New York, NY (February 23, 2017) – The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces that legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese will present the 44th Chaplin Award to honoree Robert De Niro on Monday, May 8, 2017. The pair have worked together on eight films, beginning with Mean Streets in 1973.

The evening’s presenters will also include Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller, Barry Levinson, and Harvey Keitel, with more to be announced at a later date. The annual event, attended by a host of notable guests and presenters, will include movie and interview clips, culminating in the presentation of the Chaplin Award to De Niro by Scorsese. Streep and Scorsese are both previous recipients of the Chaplin Award—the 35th and 25th, respectively.

The Gala celebrates all the facets of De Niro’s remarkable career in cinema, including his amazing array of performances, which have resulted in some of the most memorable characters committed to film; his status as an unparalleled figure of New York film and culture; and his championing of independent film through the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute.

In addition, on the occasion of the Gala, the Film Society will present a weeklong tribute celebrating De Niro’s most iconic roles, April 12-19. Among the 12 films featured in the series are many of his collaborations with Scorsese, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Casino, and more. The complete lineup will be announced next month.

The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 when it honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. The award was then renamed for Chaplin and has been presented to many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Scorsese, Streep, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Diane Keaton, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, and, last year, Morgan Freeman.

For information about attending the gala, please contact our please contact the Gala hotline at [email protected], or 212-875-5076. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Elizabeth Gardner at [email protected] or call (212) 671-4559. Click here for more information.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.’s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The 44th Chaplin Award Gala receives generous support from VDKA 6100. The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from The New York Times, Shutterstock, Variety, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

For media specific inquiries regarding the Film Society of Lincoln Center, please contact:

Lisa Thomas
[email protected]
212-671-4709

Rachel Allen
[email protected]
212-875-5423