AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE LUCAS (USA 6/20/05) George Lucas, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Peter Jackson, Richard Dreyfuss, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman
George Lucas was presented with the 33rd AFI (American Film Institute) Life Achievement Award on Thursday, June 9, 2005 at a black-tie gala event held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
The tribute, both heartfelt and playful, focused on the filmmaker's astonishing contributions to the art and technology of filmmaking, as well as the impact of the epic STAR WARS series. In addition to accolades given by guests including Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford, the evening featured clips from Lucas' films presented with commentary from five Academy Award winning directors — Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Peter Jackson. Spielberg presented Lucas with the honor at evening's end.
Additional guests included Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Duvall, Carrie Fisher, Calista Flockhart, Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman, Jimmy Smits; as well as intergalactic celebrities Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2.