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.
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.
Lee Daniels, Ava DuVernay, 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 event concluded with attendees receiving an exclusive commemorative tribute book about Kidman’s career. Guests were also introduced to the new online tribute site chronicling Kidman’s life and career at AFI.com/NicoleKidman.
The event raised over $2 million, and all proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award support the American Film Institute as a nonprofit organization. To donate to AFI, visit AFI.com.
The AFI Life Achievement Award, established by the AFI Board of Trustees in 1973, is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following criteria as mandated through a resolution passed by the AFI Board of Trustees: “The recipient should be one 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.”
The official dinner sponsor of the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala was Canva, the official water sponsor was FIJI and the official red carpet sponsor was AMC Theatres.
