Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin and Angela Lansbury were moved to tears at the film academy's fifth annual Governors Awards.
Each of the entertainers accepted honorary Oscar statuettes Saturday at a private dinner at the Hollywood & Highland Center. Italian costume designer Piero Tosi was also honored, but did not attend the ceremony.
Jolie received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Before guests including Brad Pitt and a man Jolie cited as "my hero," WWII veteran and Olympian Louis Zamperini, the 38-year-old actress-director became emotional as she thanked her late mother, whom she said inspired her to think of others and give back.
"To stand here today means I did as she asked," Jolie said. "And if she were alive, she'd be very proud."
Tom Hanks and Martin Short helped present Martin with his honorary Oscar, which Short described as "the highest honor an actor can receive in mid-November."
Accepting recognition for his distinguished career, Martin said, "I can't possibly express how I excited I am tonight, because the Botox is fresh."
But the 68-year-old got misty eyed as he reflected on the dear friends he's made during his five decades in film.
"I knew I wasn't going to make it through this speech," he said. "I read it to my dog this morning and wept."
Lansbury recited a list of her famous co-stars as she accepted her honorary Academy Award: Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra, Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Lawrence Olivier and Orson Welles. With her two brothers, three children and three grandchildren in tow, the 88-year-old actress' voice cracked as she thanked movies and acting for rescuing her after the death of her husband.
She said sharing the Governors Awards ceremony with her family was better than "shivering with hope" during her three Oscar nominations, none of which resulted in statuettes.
"You can't imagine how happy and proud I feel, really undeserving of this gorgeous golden chap," she said.
The crowd inside the Ray Dolby Ballroom was like a who's-who of the upcoming awards season. Besides guests such as Diane Keaton, Octavia Spencer, Geoffrey Rush, Emma Thompson and Harrison Ford were stars of some of the year's most acclaimed films, including Michael B. Jordan of "Fruitvale Station," Idris Elba and Naomie Harris of "Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom," Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o and director Steve McQueen of "12 Years a Slave," Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto of "Dallas Buyers Club" and Amy Adams and director David O. Russell of "American Hustle."
The Governors Awards were not televised but portions of the ceremony may be included in the Academy Awards telecast on March 2, 2014.
Michelle Satter To Be Honored At Sundance Film Festival Gala
The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding sr. director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The annual Vanguard Awards will be presented during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi, and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. The 2025 event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented... Read More