The Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award Tribute Gala, Honoring Barbra Streisand and featuring Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis and More

For the fifth consecutive year Empire Entertainment was chosen to produce the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Chaplin Award Tribute. This year's Gala, the 40th annual, honored one of the motion picture industry’s most celebrated and enduring superstars – the incomparable Barbra Streisand.The Film Society's Tribute Gala began in 1972 and honored Charles Chaplin – who returned to the United States from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has honored many of film's most visionary talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks among others.With a sold out house, frenzied media attention, and Streisand’s own legendary attention to detail in the pursuit of perfection, the stakes were high to deliver a flawless evening.

The evening began with an elegant cocktail reception in the promenade before the guests moved inside Alice Tully Hall for the program. The all-star tribute began with a video of previous Chaplin Award honorees, followed by remarks from the Film Society of Lincoln Center Board Chair Ann Tenenbaum and Executive Director, Rose Kuo.The tribute included a series of remarks interspersed by film clips of Streisand’s motion picture work, both in front of and behind the camera. The presenters for the tribute included past Chaplin Award honorees Catherine Deneuve & Michael Douglas, George Segal, Alan Bergman (who offered a musical tribute to the tune of “The Way We Were”), Kris Kristofferson, Amy Irving, Pierce Brosnan, Blythe Danner and Fockers Co-Star, Ben Stiller.This year’s Tribute also featured a series of extraordinary musical tributes including Wynton Marsalis performing “Hello Dolly,” Liza Minnelli performing "What Did I Have That I Don't Have Now," and Tony Bennett performing “Smile” which was composed by Charlie Chaplin himself and used in the soundtrack to his 1936 film “Modern Times.”

As the final presenter of the evening, President Bill Clinton, who attended with his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, delivered heartfelt remarks and then presented Barbra Streisand with the Chaplin Award. Barbra Streisand then delivered her acceptance remarks while all of the evening's presenters stood by her side.The program was followed by a seated dinner at the David H. Koch theater's spectacular second-floor promenade overlooking the fountain in the Plaza of Lincoln Center. The evening raised over $2 million for the Film Society, easily breaking the previous record. At the dinner, Barbra Streisand was asked by cabaret singer Ann Hampton Callaway to sum up the evening in one word. Her choice – “Glorious.”For this year’s tribute Empire served as the producer, working with director Richard Jay-Alexander, Writer Jon Macks, Musical Director Kevin Stites and Lighting Designer Matt Berman. Empire was responsible for creative and production design, talent & presenter coordination, technical production, television facilities, script, stage management and overall oversight of the production of the Tribute.To learn more about the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award and its programs, visit www.filmlinc.com.

Empire is a leading producer of high-profile award and tribute programs and is honored to have had the opportunity to work with one of the world’s greatest talents – Barbra Streisand.