Francis Ford Coppola to receive highest US honour for career in film

By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola will receive the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award for creating “seminal works” during his career, including The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.

The six-time Oscar winner will be honoured in a ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26th, the AFI announced on Tuesday.

He will be the 50th recipient of the award, which marks the highest honour for a career in film in America.

“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,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chairwoman of the AFI board of trustees.

Ford Coppola has won six Academy Awards including for best director in 1975 for The Godfather Part II, which also won best picture and best writing.

He recently debuted his latest project, the science fiction film Megalopolis, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in France.

With a cast featuring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Laurence Fishburne, the film explores attempts to control time in a futuristic world with Roman themes including a main character called Cesar.

Ford Coppola previously said he had “no problems with the financial” responsibilities of making a film, as he reportedly used 120 million US dollars (£94.8 million) from selling a slice of his winery to finance Megalopolis.

Last year, Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman became the first Australian actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award in a ceremony which featured speeches from Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Reese Witherspoon, and Kidman’s husband, Keith Urban.

Other recipients over the years have included Dame Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, Barbra Streisand, Harrison Ford, Gene Kelly and Bette Davis.