The American Film Institute awards luncheon, honoring the top 10 films and TV shows of the year, just kicked off a busy awards weekend that will wrap up with Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards.
But every year, the AFI luncheon stands out to those in the room because there are no losers—all the invitees are there to represent movies and TV shows that were already named the best of 2025. There are no acceptance speeches, either—just a warm lunch and some inspiring words, as well as montages from the films and TV shows. “This is so nice. It’s my favorite. It’s so chill,” one film producer could be heard telling another guest.
This year’s film honorees were Avatar: Fire And Ash, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good and the TV honorees were Adolescence, Andor, Death By Lightning, The Diplomat, The Lowdown, The Pitt, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio, and Task. It was Just an Accident, by Jafar Panahi, was also honored with the Special Award, bestowed on a film that doesn’t meet the requirements to be considered for the Top 10 list.
The event is always a starry affair, but this year’s batch of talent was particularly A-list. The biggest names in Hollywood mingled with the most powerful executives in town in the ballroom at the Four Seasons hotel. Leonardo DiCaprio jumped out of his chair to greet arguably the biggest celebrity in the room: Apple’s Tim Cook. Cook, not often present at Hollywood events, was surrounded by big names who wanted to say hello as he attended in support of Apple’s big shows, including Severance and The Studio. Along with Cook and DiCaprio the other most famous face in the room was Steven Spielberg, who attended as a producer on Hamnet. When a montage of films was shown during the event and Jaws made an appearance, the entire ballroom broke out into applause knowing the iconic director was in the room.
Just a passing glance at the long line of talent waiting to take photos would give you a sense of the scope: Wicked’s Ariana Grande waited patiently behind Marty Supreme’s Gwyneth Paltrow and One Battle After Another breakout Chase Infiniti. The Studio’s Seth Rogen, following Grande onto the red carpet, cracked a joke for photographers, apologising for being a disappointment after the glamour of Grande: “Sorry guys. It’s a real step down.”
The chatter in the ballroom is always boisterous, with stars from film and TV trekking across to greet each other. Emma Stone introduced Grande to her Bugonia director Yorgos Lanthimos. Train Dreams star Joel Edgerton chatted with Severance star Tramell Tillman. Jay Kelly star George Clooney joked with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos about not wanting to be in the background of other photos while briskly moving through the crowded ballroom.
Paltrow ran into her Great Expectations co-star and longtime friend Ethan Hawke, and Michael B. Jordan and Sinners director Ryan Coogler caught up with Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie. One Battle After Another star Teyana Taylor warmly embraced Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi. Andor’s Diego Luna ran up to his good friend Guillermo Del Toro. And there was a Breaking Bad universe reunion when Jesse Plemons (here for Bugonia) ran into Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, who were at the event with their new show Pluribus. Universal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros.’s Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy rubbed elbows with the crowd. Last to slip into the room was Timothee Chalamet, skipping the carpet but making it in time to join the Marty Supreme table, seated next to his co-star Odessa A’zion.
AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale’s opening remarks referenced the heaviness of this time in the world, but also highlighted the importance of storytelling. “Our hearts are breaking, every day it seems, on the hour,” he said. “With so much loss, why are we celebrating today? Because we need you. Because we need your stories to help us make sense of emotions that we cannot escape, nor should we escape them.”
After clips of the honored films were shared, the feel-good event wrapped with a brief speech from Carol Burnett, who reminisced about her lifelong love of storytelling. “I never lost the deep respect and love that I have for all the stories we tell through cinema, and television. Creative collaboration has always remained at the heart of our work,” she said. “The world is a better place for having heard your voices.”
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