AFI Awards: Hollywood’s biggest names gather to celebrate the best of film and TV in a Karla-free zone
Ahead of a busy weekend on the awards circuit — the Critics Choice Awards, the PGA Awards, the DGA Awards — a veritable Hollywood who’s-who gathered on Thursday to celebrate the American Film Institute’s 10 finest films and television shows of 2024 in a luncheon event rescheduled from a month due to the devastating series of fires that ravaged the Los Angeles area.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
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And while there were quiet murmurings here and there about Emilia Pérez and the controversy enveloping its star Karla Sofia Gascón, the film was received with warm applause, if not an overabundance of enthusiasm, when it came time to play a clip. The movie was represented at the lunch by director Jacques Audiard, stars Zoe Salda?a, Edgar Ramirez, and Adriana Paz, and composers/songwriters Clément Ducol and Camille. Gascón, unsurprisingly, was a no-show, reportedly holed up in her native Spain after being sidelined by Netflix.
Said one producer who wished to remain anonymous: “You have no idea how relieved I am that our film doesn’t have to put up with any of that BS. At the same time, it’s like, there but for the grace of God, you know? I feel badly for them, but it seems maybe the bleeding has finally stopped.”
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
Karla-gate aside, there were more A-list names jammed into the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills than you typically find at any 10 showbiz gatherings combined, Everywhere you looked, there was someone else. And they were all interacting and shmoozing up each other with abandon, loose and carefree — like a giant exhale in a year ravaged by fires and national division.
Jodie Foster, a Golden Globe winner and SAG Awards nominee for True Detective: Night Country as well as a two-time Oscar winner, spoke for many at the event when she admitted that awards season “is not primary in our thoughts right now. But honestly, it’s just nice to connect up with people and see how everybody’s doing. The entertainment community’s life has to go on, and we’re all a part of that.”
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
There were certainly Academy Award nominees galore: Salda?a, Audiard, Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), A Complete Unknown director James Mangold and supporting actor Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain), not to mention some genuine Hollywood royalty: Harrison Ford, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh.
It was also loads of fun to see who was hanging out with whom. Brody and Norton were spotted deep in conversation. Erivo and Ted Lasso/Shrinking star and producer Brett Goldstein were seen sharing a seemingly tender moment. At one point during the pre-luncheon arrival interaction, Grande and Fiennes could be found yakking away.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
Besides the impressive attendance from big names, what distinguishes the AFI Awards is the fact literally everyone is a winner. As AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale said early in the luncheon, “I don’t know if anyone told you, but you won. There’s no envelopes, there’s no speeches, there’s no sweat…It’s about community, it’s about camaraderie — never about competition.”
The film honorees were Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, A Real Pain, Sing Sing, and Wicked. The TV Programs of the Year were Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, A Man on the Inside, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Nobody Wants This, The Penguin, Shōgun, Shrinking, and True Detective: Night Country. An AFI Special Award also went to Baby Reindeer, whose players Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau were on hand.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
There were a few moving moments that stood out during the afternoon fete. One came early on when Gazzale introduced Los Angeles firefighter Timmy Larsen, who in attendance represented the courage and dedication of men who put their lives on the line to fight the deadly series of fires in January. He received a raucous and sustained standing ovation.
Later, George Stevens Jr., filmmaker, author, and AFI’s founding director, delivered the official benediction. In his address, Stevens remembered the unique artistry of David Lynch, a member of the AFI’s Class of 1970 who died in January 15. Addressing the honorees and guests, Stevens said, “Let’s remember the remarkable legacy of cinematic creativity that David left for us — the mystical beauty we found in living his dreams. And as we leave this ceremony with David in our hearts, let us dedicate ourselves to restoring our devastated movie capital — and to making certain that ‘the movies’ in all their forms — not be afraid of grace and beauty and rise to new heights to entertain and enlighten the world.”
The ceremony opened with a video of Lynch declaring, “I love AFI.” It was clear that AFI loved him right back.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI
A partial list of those in attendance at the AFI Awards: Rose Abdoo, Pam Abdy, Lucia Aniello, Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker, Stephanie Beatriz, Kristen Bell, Edward Berger, Alan Bergman, Lionel Boyce, Adam Brody, Adrien Brody, Quinta Brunson, Camille, Matt Chessé, Jon M. Chu, Dylan Clark, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Robert A. Daly, Mike De Luca, Colman Domingo, Clément Ducol, Ayo Edebiri, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cynthia Erivo, Lilah Richcreek Estrada, Colin Farrell, Mona Fastvold, Rhenzy Feliz, Ralph Fiennes, Jean Picker Firstenberg, Harrison Ford, David Foster, Erin Foster, Jodie Foster, Sara Foster, Richard Frank, Jomo Fray, Petra Fried, Dede Gardner, Lesli Linka Glatter, Jeff Goldblum, Neil Goldman, Brett Goldstein, Ariana Grande, David Greenbaum, Jennifer Grey, Jessica Gunning, Justin Halpern, Fred Hechinger, and Ethan Herisse.
Also: Boyd Holbrook, Moeka Hoshi, Pearlena Igbokwe, Mark Indelicato, Sean ‘Dino’ Johnson, Rachel Kondo, Peter Kujawski, Greg Kwedar, John Landgraf, Donna Langley, Bill Lawrence, Issa López, Justine Lupe, Clarence Maclin, Leonard Maltin, James Mangold, Justin Marks, Nava Mau, Christopher McDonald, Ted McGinley, Yariv Milchan, Cristin Milioti, Hiro Murai, Edward Norton, Deirdre O’Connell, Adriana Paz, Marc Platt, Samantha Quan, Edgar Ramírez, Matt Reeves, Kali Reis, RaMell Ross, Zoe Salda?a, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ted Sarandos, Patrick Schumacker, Michael Schur, Jason Segel, Helen Shaver, Francesca Sloane, Megan Statler, George Stevens, Jr., Christopher Storer, Peter Straughan, Luke Tennie, Jackie Tohn, Vache Tovmasyan, Michael Urie, Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez, Denis Villeneuve, Jeremy Allen White, Jessica Williams, Brandon Wilson, Michelle Yeoh, and Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav.
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