The American Film Institue (AFI) is a non-profit institution created by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1967. It seeks to preserve film (movies, television, and video), and promote the film industry through education at the American Film Conservatory. It also runs the restored "AFI Silver" Theater, a 3-screen complex in Silver Spring, MD.

In conjunction with the dedication of the Jim Henson statue at the University of Maryland in September 2003, the AFI Silver Theater honored Henson with a six-week family screening series, including a screening and panel discussion featuring Muppet Show guest star Harry Belafonte on September 25th, 2003.