BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Steven Spielberg to Bradley Cooper, some of the renowned Hollywood stars came together for a party to relax and sip wine in a fancy ballroom where everyone seems to have ended up walking away at the AFI Awards on Friday. Partying after all the guests went away seems to always be interesting!
The annual invite of the AFI honored 10 films along with 10 television shows that have well-spoken words related to the celebrated project which is mainly followed by a brief clip of the scene. “Squid Game,” “Belfast” and “Summer of Soul (…or: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’)” received special awards during the event.
The event was filled with laughter and gigs even before the start of the AFI awards. Undoubtedly, the AFI event is all about having fun and creating a laid-back atmosphere with no pressure.
“If you’ve been with us before, you know the game. The game is: There is no game,” AFI President Bob Gazzale said as many in the audience chuckled. “You have won. Most importantly today, you all won.”
Films recognized include “CODA,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog,” “tick, tick…BOOM!” “The Tragedy of MacBeth” and “West Side Story.”
Television shows honored were “Hacks,” “Maid,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Schmigadoon!” “Succession,” “Ted Lasso,” “The Underground Railroad,” “WandaVision” and “The White Lotus.”
“Someone had to kick down the door,” Freeman said of Poitier, the groundbreaking actor who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen. “In baseball, it was Jackie Robinson. In politics, Barack Obama. For us, it was Sidney Poitier. No Sidney, no Halle Berry. No Sidney, no Viola Davis. No Sidney, no Denzel. Hell, no Sidney, no me.”
Freeman said Poitier was “my compass showing me the way, my one bright light who illuminated the path for me to walk upon.”
“Even though Sidney is no longer with us, his light will never dim,” he continued. “No matter where you are from or who you are, he was, is and always will be an inspiration.”
