Atticus Finch and humanist John Lovejoy Elliot. He notes that the book, "A Ministry to Man", was published in 1959, a year before "Mockingbird." Atticus Finch Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of 1960, "To Kill a Mockingbird". A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel "Go Set a Watchman", written in the mid 1950s but not published until 2015. Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Lee based the character on her own father, Amasa
American Film Institute American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. The institute is composed of leaders from the film, entertainment, business, and academic communities. A board of trustees chaired by Sir Howard Stringer and a board of directors chaired by Robert A. Daly guide the organization, which is led by President and CEO, film historian Bob Gazzale. Prior leaders were founding director George Stevens, Jr. (from the organization's inception in 1967