Stars advocate for progress at honorary Oscars event

Wes Studi accepts an horary award at Goverrs Awards on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, at Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. Inequality in film industry got a high-profile spotlight at Acemy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 11th annual Goverrs Awards, where Cherokee actor Wes Studi, Italian director Lina Wertmüller and filmmaker David Lynch all received horary Oscars on Sunday.

Dire statistics — like fact that Studi is first Native American actor to get an Oscar, that only five women have ever been minated for best director and that inequality is still an issue in front of camera, too — existed well before stars gared in heart of Hollywood for untelevised dinner event. But re is thing quite like seeing Jane Campion stand beside Greta Gerwig — two of five female directing minees in Oscars history — and count, by 10s, number of men who have been minated for best director. She got up to 350. film acemy’s president, David Rubin, said re is nda when 54-member board of goverrs selects horary Oscar recipients, but this year seemed to correct a few wrongs and could even signal a more promising future. Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Geena Davis asked everyone in room to t make ar movie without doing a “ and diversity pass” on script first.

While toasting Studi, his “ New World” and “Hostiles” co-star, Christian Bale ted native and indigeus people have been underrepresented on both sides of camera but “we’re in a room full of people who can change that.”

Indeed, Goverrs Awards crowd is a powerful one, featuring A-list stars, directors, producers and executives populating nearly every table: Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Taranti, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Amy Pascal were just a few of power players in audience. event has become an informal and low-pressure stop for awards hopefuls, and this year was different, with various cast members and filmmakers behind “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” ″Little Women,” ″Booksmart,” ″Dolemite Is My Name,” ″Joker,” ″Marri Story,” ″Hustlers,” ″Rocketman,” ″Pain and Glory” and “A Beautiful Day in Neighborhood” in attendance.

Even Jamie Foxx, who kicked off evening, ted number of big movie stars in this year’s highest-profile films, calling on Tom Hanks and DiCaprio to stand up and make ir presence kwn. Hanks did a little dance, while DiCaprio stood and gave a wave to room. He even me Eddie Murphy come all way up to st only to mit that he didn’t have anything planned beyond that. Foxx just wanted to congratulate him on “Dolemite.”

“If you really enjoy cinema this year is a special year,” Foxx said. “thing against newcomers ... but when you see your heroes giving such great work it just feels great.”

And indeed, many chose to greet ir fellow creatives inste of sitting and eating dinner before presentations began. Gerwig could be seen speaking with Pedro Almodóvar, while “Rocketman” director Dexter Fletcher said hello to Robert Pattinson and Saoirse Ronan embraced her “Little Women” mor Laura Dern. But all eyes turned attentively to st for main event, where standing ovations were common and, in case of Lynch, sometimes even longer than speeches. Dern, Isabella Rossellini, and Kyle MacLachlan all delivered heartfelt remarks about ir beloved director, who MacLachlan said exhibits same amount of excitement in making a perfect sandwich as dreaming up a new film.

But 73-year-old “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” director kept his remarks brief, thanking members of Acemy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for hor, “And to all people who helped me along ro.”

“You have a very interesting face,” Lynch said, before closing with a simple: “Good night.”

His fellow horees took a bit more time with ir Oscars. Studi, for one, wasn’t about to cut his historic moment short.

“It’s about time,” 71-year-old actor said. “I’m proud to be here tonight as first native, indigeus American to receive an Acemy Award.”

DiCaprio stood twice to applaud Studi, taking out his phone to film actor proudly holding his Oscar. re have been only a handful of indigeus people minated for Oscars. In 1982, Cree musician Buffy Sainte-Marie, who was born in Cana, won an Oscar for co-writing music to best song winner “Up Where We Belong.”Q’orianka Kilcher, who acted with Studi in “ New World,” said he “revolutionized how indigeus peoples are portrayed in cinema, showing us all that is possible.”Wertmüller, ar trailblazer in film for being first woman to ever be minated for best director for “Seven Beauties” in 1977, was praised by likes of Taranti and Scorsese, as well as three of her fellow female directing minees including Campion, Gerwig and Sofia Coppola.

“I ate her films,” Gerwig said of Wertmüller. “Her films turned me into an dict.”

Jodie Foster, in a video tribute, said she didn’t even realize women could be directors before she learned about Wertmüller. petite 91-year-old filmmaker barely cleared microphone as she stood on st to accept Oscar, which she tapped on he and said, through Rossellini who was translating, that she wanted to rename Anna.

“Next time, please, t only Oscar, but a female Oscar,” Wertmüller said. “Women in room please scream, ‘We want Anna female Oscar.’”