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 26, 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.

? ⭐️ AFI is proud to announce that the legendary Francis Ford Coppola will be the 50th recipient of the #AFILife Achievement Award! Save the date for April 26, 2025, at the @DolbyTheatre in Los Angeles, as we celebrate this film icon and founding trustee of AFI. pic.twitter.

com/lUdzoQPMWg — AFI (@AmericanFilm) October 29, 2024 “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.

Francis Ford Coppola with Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Romy Croquet Mars, Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel at the Megalopolis premiere in Cannes (Doug Pet.