Francis Ford Coppola to Receive AFI Life Achievement Award

[Eye Candy]

“The Godfather” trilogy and “Apocalypse Now” filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola will be the 50th recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award.

The American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees announced that Coppola will presented the award — the institution’s highest honor for a career in film — during a gala tribute ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025.

“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist — one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit,” stated Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI board of trustees.

Coppola is a six-time Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer (including the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the AMPAS board of governors), with an acclaimed filmography that also includes “The Conversation,” “The Outsiders” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Coppola’s latest film “Megalopolis,” launched earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and was released theatrically and in Imax globally this fall. Three of his films, “The Godfather,” “The Godfather Part II” and “Apocalypse Now” rank among AFI’s “100 Years… 100 Movies” list, as well as Variety’s 100 best films list.

As the co-founder of American Zoetrope with George Lucas, Coppola’s impact can also be measured by the careers of the filmmakers he’s supported (including Carroll Ballard, John Milius and Sofia Coppola, his daughter) as well as actors such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne.

Established in 1973, the AFI Life Achievement Award is presented to a single honoree “whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.” Recent recipients include Nicole Kidman (2024), Julie Andrews (2022), Denzel Washington (2019), George Clooney (2018) and Diane Keaton (2017).

The AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute special will air on TNT, with encore presentations on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/f...24-1236192406/

[Eye Candy]

Steven Spielberg Calls ‘The Godfather’ the ‘Greatest American Film Ever Made’ at Francis Ford Coppola AFI Life Achievement Award Ceremony


https://variety.com/2025/film/news/f...as-1236377439/

AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA - Introduction - YouTube

[Eye Candy]

'It's like a homecoming': Francis Ford Coppola on AFI lifetime achievement award - YouTube

[Zivouhr]

I haven't followed Frank Coppola's career other than a few major films, but he's had a long career of films.

Filmography
Directed features Year Title Distributor
1963 Dementia 13 American International Pictures
1966 You're a Big Boy Now Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
1968 Finian's Rainbow
1969 The Rain People

1972 The Godfather Paramount Pictures
1974 The Conversation
The Godfather Part II
1979 Apocalypse Now United Artists

1982 One from the Heart Columbia Pictures
1983 The Outsiders Warner Bros.
Rumble Fish Universal Pictures
1984 The Cotton Club Orion Pictures
1986 Peggy Sue Got Married TriStar Pictures
1987 Gardens of Stone
1988 Tucker: The Man and His Dream Paramount Pictures

1990 The Godfather Part III
1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula Columbia Pictures

1996 Jack Buena Vista Pictures
1997 The Rainmaker Paramount Pictures
2007 Youth Without Youth Sony Pictures Classics
2009 Tetro American Zoetrope
2011 Twixt 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
2024 Megalopolis Lionsgate Films


I forgot that he made Tucker & his Dream back then. I only remember a little of it from when on TV.
I own a few of his films on disc.

[Hindustani]

That 70s decade!

1. Godfather
2. Godfather II
3. Apocalypse Now
4. The Conversation.

I say Director of the decade easily by far.

[Scottie]

Well-deserved. To think how far he came from being Roger Corman's assistant.

[DKLou]

Hard to beat the Godfather, at least parts 1 and 2. Those are easily his best efforts and are all time greats. Not a huge fan of the rest of his work but it cannot be argued the guy has had a great career.

[Hindustani]

Originally Posted by DKLou

Hard to beat the Godfather, at least parts 1 and 2. Those are easily his best efforts and are all time greats. Not a huge fan of the rest of his work but it cannot be argued the guy has had a great career.

You should try watching APOCALYPSE NOW on big screen.

whole film is like one big acid trip.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by Hindustani

You should try watching APOCALYPSE NOW on big screen.

whole film is like one big acid trip.

I'm Afraid Dave...

[DKLou]

Originally Posted by Hindustani

You should try watching APOCALYPSE NOW on big screen.

whole film is like one big acid trip.

Unpopular opinion here but that film never did much for me.

[DR Herbert West]

The Conversation > Apocalypse Now > The Godfather

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

The Conversation > Apocalypse Now > The Godfather

Agree... from good to greatest.