Al Pacino Receives AFI's 35th Life Achievement Award

Al Pacino Receives AFI's 35th Life Achievement Award

USA NETWORK TO AIR TRIBUTE ON JUNE 19, 2007

ADDITIONAL YEAR WITH USA NETWORK ALSO ANNOUNCED

LOS ANGELES, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of guests filled the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on June 7 for the 35th American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award honoring Al Pacino. The two-hour special event, executive produced and written by Bob Gazzale and directed and co-produced by Louis J. Horvitz, was taped for telecast on USA Network on Tuesday, June 19 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Widely regarded as the highest honor for a career in film, the black-tie tribute celebrated Pacino's exceptional career with many of his colleagues, friends and family present. Sean Penn presented Pacino with the honor at evening's end.

The evening additionally served as the stage for AFI to announce that another year with broadcast partner USA Network has been confirmed. USA Network has broadcast the AFI Life Achievement Award since 2002; Tributes to Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, George Lucas, Sean Connery and Al Pacino.

"For 35 years, the AFI Life Achievement Award has been the crown jewel of the Institute's national programs. We are proud to have this enduring legacy on television -- and even prouder to be on the USA Network for another year," said Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI, President and CEO.

"AFI not only recognizes moviemaking excellence, they set a gold standard in celebrating it," said Bonnie Hammer, President of USA and SCI FI Channel. "We're thrilled to continue partnering with them on next year's Life Achievement Award."

Among guests participating in the tribute are former AFI Life Achievement Award recipients Sean Connery and Kirk Douglas; as well as Gabrielle Anwar, Jon Avnet, George Clooney, Francis Ford Coppola, Ed Harris, Jamie Foxx, Andy Garcia, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lopez, Sidney Lumet, Michael Mann, Leelee Sobieski, Kevin Spacey, Meryl Streep, Oliver Stone, Winona Ryder, Robin Williams, Jeffrey Wright and the cast of OCEANS 13.

Also in attendance at the live event were Adrian Brody, Sophia Bush, Rebecca DeMornay, Hector Elizondo, Anne Heche, Cloris Leachman, Rex Lee, Garry Marshall, Joe Mantegna, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Schiff, Mykelti Williamson and Ed Zwick.

Pacino joins a distinguished list of recipients of AFI's Life Achievement Award including Sean Connery, George Lucas, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier, Gregory Peck, Barbara Stanwyck, Billy Wilder, Fred Astaire, James Stewart, Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Orson Welles, James Cagney and John Ford.

About the American Film Institute
AFI celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2007.

AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world- renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival -- as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 35 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

AFI thanks HP for its support of this year's Life Achievement Award. American Airlines is the official airline of the American Film Institute. AFI offers additional thanks to the Frank Family Vineyards.

About USA Network

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 basic cable network across the board in 2006, USA Network is seen in 90 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com.

Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: American Film Institute

CONTACT: Alison Deknatel, +1-323-856-7896, adeknatel@AFI.com, or
Jessica Ozar, +1-323-856-7603, jozar@AFI.com, both of AFI; or Andrea Epstein,
of USA, +1-818-777-6679, andrea.epstein@nbcuni.com

Web site:

http://www.usanetwork.com/

Web site:

http://afi.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Event images for the AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Al Pacino are available through Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com Additional pictures are also available through Image.net by Getty Images. To register: 1. Log on to http://www.image.net and click on 'register' 2. Fill in the registration form (takes about 2 minutes) 3. When asked for a referral code, enter "6560"For assistance, call Image.net's toll free 24-hour help line at 1.888.373.1500

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