Francis Ford Coppola will receive the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award, the American Film Institute announced Tuesday.
Coppola, who recently released his long-in-development epic “Megalopolis,” will be presented with the award in a gala tribute at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on April 26. The 85-year-old filmmaker will be the 50th recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973.
“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 the producer Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI board of trustees.