The American Film Institute (AFI) presented the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award to Nicole Kidman on Saturday, April 27, at a Gala Tribute in Hollywood.
Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Zac Efron, Cynthia Erivo, Morgan Freeman, Barry Jenkins, David E. Kelley, Joey King, Mimi Leder, Mike Myers, Edward James Olmos, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jane Seymour, Meryl Streep, Brian Tee, Miles Teller, Lulu Wang, Naomi Watts and more filled the Dolby Theatre to celebrate Kidman’s award-winning career and her indelible impact on the moving arts.
The event began with welcome remarks from Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO and featured tributes honoring Kidman, including speeches from Zoe Saldaña, Aaron Sorkin, Keith Urban, Reese Witherspoon, among others and taped messages from Hugh Jackman, Jane Campion, Jimmy Fallon, Cate Blanchett, George Miller, Baz Luhrmann and Russell Crowe.
In presenting the award, Meryl Streep, recipient of the 32nd AFI Life Achievement Award, praised Kidman’s formidable talent and stunning range of work.
Kidman accepted the award to a standing ovation. In her acceptance speech, she said, “It is a privilege to make films. And glorious to have made films and television with these storytellers who allowed me to run wild and be free and play all of these unconventional women. Thank you for making me better at my craft and giving me a place, however temporary, in this world. Thank you for inviting me into your movie families. Thank you for my childhood dream that became a reality.”
The event also included the presentation of the 2024 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal to AFI Alumnus and three-time Academy Award® nominee Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS (AFI Class of 1992). The Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner. Libatique’s latest work can be seen in the Academy Award®-nominated MAESTRO (2023), directed by Bradley Cooper, and in A24’s Academy Award®-winning film THE WHALE (2022), where he reteamed with director Darren Aronofsky (AFI Class of 1992), his longtime collaborator who he met on their third day while attending the AFI Conservatory.
Libatique said, “Starting in this incubator called AFI, we’ve gone on to have a career-long collaboration that I feel privileged and grateful to be a part of.”
The tribute special, The 49th AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Nicole Kidman, will premiere on TNT on June 17 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT and on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on June 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. This marks the ninth year the Emmy®-winning AFI Life Achievement Award special will air on TNT.