Francis Ford Coppola was honored by a star-studded group of buddies and collaborators on Saturday evening as he obtained this yr’s AFI Life Achievement Award on the Dolby Theatre.
Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Ron Howard, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Spike Lee, Ralph Macchio, son Roman and granddaughter Gia all took half within the American Movie Institute occasion, this yr celebrating its landmark fiftieth anniversary.
Freeman kicked issues off by joking that though he had “by no means, ever been in a film written, directed or produced by Francis Ford Coppola,” he had profoundly moved by his movies. Celebrating Coppola for being an unbiased filmmaker, Freeman referred to as him a “weaver of goals on a dime, teller of tales that value and misplaced tens of millions — however tonight, fuck the bankers and the backers. We’re right here to have a good time artwork and we’re right here to have a good time Francis Ford Coppola.”
And so set the tone for the night, as star after star applauded Coppola for prioritizing artwork over field workplace success and galvanizing so lots of them. Ford, who was a struggling actor when he landed a job within the Coppola-produced American Graffiti, informed the gang, “I’m right here tonight due to the group that Francis nurtured — a spot the place storytellers might be free, with their concepts unencumbered by doubt, by commerce, by the fucking guidelines.” (Ford was additionally a carpenter between appearing gigs and it was whereas he was working as a carpenter at Coppola’s workplace that he met Lucas, who was in search of his Han Solo.)
Pacino and De Niro took the stage collectively as Pacino recalled how on The Godfather, “Francis simply fought for us on a regular basis. He fought for his movie and his imaginative and prescient, which he all the time does.” De Niro added, “Francis, you modified my profession, you modified my life. We’re all right here tonight due to you. We love you.”
Driver — who starred in Coppola’s most up-to-date movie, 2024’s Megalopolis — gave a passionate speech concerning the filmmaker’s bravery all through his profession, which finally led to Coppola spending $120 million of his personal cash on Megalopolis and “not letting the cash dictate the content material of the movie,” Driver mentioned. “Consider me, I used to be there — there was no speak about, ‘How can we make this extra business?’” (The movie bombed on the field workplace following its September launch.)
“This can be a principled life, and for a yr in our tradition when the significance of the humanities is minimized and our trade is seemingly out within the open that the one metric to guage a movie’s success is by how a lot cash it makes, I grasp on to people like Francis for inspiration, who dwell by their convictions, by large strikes, all in service of pushing the medium ahead,” Driver continued. “Francis took $120 million and created a singular gesture for what he thought movie might be, and I feel that’s fairly nice.”
The A-list speeches have been damaged up all through the evening with scenes from Coppola’s movies in addition to video clips of an interview between him and daughter Sofia. Josh Groban additionally carried out “Brucia La Terra” from The Godfather Coda: The Dying of Michael Corleone.
Coppola took within the tribute from a desk within the heart of the Dolby — together with his Coppola wine flowing all through the room — flanked by Spielberg on one aspect and Lucas on the opposite, and his members of the family close by. When it lastly got here time to current the Life Achievement Award, Spielberg went first, recalling how they first met in 1967 and the way Coppola had requested a gaggle of filmmakers to observe and provides suggestions on an early lower of Apocalypse Now.
“I’m not speaking about studio notes, I’m speaking about buddies and fellow storytellers who’ve been within the trenches, speaking mind and emotion — not what we expect will make good field workplace, however what we expect will make nice artwork. As a result of that’s what creates movies like Apocalypse Now,” Spielberg mentioned, then occurring to name The Godfather “the best American movie ever made” as Coppola lined his face together with his palms. “I all the time wish to make you happy with my work,” Spielberg added, earlier than bringing out Lucas.
Lucas and Coppola have an extended historical past of mentorship and collaboration, together with being co-founders of manufacturing firm American Zoetrope. In his speech, Lucas mentioned Coppola taught him “don’t be afraid of leaping off cliffs.”
“You’re our hero, Francis,” Lucas continued, recalling how their group of movie college students entered Hollywood and “we had no guidelines — we wrote them with you holding the pen. Thanks for creating an period of filmmakers who beloved the flicks.”
Coppola took the stage to finish the evening, musing, “I really feel as if after a few years I’ve returned to the outdated neighborhood the place I grew up, and every little thing round me is so acquainted and but it’s all modified.”
He concluded, “Now I perceive right here, this place that created me, my house, isn’t actually a spot in any respect however you buddies, colleagues, academics, playmates, household, neighbors — all the lovely faces are welcoming me again as a result of I’m and can all the time be nothing multiple of you.”
For these not in attendance, televised particular The AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Francis Ford Coppola will premiere on TNT on June 18, with an encore airing on TCM on July 31.
