UPDATED, 11:30 AM: AFI has set a new date for its Covid-postponed AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute in celebration of Julie Andrews. The 48th annual ceremony now is set for November 11 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. It originally had been scheduled for April 25, 2020. Read details below.
“Julie Andrews has lifted the spirits of the world for generations,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “Now, more than ever, AFI looks forward to gathering the globe to celebrate the many gifts and joy she has given us – proving her, of course, ‘practically perfect in every way.’”
An airdate for the ceremony on TNT will be announced in the coming weeks.
PREVIOUSLY, May 2020: The American Film Institute (AFI) is postponing the 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute in celebration of Julie Andrews. The event was originally scheduled for April 25 and AFI said it will be rescheduled for a date in early summer.
The new date and the air date for the premiere of the Tribute special on TNT will be announced in the coming weeks, AFI said. The AFI Life Achievement Award is bestowed on artists “whose work has stood the test of time.”
“AFI’s decision to postpone the event is simply in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events and our promise to ensure the well-being of the artists and audience that gather each year to celebrate America’s art form,” said AFI CEO and President, Bob Gazzale. “This move will allow our full attention to focus on the many gifts that Julie Andrews has given the world.”
The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the AFI Board of Trustees in 1973. It is presented to a single honoree each year based on a recipient “whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.”
Most recently, the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute honored Denzel Washington in June 2019 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
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