986 |
| Dial M for Murder | 1954 |
| The Usual Suspects | 1995 |
Romantic comedy
AFI defines “romantic comedy” as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.
| Film | Year |
| City Lights | 1931 |
| Annie Hall | 1977 |
| It Happened One Night | 1934 |
| Roman Holiday | 1953 |
| The Philadelphia Story | 1940 |
| When Harry Met Sally… | 1989 |
| Adam’s Rib | 1949 |
| Moonstruck | 1987 |
| Harold and Maude | 1971 |
| Sleepless in Seattle | 1993 |
Science fiction
AFI defines “science fiction” as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.
| Film | Year |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | 1968 |
| Star Wars | 1977 |
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 |
| A Clockwork Orange | 1971 |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | 1951 |
| Blade Runner | 1982 |
| Alien | 1979 |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1991 |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | 1956 |
| Back to the Future | 1985 |
Sports
AFI defines “sports” as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.
| Film | Year |
| Raging Bull | 1980 |
| Rocky | 1976 |
| The Pride of the Yankees | 1942 |
| Hoosiers | 1986 |
| Bull Durham | 1988 |
| The Hustler | 1961 |
| Caddyshack | 1980 |
| Breaking Away | 1979 |
| Race | 2016 |
| Jerry Maguire | 1996 |
Western
AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.
| Film | Year |
| The Searchers | 1956 |
| High Noon | 1952 |
| Shane | 1953 |
| Unforgiven | 1992 |
| Red River | 1948 |
| The Wild Bunch | 1969 |
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | 1969 |
| McCabe & Mrs. Miller | 1971 |
| Stagecoach | 1939 |
| Cat Ballou | 1965 |
Horror/Thriller
The “horror” genre includes films that seek to elicit fear for entertainment purposes.
| Film | Year |
| Psycho | 1960 |
| Jaws | 1975 |
| The Exorcist | 1973 |
| The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 |
| Rosemary’s Baby | 1968 |
| The Night of the Hunter | 1955 |
| The Shining | 1980 |
| The Babadook | 2014 |
| It Follows | 2014 |
| Get Out | 2017 |
| Us | 2019 |