Godfather director Coppola bags AFI lifetime award

Multiple Oscar-winner Francis Ford Coppola picked up a lifetime achievement award on Saturday at a star-studded ceremony which praised his “fearless” attitude to filmmaking.

- PAULA RAMON

The 86-year-old director of classics including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now received a trophy from fellow filmmaking legends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, who lauded him for fighting the system and redefining American cinema.

Star Wars creator Lucas recalled Coppola telling him “don’t be afraid of jumping off cliffs”, while Spielberg hailed the “fearless” director and said that The Godfather was “the greatest American film ever made”.

“You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you've inspired a generation of storytellers,” Spielberg said.