The Godfather trilogy maker Francis Ford Coppola to receive AFI Life Achievement Award

The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now filmmaker, an esteemed director, producer and artist Francis Ford Coppola will be awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award. He will become the 50th recipient of the lifetime achievement.

The announcement was made by the American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees. It is their highest honour for a career in film. The award will be presented to him during a gala tribute ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025.

While making the announcement, Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI board of trustees said, “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.”

Francis Ford Coppola is an esteemed filmmaker

Coppola is a six-time Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer. He has one of the most illustrious film careers of all time including The Conversation, The Outsiders and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The film launched at Cannes Film Festival and was released theatrically, including in IMAX.

Francis’ three films – The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now rank among AFI’s “100 Years… 100 Movies list. The films also rank high in almost every best movie list worldwide.

Francis also has had a longstanding relationship with some great actorssuch as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, James Caan, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne.

Previous AFI Lifetime Achievement Award recipients

The previous AFI Life Achievement Award 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 TV.