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  • Jodie Foster And Dean Tavoularis To Receive AFI Conservatory Honorary Degrees

    Jodie Foster And Dean Tavoularis To Receive AFI Conservatory Honorary Degrees The American Film Institute (AFI) will confer AFI Conservatory Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa upon Academy Award-winning actor/director Jodie Foster and Academy Award-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis. They will be recognized for their contributions to the art of the moving image during the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony on June 11, 2018, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Foster and Tavoularis join an esteemed group of distinguished past Honorary Degree recipients, including Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler and John Williams. See the full list here.

    Jodie Foster

    Actor, director, producer and icon Jodie Foster has more than 100 screen credits to her name, including an Academy Award® nomination at age 14 for her role in Martin Scorcese’s TAXI DRIVER (1976), and two Academy Award® wins — for her performance as a sexual assault survivor seeking justice in THE ACCUSED (1988), and for her career-defining role as FBI Agent Clarice Starling in Jonathan Demme’s THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991). She also received an Oscar® nomination for NELL (1994), which she co-produced. As an actress, her work includes films as vast and varied as TOM SAWYER (1973), ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974), BUGSY MALONE (1976), FREAKY FRIDAY (1976), FOXES (1980), MAVERICK (1994), CONTACT (1997), PANIC ROOM (2002), A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004), FLIGHTPLAN (2005), INSIDE MAN (2006), THE BRAVE ONE (2007), CARNAGE (2011) and ELYSIUM (2013), among others. She next stars in HOTEL ARTEMIS (2018). Her work as a director and producer — which has earned multiple Primetime Emmy® and Directors Guild of America Award nominations — includes LITTLE MAN TATE (1991), HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1995), THE BEAVER (2011) and MONEY MONSTER (2016), as well as standout episodes of prestige TV series such as BLACK MIRROR, HOUSE OF CARDS and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.

    Dean Tavoularis

    Dean Tavoularis has collaborated with legendary filmmakers Michelangelo Antonioni, Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty and Roman Polanski to create the iconic and disparate worlds of ZABRISKIE POINT (1970), BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), BULWORTH (1998) and THE NINTH GATE (1999), respectively — but it is his work with legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola that truly defines his exemplary career as a production designer. His prolific partnership with Coppola began with THE GODFATHER (1972), followed by THE CONVERSATION (1974) and THE GODFATHER PART II (1974), which earned him the Academy Award® for Best Art Direction. His work continued with Coppola on APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM (1988) and THE GODFATHER PART III (1990) — all of which earned Tavoularis Oscar® nominations — as well as ONE FROM THE HEART (1981), THE OUTSIDERS (1983), RUMBLE FISH (1983) and PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986). Tavoularis also received an Oscar® nomination for William Friedkin’s THE BRINK’S JOB (1978). Additional credits include THE ESCAPE ARTIST (1982), THE PARENT TRAP (1998) and CARNAGE (2011). He received the prestigious Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

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  • Horror Anthology Series from Guillermo del Toro Coming Soon To Netflix

    [caption id="attachment_29217" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro[/caption] Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is coming to Netflix with a new genre-defining anthology series titled Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight. Del Toro will present a collection of personally curated stories, that are both equally sophisticated and horrific. With this first live-action series, del Toro and Netflix extend their collaboration, which began with the award-winning animated series Trollhunters. On Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight, creator and executive producer del Toro will bring his own visionary style as both a writer and director to certain episodes. In addition, he will hand pick a team of the genre’s best writers and exciting new filmmakers to bring his selection of stories to life. Del Toro reteams with The Shape of Water producer J. Miles Dale, who serves as executive producer, along with Gary Ungar (Exile Entertainment). Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight is a Netflix production, and its first original horror anthology series. Guillermo del Toro is the writer and director of the Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water, which earned four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Production Design. Del Toro is the creator of the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning DreamWorks Trollhunters on Netflix, which will return for a third season later this year. His previous films alternate between Spanish-language dark fantasy pieces, such as The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), winner of three Academy Awards; and American studio movies, such as the vampire superhero action film Blade II (2002), the supernatural adventures Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008); and the science fiction monsters-versus-robots film Pacific Rim (2013).

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  • Actor Chadwick Boseman Inspires Graduates at Howard University’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony [Video]

    [caption id="attachment_29211" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Chadwick Boseman delivers the 2018 commencement address at Howard University. Chadwick Boseman delivers the 2018 commencement address at Howard University.[/caption] Award-winning actor and alumnus Chadwick Boseman delivered the Howard University 2018 commencement address. “I stand here today knowing that my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa,” said Boseman. “But what do you do when the principles and standards that were instilled in you at Howard close the doors in front of you? Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it.” Boseman described career obstacles that, although difficult, eventually led him to his true calling. “When you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, further education…you would rather find purpose than a job,” said Boseman. “Purpose crosses disciplines. It is the reason that you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHZypMyQ2s

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  • Cameron Bailey Promoted to Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF

    Cameron Bailey The Board of Directors of TIFF this week promoted Cameron Bailey to the newly created position of Artistic Director and Co-Head of TIFF.  The role is a promotion and expansion of Bailey’s current position of Artistic Director, which he has held since 2012. Prior to that, Bailey held the role of Festival Co-Director from 2008-2012. Bailey will report directly to the Board of Directors effective October 1, 2018. Since CEO Piers Handling’s announcement last July that the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival would be his last, the TIFF Board engaged in a process for CEO transition, including a review of the organization’s current structure. After their assessment, the Board decided on a two-headed structure for TIFF, with one position (Bailey’s) focused on the artistic direction of the organization, and the other, Managing Director & Co-Head, focused on the business and revenue optimization. These two positions will work closely together to set the tone and lead the organization, bringing the new strategic plan to life.  They will both report directly to the Board of Directors. “With a five year strategic plan for TIFF launched this year, and more changes on the horizon for our industry, we believe a two-headed structure is right for the future success of TIFF,” explained Jennifer Tory.  “Cameron is a film industry veteran who has earned a reputation for discerning, expansive curation since joining TIFF as a programmer in 1990. Combined with his accomplishments as TIFF’s Artistic Director,  we have full confidence in his vision for the direction of the organization.” “Piers has done a remarkable job during his tenure as Director & CEO and Artistic Director before that,” continued Tory.  “We are indebted to him for the vision and strategy – and the elegance he brought to the role.” “I have tremendous respect for Cameron and his longstanding contribution to TIFF’s success,” said Piers Handling. “His passion and vision for the future of the organization underlines his deep leadership skills. It gives me great comfort to know TIFF is in such good hands.” “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside Piers for so many years. We programmed Canadian films together, we made our first programming trip to Burkina Faso together and we’ve spent countless hours working out how best to engage audiences with the power of film,” said Cameron Bailey. “I am honoured to be entrusted with guiding the future of TIFF.” A search committee of the Board of Directors has been working with Caldwell Partners to identify candidates for the Managing Director & Co-Head role.  The search is international in scope and is expected to result in an announcement prior to this September’s Festival.

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  • RIP: Yaser Murtaja, Photojournalist/Cameraman Killed Wearing ‘PRESS’ Vest Covering Gaza Protest

    Yaser Murtaja Yaser Murtaja, a 31-year-old Gaza photojournalist, who worked as a cameraman for Ai Weiwei’s documentary, Human Flow, which covered the global refu­gee crisis, was shot by the Israeli military during demonstrations on the Israeli-Gazan border and died in hospital on Friday, April 6th, 2018. The Washington Post reports: The young journalist shot drone images and video for Ain Media, a small Gaza-based news agency he started five years ago. Murtaja, who was married and had a 2-year-old son, died Saturday after being shot the day before while covering protests at the edge of the Gaza Strip. Murtaja was laid to rest Saturday in the land he never left. His body was carried through the streets of Gaza City draped in a Palestinian flag and the blue-and-white vest marked “PRESS” that he was wearing when he was shot. Ai Weiwei posted photos of Murtaja on his Instagram account over the weekend. https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRWZ-5gxhN/?hl=en&taken-by=aiww https://www.instagram.com/p/BhR24QFABNn/?hl=en&taken-by=aiww Image via Facebook

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  • RIP: Multi-Talented Actress Nanette Fabray Died at 97

    [caption id="attachment_27225" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Nanette Fabray accepts the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1986. Photo: SAG-AFTRA Nanette Fabray accepts the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1986. Photo: SAG-AFTRA[/caption] Nanette Fabray, the Tony Award and Emmy Award-winning actress, died on Thursday at her home in Palos Verdes, Calif. She was 97. Ms. Fabray started out in film with her first movie role as a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) in “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” (1939). Her one notable film success was the Comden and Green musical “The Band Wagon” (1953), directed by Vincente Minnelli. SAG-AFTRA issued a statement,  “SAG-AFTRA mourns the passing of performer Nanette Fabray, who died Feb. 22 at the age of 97. The multi-talented Fabray, who joined the union in 1937, was the 1986 recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the union’s highest honor. Fabray began her acting career at the age of 5, appearing as Baby Nan in vaudeville. She became a leading lady in radio, moving successfully to stage and film in such features as Elizabeth and Essex, A Child is Born, The Band Wagon and Harper Valley P.T.A. Her television credits included One Day at a Time, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Coach, which starred Fabray’s niece Shelley Fabares, a former SAG National Board member. Her work garnered her numerous accolades, including a Tony and three Emmys. Fabray, who was herself hearing impaired, was an advocate for education and assistance of the deaf and hearing impaired. She traveled and lobbied extensively to implement sign language interpretation and on television. At the time she received the award, she had been appointed by then-House Speaker Tip O’Neill to the U.S. Senate Commission on Education and the Deaf. “A true performer and star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Nanette Fabray had limitless exuberance and an expert sense of comic timing,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “Her dedication to her art was equaled only by her generosity and willingness to help others.” “

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  • Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” Pulled from Sundance Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_26009" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Morgan Spurlock in “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken![/caption] Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!” has being pulled from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, just days after he published his online confession where he admitted to past sexual misconduct. The Washington Post is reporting that the other partners – Jeremy Chilnick and Matthew Galkin in his production company Warrior Poets, said Friday in a statement that “this is not the appropriate time” for the film to premiere. In his online confessional, titled “I am Part of the Problem” Spurlock wrote, that “When I was in college, a girl who I hooked up with on a one night stand accused me of rape.” I am Part of the Problem As I sit around watching hero after hero, man after man, fall at the realization of their past indiscretions, I don’t sit by and wonder “who will be next?” I wonder, “when will they come for me?” You see, I’ve come to understand after months of these revelations, that I am not some innocent bystander, I am also a part of the problem. I’m sure I’m not alone in this thought, but I can’t blindly act as though I didn’t somehow play a part in this, and if I’m going truly represent myself as someone who has built a career on finding the truth, then it’s time for me to be truthful as well. I am part of the problem. Over my life, there have been many instances that parallel what we see everyday in the news. When I was in college, a girl who I hooked up with on a one night stand accused me of rape. Not outright. There were no charges or investigations, but she wrote about the instance in a short story writing class and called me by name. A female friend who was in the class told be about it afterwards. I was floored. “That’s not what happened!” I told her. This wasn’t how I remembered it at all. In my mind, we’d been drinking all night and went back to my room. We began fooling around, she pushed me off, then we laid in the bed and talked and laughed some more, and then began fooling around again. We took off our clothes. She said she didn’t want to have sex, so we laid together, and talked, and kissed, and laughed, and then we started having sex. “Light Bright,” she said. “What?” “Light bright. That kids toy, that’s all I can see and think about,” she said … and then she started to cry. I didn’t know what to do. We stopped having sex and I rolled beside her. I tried to comfort her. To make her feel better. I thought I was doing ok, I believed she was feeling better. She believed she was raped. That’s why I’m part of the problem. Then there was the time I settled a sexual harassment allegation at my office. This was around 8 years ago, and it wasn’t a gropy feely harassment. It was verbal, and it was just as bad. I would call my female assistant “hot pants” or “sex pants” when I was yelling to her from the other side of the office. Something I thought was funny at the time, but then realized I had completely demeaned and belittled her to a place of non-existence. So, when she decided to quit, she came to me and said if I didn’t pay her a settlement, she would tell everyone. Being who I was, it was the last thing I wanted, so of course, I paid. I paid for peace of mind. I paid for her silence and cooperation. Most of all, I paid so I could remain who I was. I am part of the problem. And then there’s the infidelity. I have been unfaithful to every wife and girlfriend I have ever had. Over the years, I would look each of them in the eye and proclaim my love and then have sex with other people behind their backs. I hurt them. And I hate it. But it didn’t make me stop. The worst part is, I’m someone who consistently hurts those closest to me. From my wife, to my friends, to my family, to my partners & co-workers. I have helped create a world of disrespect through my own actions. And I am part of the problem. But why? What caused me to act this way? Is it all ego? Or was it the sexual abuse I suffered as a boy and as a young man in my teens? Abuse that I only ever told to my first wife, for fear of being seen as weak or less than a man? Is it because my father left my mother when I was child? Or that she believed he never respected her, so that disrespect carried over into their son? Or is it because I’ve consistently been drinking since the age of 13? I haven’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years, something our society doesn’t shun or condemn but which only served to fill the emotional hole inside me and the daily depression I coped with. Depression we can’t talk about, because its wrong and makes you less of a person. And the sexual daliances? Were they meaningful? Or did they only serve to try to make a weak man feel stronger. I don’t know. None of these things matter when you chip away at someone and consistently make them feel like less of a person. I am part of the problem. We all are. But I am also part of the solution. By recognizing and openly admitting what I’ve done to further this terrible situation, I hope to empower the change within myself. We should all find the courage to admit we’re at fault. More than anything, I’m hopeful that I can start to rebuild the trust and the respect of those I love most. I’m not sure I deserve it, but I will work everyday to earn it back. I will do better. I will be better. I believe we all can. The only individual I have control over is me. So starting today, I’m going to be more honest with you and myself. I’m going to lay it all out in the open. Maybe that will be a start. Who knows. But I do know I’ve talked enough in my life … I’m finally ready to listen Spurlock stepped down from the company after the publication of the online confessional. Warrior Poets released a statement confirming his departure to Deadline, signed by Chilnick and Matthew Galkin, who is listed as a partner of the company along with Spurlock. On behalf of Warrior Poets, we as partners have always supported our company and its endeavors. As of today, Morgan Spurlock will be stepping down effective immediately. We will continue to lead the company as equal partners, producing, distributing & creating from our independent production company. Respectfully, Co-Founder & Partner Jeremy Chilnick and Partner Matthew Galkin YouTube Red also announced that the streaming company will no longer release his film Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! which was snagged for a reported $3.5 million after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. A spokesman for YouTube said: “We feel for all of the women impacted by the recent statements made by Morgan Spurlock. In light of this situation, we have decided not to distribute Super Size Me 2 on YouTube Red.”

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  • RIP: Ken Shapiro Writer and Director of Indie Film THE GROVE TUBE, Dead at 76

    Ken Shapiro, The Groove Tube Ken Shapiro, writer and director of the 1974 independent film, The Groove Tube died of cancer Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M. He was 76. The Groove Tube is a collection of skits called “The Groove Tube,” starring Shapiro, Richard Belzer and Chevy Chase, that has been credited as the template for raw sketch comedy, as seen in “Saturday Night Live.” The low-budget movie satirizes television and the counterculture of the early 1970s. The film was originally produced to be shown at the Channel One Theater on East 60th St. in New York, a venue that featured R-rated video recordings shown on three television sets, which was a novelty to the audiences of the time. The news desk satire, including the signature line “Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow” was later used by Chase for his signature Weekend Update piece on Saturday Night Live, although in the film he does not appear in that segment. Shapiro is survived by his wife Kelly,  step-daughter Danielle-Lampkins; his sister Cookie and brother Stanley. He is also survived by his daughters, Rosy and Emily and his grandchildren Cerulean, Willa, Milo,  and Romy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkG6HMPBJoo

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  • Louis C.K. Admits “These stories are true”

    I Love You, Daddy - Louis C.K Louis C.K. today released the following statement addressing the allegations of sexual misconduct that were published in yesterday’s New York Times article.  In the wake of the report, the release of his upcoming film I Love You, Daddy was canceled by the distributor, The Orchard. I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not. These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my (penis) without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your (penis) isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I’ve tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I’m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work. The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s (sic) professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy (sic). I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I’ve brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. I’ve brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother. I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen. Thank you for reading.

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  • The Orchard No Longer Releasing Louis C.K.’s I LOVE YOU, DADDY

    I Love You, Daddy - Louis C.K The Orchard will has dropped Louis C.K.’s latest film I Love You, Daddy, after the publication of yesterday’s disturbing bombshell New York Times report where five women accuse the comedian of inappropriate behavior, including the disturbing allegation that he masturbated in front of them.  Last night’s premiere, along with a scheduled appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was also canceled. The distributor’s statement read: “The Orchard will not be moving forward with the release of I Love You, Daddy.” I Love You, Daddy, written, directed, produced and starring Louis C.K., premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film was acquired by The Orchard for a reported $5 million and was scheduled to be released in theaters on November 17. Shot on 35mm in black and white, Louis C.K.’s I Love You, Daddy was filmed entirely in secret. “Everything that’s difficult,” Louis C.K. once said, “you should be able to laugh about.” Don’t say you weren’t warned. Written, directed, and edited by the comic genius The New York Times called a “stand-up Houdini,” I Love You, Daddy features the deft, conceptual acrobatics C.K.’s fans know best, but also a dive into moral hot water guaranteed to raise the temperature of any film lover. This is an edgy comedy pitched partway between the sharp social observation of his Horace and Pete series and the gasp-inducing laughs of his stand-up. And the less you know going in, the better. As with Horace and Pete, I Love You, Daddy was made in secret, entirely off the film industry grid of development meetings, international financiers, studio production notes, and test screenings. It is pure, unfiltered Louis C.K., and shows him to be a ruthless observer of showbiz behind the scenes and human nature behind the masks. In addition to taking a central role, he has brought together a dream cast that includes Chloë Grace Moretz, Helen Hunt, Edie Falco, Rose Byrne, Pamela Adlon, Charlie Day, Ebonee Noel, and, in a role that may become one of his signatures, John Malkovich. I Love You, Daddy also shows C.K. to be quite a cinephile. In an old-school stroke, he shot the film on 35mm, but not just any 35mm. This up-to-the-minute satire was shot on rich, timeless black-and-white film, in a throwback to the classics that inspired it. We don’t see this kind of movie anymore. As for the actions of the characters on display here, we’ll continue to see them so long as artists pursue their visions, and people their desires. [ Toronto International Film Festival]

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  • Helen Mirren to Receive Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 45th Chaplin Award

    Helen Mirren Academy Award–winning actor Helen Mirren will be honored with the 45th Chaplin Award by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, at a gala event on Monday, April 30, 2018. “It is an honor and a pleasure for us to present Helen Mirren with our 45th Chaplin Award,” said Ann Tenenbaum, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Board Chairman. “From housemaid to Queen and everything in between, Ms. Mirren has delivered masterful performances of complex characters, upending stereotype after stereotype along the way.” “Ever since her debut in Michael Powell’s Age of Consent in 1969, Helen Mirren has been lighting up screens with one finely crafted performance after another,” said Lesli Klainberg, the Executive Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. “From her Oscar-winning role in The Queen to her brilliant work in The Long Good Friday, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The Madness of King George, Gosford Park, The Tempest, The Last Station, Red, Hitchcock, Woman in Gold, and Eye in the Sky, she has shown her exquisite range and proven her commitment to excellence and the art of cinema. The Film Society is honored to present the 45th Chaplin Gala Award to Helen Mirren.” Mirren began acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, and over the past five decades has become one of the most respected and recognizable figures in multiple media. In film, she is perhaps best known for The Queen, though she has appeared in more than sixty films, with notable recent titles including Trumbo and The Fate of the Furious. Upcoming films include The Leisure Seeker, Winchester, and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Mirren was awarded the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship in 2014 for her outstanding career in film. The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 when it honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has been renamed for Chaplin, and has been presented to many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and, last year, Robert De Niro.

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  • George Clooney to Receive AFI Life Achievement Award

    George Clooney Actor, director, writer and producer George Clooney will be the recipient of the 46th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film. The award will be presented to Clooney at a Gala Tribute on June 7, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA. “George Clooney is America’s leading man,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman of the AFI Board of Trustees. “Director, producer, writer and actor — a modern-day screen icon who combines the glamour of a time gone by with a ferocious passion for ensuring art’s impact echoes beyond the screen. AFI is proud to present him with its 46th Life Achievement Award.” His latest project is Suburbicon (2017),which he directed, and also co-wrote alongside his frequent collaborators the Coen brothers.

    AFI Life Achievement Award Recipients

    George Clooney joins an esteemed group of individuals who have been chosen for this distinguished honor since its inception. 1973 John Ford 1974 James Cagney 1975 Orson Welles 1976 William Wyler 1977 Bette Davis 1978 Henry Fonda 1979 Alfred Hitchcock 1980 James Stewart 1981 Fred Astaire 1982 Frank Capra 1983 John Huston 1984 Lillian Gish 1985 Gene Kelly 1986 Billy Wilder 1987 Barbara Stanwyck 1988 Jack Lemmon 1989 Gregory Peck 1990 David Lean 1991 Kirk Douglas 1992 Sidney Poitier 1993 Elizabeth Taylor 1994 Jack Nicholson 1995 Steven Spielberg 1996 Clint Eastwood 1997 Martin Scorsese 1998 Robert Wise 1999 Dustin Hoffman 2000 Harrison Ford 2001 Barbra Streisand 2002 Tom Hanks 2003 Robert De Niro 2004 Meryl Streep 2005 George Lucas 2006 Sean Connery 2007 Al Pacino 2008 Warren Beatty 2009 Michael Douglas 2010 Mike Nichols 2011 Morgan Freeman 2012 Shirley MacLaine 2013 Mel Brooks 2014 Jane Fonda 2015 Steve Martin 2016 John Williams 2017 Diane Keaton

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