The American Film Institute (AFI) is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967. In 1998, the 100th anniversary of American film, AFI began its 100 Years series, celebrating and promoting interest in film history; they also preserve old films, which are subject to degradation of film stock. This series has ignited lot of public interest in classic American movies. AFI’s Top 25 Women In American Cinema was presented in the year 1999.