The Chaplin Award Gala is Film at Lincoln Center’s major annual fundraiser, with all proceeds going to support our nonprofit organization’s mission to celebrate cinema as an essential art form and foster a vibrant home for film culture to thrive.

Presented each year at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Chaplin Award recognizes an individual’s significant contributions to the art of cinema. The award was named for its first honoree in 1972, Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Past recipients have included many of the film industry’s most notable talents throughout the decades, including George Clooney, Pedro Almodóvar, Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Sidney Poitier, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Bette Davis, Federico Fellini, and Gregory Peck.

Explore photos and a history of the honorees below.