Francis Ford Coppola Wins Prestigious Princess of Asturias Arts Award

Out of 31 nominees from 19 different countries, the prize was awarded to Coppola, a pioneer of U.S. cinema in the 1970s who has directed iconic movies such as “Apocalypse Now” (1973) and “The Godfather” trilogy (1972, 1974 and 1990).

The award panel praised Francis Ford Coppola as a superior storyteller and an artistic innovator in themes and form, and that Francis Ford Coppola is an essential figure to understanding the transformation and contradictions within cinema as an art, and as an industry.

“An exceptional narrator who holds a prominent position in the history of cinema,” the jury said, expounding on the visionary’s fight to maintain total entrepreneurial and creative independence in all facets: as a director, a producer or a screenwriter.

Coppola was born on April 7, 1939 into an Italian family in New York City, and has directed more than 30 films, produced 74 and wrote the screenplay for 27 others.

His numerous accolades range from the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and the auspicious Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Princess of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation in eight categories: arts, communication and humanities, international cooperation, literature, social sciences, sports, technical and scientific research, and concord.

Each winner receives a prize of 50,000 euros (roughly $56,000) and a replica statuette designed by the late Spanish sculptor Joan Miro.

It is the first time the prize, which bears the name of the heir to the throne, has been called the “Princess” of Asturias Award, as it was changed from “Prince” when Princess Leonor’s father, King Felipe VI, ascended the throne last year.