AFI Awards Luncheon Attracts Star-Studded Crowd – The Hollywood Reporter

From left: Alan Bergman. Bob Iger, David Greenbaum, Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos attend the 2024 AFI Awards Luncheon

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Ahead of a busy weekend on the awards circuit — which will see star-studded audiences at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday and the highly-anticipated Emmy Awards on Monday — some of the biggest names in Hollywood gathered on Friday to celebrate the American Film Institute’s picks for the top 10 movies and TV shows of the year. 2023.

The big names crowded the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where movies are being shown American fantasy, Barbie, Retainers, Moonflower Killers, Artist, band leader, May December, Oppenheimer, Past life, Bad things And Spider-Man: Across the Universe They were honored with TV shows Abbott Elementary, The bear, meat, Jury duty, The last of us, Morning show, Murders only in the building, poker face, Reservation dogs And Succession.

The ceremony was attended by the creators, directors, and stars of those projects, including… American fantasyCord Jefferson, Jeffrey Wright, and Sterling K. Brown and Erica Alexander; BarbieGreta Gerwig, Margot Robbie and America Ferrera; Retainers“Alexander Payne, Paul Giamatti, and Dave Randolph; Moonflower KillersLeonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone; Artist, band leaderBradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan; May DecemberTodd Haynes, Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton; OppenheimerChristopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr.; Bad thingsYorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe.

On the television side, Abbott ElementaryQuinta Bronson; The bearJeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri; meatAli Wong and Steven Yeun; The last of usPedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay and Nick Offerman; Morning showJennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Beharie and Karen Bateman; Murders only in the buildingSteve Martin, Martin Short, Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez and Michael Cyril Cretton; And SuccessionSarah Snook and Kieran Culkin came out to celebrate.

Also mingling in the room were top industry executives, including Disney’s Bob Iger and Dana Walden, and Warner Bros.’ David Zaslav. Discovery, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, WB Television’s Channing Dungey, FX’s John Landgraf, Universal’s Donna Langley, Sony’s Tom Rothman, and Apple’s Tim Cook. And Jennifer Salke from Amazon.

Despite the enormous talent in the room, many of whom are competing against each other for Oscar nominations (and some, for Emmy Awards), the AFI Awards are not particularly competitive. “We’re telling you you’re great, and why,” said AFI CEO Bob Gazala in his opening remarks. “It’s community. It’s not a competition.”

Speaking of this community, Ghazala announced that 30 American Film Institute alumni were in the room, including the first woman accepted into the cinematography program: Mimi Leder, who was honored as part of the creative team behind Morning show.

It was also announced that AFI Vice President Richard Franke has pledged millions of dollars in the name of all honorees over the next decade, which will be awarded as scholarships to Fellows studying at the AFI Conservatory.

Ghazala also pointed out that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Women’s Directing Workshop at the French Film Institute. While introducing Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn, who gave the ceremony’s closing blessing, Ghazala said that after her role in the historic film And exorcist In 1973, Berstein applied to participate in the “Always Striving for More” directing workshop.

The 91-year-old Borstein, who received a standing ovation from the audience, cried when he took the stage. “This idea of ​​honoring 10 movies and 10 TV shows and leaving it at that — not nominating five people, inviting them to a big party, one person wins and four losers go home…” Boorstin said, drawing huge laughter from the audience. . “I’ve been on both ends of that stick. It’s no fun! This is so much better.”

Burstyn also recalled her first days as an actress in the theater: “I remember that day when I was on stage, in the middle of a scene, and suddenly I thought: What are you doing?” She added that the next day she went to a bookstore and bought a theater history. “On the first page, I mentioned the first time someone stood around a campfire and told the story of the tribe to The tribe. “Ah, this is what we do,” I thought. “We tell the stories of the tribe, for the tribe.”

Borstein ended her remarks with similar sentiments. “I see the TV shows and the movies and the people in this room,” she said. “I feel so blessed with this amazing tribe. And if I may be the voice of the tribe, thank you all for doing what you do, being yourself and coming together and celebrating the best in us without it being a competition.”