Honoring Legends of Cinema: Bennett Awards’ Custom Design for Film at Lincoln Center’s 50th Chaplin Award Gala
2025 Film at Lincoln Center, designed by Bennett Awards
Part 1: The Project — Honoring Excellence in Film
For the fourth consecutive year, Bennett Awards partnered with Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) to create a bespoke custom award for one of cinema’s most revered honors: the Chaplin Award. This annual award, named after Charlie Chaplin and inaugurated in 1972, is presented during FLC’s premier fundraising event, the Chaplin Award Gala, which takes place at the iconic Lincoln Center in New York City.
FLC—founded in 1969 and the only branch of Lincoln Center solely dedicated to the art of cinema—engaged Bennett Awards to create a sculptural piece that could represent their brand and mission. The ask was clear: design something elegant, photogenic, and meaningful, that looked powerful on stage and in the hands of legendary recipients.
Having impressed the FLC team with premium awards since 2022, Bennett Awards was again called upon for the 2025 edition, which honored celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar as the 50th Chaplin Award recipient. This milestone event required an award that matched the legacy and grandeur of the occasion—and this custom Bennett Award was ready to deliver.
Part 2: The Process — From Logo to Legacy
The award’s design was born from a close creative collaboration between Bennett’s design team and FLC. Drawing direct inspiration from Film at Lincoln Center’s geometric logo and the iconic film reel, Bennett's designers envisioned a tall, minimalist aluminum pillar—a sleek form that would be both aesthetic and symbolic.
The award features a free-standing cylindrical form, originally designed at 10 inches tall, later refined to 9 inches and 7 pounds after deciding to make a slightly lighter version. "We wanted to make it easier to handle while preserving the visual impact,” shared the Bennett team. “It had to look great in press photos and feel meaningful in hand.” This small adjustment was made possible by the production team’s foresight and flexibility.
Crafted from solid aluminum, the award has the FLC’s iconic film-strip logo machined at either end and features deep engraving of the recipient's name alongside the FLC logo. Notably, it has no traditional base, adding to its sleek, modern aesthetic.
These awards are also designed for efficient pre-ordering and advance production, allowing FLC to plan and manage costs for future events more effectively.
Part 3: The Final Product — A Modern Icon in Recognition
The finished award is a sculptural triumph. Standing tall at 9 inches and more than 3 inches in diameter, the polished aluminum cylinder is both elegant and commanding. Its reflective finish gleams under stage lights, and the deep engraving adds a tactile sense of craftsmanship and permanence.
This custom award truly brings the FLC logo to life in three-dimensional form, reinforcing the institutional identity of Film at Lincoln Center. This marriage of form and function delivers a piece that is not only symbolic but practical—easy to hold, stunning in photos, and undeniably prestigious.
“This award is just really sleek and beautiful,” says Bennett’s Project Manager Karen McCrea. “It represents their logo in such a cool and creative way. From day one, the FLC team was impressed by how substantial and prestigious it feels.”
The minimalist design emphasizes purity and form, drawing the viewer’s eye to the symbolic film-reel details and engraved personalization. Its clean silhouette ensures it looks impressive on stage and in hand—something especially important when the honorees include Oscar winners and cultural icons.
Over the past four years, recipients including Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Bridges, and now Pedro Almodóvar have received this custom Bennett Award—adding their names to a legacy of cinematic excellence that dates back to Charlie Chaplin himself.
Part 4: Impact and Visibility — The Gala, the Reach, the Recognition
The 2025 Chaplin Award Gala was a major milestone, celebrating its 50th anniversary with a sold-out evening that was as emotional as it was glamorous. Held in partnership with Rolex, the event featured tributes from stars like Dua Lipa, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rossy de Palma, John Turturro, and John Waters, along with a flamenco-inspired performance and video montages from Almodóvar’s career.
The event drew a full house at Alice Tully Hall, and media coverage of the evening—including images of Almodóvar holding his custom Bennett Award—circulated across major entertainment outlets and social media platforms.
Beyond the star-studded celebration, the Chaplin Award Gala serves a crucial purpose: it is Film at Lincoln Center’s most important annual fundraiser, generating support for year-round programs such as:
The New York Film Festival
New Directors/New Films
Educational initiatives
Film series and international showcases
Proceeds from the gala help FLC fulfill its mission to elevate the craft of cinema, and the custom Bennett Award plays a central role in elevating the ceremonial experience and prestige of the event.
In a world where meaningful recognition matters more than ever, Bennett Awards is proud to create pieces that not only honor achievement but also tell a story—in this case, a story of art, identity, and the enduring magic of film.
Conclusion
For Bennett Awards, crafting the Chaplin Award is about more than aesthetics—it's about helping honor the titans of film in a way that reflects their impact and stature. Through thoughtful design, precision craftsmanship, and a collaborative spirit, Bennett Awards continues to elevate the art of recognition, one iconic figure at a time.
