Steven Spielberg to Present John Williams With American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award

Williams to Be Honored at AFI Gala Tribute Event on Thursday, June 9, 2016

TNT to Premiere AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams June 15 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Steven Spielberg will present John Williams with the American Film Institute's (AFI) 44th Life Achievement Award. This marks the first time in AFI history that America's highest honor for a career in film will be bestowed upon a composer. Williams' career will be celebrated at the private Gala Tribute on June 9, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The televised special, AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams, will air on TNT on Wednesday, June 15, at 10 p.m. (ET/ PT), followed by an encore presentation on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on Monday, June 12, during a night of programming dedicated to Williams. This marks the fourth year the Emmy(R)-winning AFI special has aired on Turner networks.

The Sept. 12 TCM lineup, including presentations of AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams and the 2011 special AFI'S Master Class: The Art of Collaboration: Steven Spielberg and John Williams, will be as follows:

8 p.m. - AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams (2016)

10:15 p.m. - Jaws (1975)

12:30 a.m. - AFI'S Master Class: The Art of Collaboration: Steven Spielberg and John Williams (2011)

1:30 a.m. - AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams (2016)

2:45 a.m. - The Cowboys (1972)

5:15 a.m. - Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)

Spielberg received the 23rd AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995. Together, he and Williams have collaborated on over 25 projects including Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Lincoln (2012) and the upcoming The BFG (2016).

Williams' storied career as the composer behind many of the greatest American films and television series of all time boasts more than 150 credits across seven decades. Whether epic in scale, jazz-infused, or intimate and personal, his music has helped define over half a century of the motion picture medium. Three of Williams' scores landed on AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - a list of the 25 greatest American film scores of all time - including the unforgettable score to Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), which ranks #1. With five Academy Award(R) wins and 50 nominations in total, Williams holds the record for the most Oscar(R) nominations of any living person.

About the AFI Life Achievement Award

The highest honor given for a career in film, the AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the AFI Board of Trustees in 1973. It is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following criteria as mandated through a resolution passed by the AFI Board of Trustees: "The recipient should be one whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time." Most recently, the 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute brought together the film community to honor Steve Martin. AFI Life Achievement Award recipient Mel Brooks (2013) presented the award, while Dan Aykroyd, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Queen Latifah, Conan O'Brien, Amy Poehler, Carl Reiner, Sarah Silverman and Lily Tomlin and many others, including past honorees Tom Hanks (2002) and Meryl Streep (2004), paid tribute to Martin in an evening filled with laughter, music and cheer.

About TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

TNT, a division of Turner, is one of cable's top-rated networks. Seen across multiple platforms in 94 million households, TNT is home to such original drama series as The Last Ship, The Librarians, Major Crimes, Murder in the First, Rizzoli & Isles and the upcoming Animal Kingdom, Good Behavior and The Alienist, along with a new horror block featuring Tales from the Crypt. TNT is also the cable home to popu lar dramas like Castle, Bones, Supernatural and Grimm; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R), the Live Nation Music Awards and the iHeartRadio Music Awards; and championship sports coverage, including the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM, which is available in more than 85 million homes, features the insights of hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. Currently in its 22nd year as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, hosted by Robert Osborne and Sally Field, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar(R) in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Turner, a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, sports, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNN International and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, iStream Planet and ELEAGUE.

About the American Film Institute

AFI is America's promise to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI AWARDS, honoring the most outstanding movies and TV series of the year; AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world-renowned AFI Conservatory. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.