Francis Ford Coppola shall be honored with the fiftieth AFI Life Achievement Award subsequent 12 months, however who will current it?
Francis Ford Coppola’s tasks could also be few and much between these days and his most up-to-date movie, ardour mission Megalopolis was a flop with audiences and critics (our personal Chris Bumbray gave it a 5/10), however the man nonetheless has a staggering presence and stays probably the most revered and influential filmmakers of his era. As such, the business is ready to honor Coppola with the AFI Life Achievement Award subsequent 12 months.
In a press release, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, mentioned, “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. AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”
Like so many, Francis Ford Coppola got here up via the Roger Corman system, delivering low-budget horror flick Dementia 13 in 1963. Establishing his repute via the ‘60s, Coppola went on a tear throughout the ‘70s, directing classic after classic that already too much has been said about: the first two Godfathers, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. The ‘80s brought experimentations with S.E. Hinton adaptations, infamous flops and movies that by and large never matched their ambitions (two of these factors struck Megalopolis like a bolt of lightning). Not surprisingly, Francis Ford Coppola would have plenty of trouble securing financing, with too-few projects from the ‘90s on being worthwhile, with perhaps Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Godfather Half III being the only real exceptions.
At 86, Francis Ford Coppola would be the second-oldest individual to ever obtain the AFI Life Achievement Award, bested solely by legendary silent movie actress Lilian Gish, who was 90 when she was obtained it in 1984. That was bestowed on Gish by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., which leaves the query: Who will award it to Francis Ford Coppola? The percentages would little doubt lean in favor of Martin Scorsese or George Lucas (1997 and 2005 recipients, respectively), however it could possibly be equally candy to see daughter Sofia ship the consideration.
The AFI ceremony honoring Francis Ford Coppola will happen on April twenty sixth, 2025.
What do you suppose is Francis Ford Coppola’s crowning achievement in his 60+-year profession? Who ought to give Coppola his AFI Life Achievement Award?
