With the AFI Life Achievement Award , the American Film Institute (AFI) honors the life's work of filmmakers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of film art and who are recognized by students, film critics, colleagues and the audience for this.
The award was established by the Board of Directors of the American Film Institute in 1973. The recipient is honored at an annual celebration at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Stars and professional colleagues appear in a 90-minute review and celebrate the work of the award winner. The ceremony will be broadcast on American television.
AFI specifies the criteria for an award as follows: The recipient of the award must have fundamentally improved and further developed the art of film. His achievements should be recognized on the one hand by the public as well as film students, critics and professional colleagues. His work must have stood "the test of time".
The first and unanimously elected recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Awards was film director John Ford . The award was presented on March 1, 1973 by then President Richard M. Nixon . Tom Hanks was the youngest recipient of the award at the age of 45, followed by Steven Spielberg , who received the award at the age of 48. Silent film star Lillian Gish was the oldest recipient of the award at the age of 90.
