The 2023 American Film Institute Awards returned to the Four Seasons on Friday with the casts and creative teams of 21 honorees across film and TV sharing hugs and conversations while quietly pushing their projects toward the next big award shows: the SAGs, BAFTA and the grand finale of the Oscars.
AFI prides itself on having one of the only award programs that honors creative teams as a whole, recognizing those in front of and behind the camera. Attending the lunch was a wide swath of Hollywood notables, from days-old Golden Globe winners Steven Spielberg, Quinta Brunson, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, to some of TV’s best, like Bob Odenkirk and Mohammed Amer.
As AFI President Bob Gazzale enjoys pointing out, “everybody’s a winner,” so the relaxed atmosphere allows for conversation and lots of selfies, as many attendees fanboyed and fangirled over notables like Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron.