AFI Life Achievement Award
| AFI Life Achievement Award | |
|---|---|
Logo of AFI | |
| Awarded for | Honoring an individual whose lifetime contribution in motion pictures and television has enriched American culture. |
| Location | Los Angeles |
| Presented by | American Film Institute |
| Reward(s) | Trophy |
| First award | 1973 |
| Currently held by | Francis Ford Coppola |
| Website | afi.com |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | TNT |
The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for their lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion pictures and television. The recipient is selected and honored at an annual ceremony, with the award presented by a master of ceremonies and, recently, the prior year's recipient.
The AFI's trustees initially specified that "The recipient must be one who fundamentally advanced the art of film and whose achievements had been acknowledged by film scholars, critics, their individual peers and the general public". The trustees also specified "That the work of the recipient must have withstood the test of time".