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.
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More