The Academy celebrates the 45th anniversary of the 1971 Best Picture winner, “The French Connection,” on Friday, October 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Immediately after the screening, Oscar-winning screenwriter Chris McQuarrie will host an onstage conversation with the film’s Oscar-winning director, William Friedkin.

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Based on Robin Moore’s 1969 nonfiction book of the same name, “The French Connection” follows NYPD detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider) on a relentless pursuit of Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), the ringleader of a global heroin-smuggling syndicate.

“The French Connection” was the first R-rated film in Academy history to win Best Picture. It also received Academy Awards for Best Actor for Hackman, Film Editing and Adapted Screenplay.

Photo courtesy: The Academy