A gala where all the guests are winners.
On Monday, the superstars of Hollywood and the world's seventh art were as perky as schoolchildren waiting for their class photo.
And for good reason, after two years of absence due to the Covid, the traditional and convivial lunch of the nominees was able to take place around a vegetarian menu.
Not a moment on the quarrel between the Academy and the technical branches about the decision to postpone certain less glamorous categories upstream of the live.
These agapes were an opportunity for "young shoots" like Ariana DeBose
(West Side Story
) or Emilia Jones (CODA) to take souvenir shots with big names such as Penélope Cruz (
Parallel Mothers
), Will Smith (
The Williams Method
) or Kenneth Branagh (
Belfast
).
Maggie Gyllenhaal and her husband Peter Sarsgaard.
ROBYN BECK / AFP
Each pretender to a statuette could bring an accompanying person.
Some have chosen their better half, such as Penelope Cruz-Javier Bardem (also in the running for
Being The Ricardos
) or Maggie Gyllenhaal (
The Lost Daughter
) and Peter Sarsgaard, whose birthday it was.
The table plan is designed to encourage exchanges and is determined by a draw.
Each nominee finds himself with colleagues from different categories and films.
Read alsoOscars 2022:
The Power of the Dog
and
Dune
grab the nominations,
Drive My Car
surprises
The couple named Spaniards Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
VALERIE MACON / AFP
Be funny and concise in your acceptance speech
"If ever there was a time to be grateful and rejoice in an occasion that allows us to be in the same room, ladies and gentlemen, it's this year
," said Will Packer, who will produce the evening. of the 94th Academy Awards.
He urged the audience to put on a show on March 27 amid declining ratings and come up with fun and concise speeches to be the best ambassadors for film and entertainment.
“The spectators don't know anything about your agent. What they want to hear is your passion, your story,”
pointed out Will Packer.
Please, if your name is spoken on March 27, do not spend a full minute hugging your partners and let one person per group speak.
Read alsoSAG Awards: triumph for
Coda
, the adaptation of
The Bélier Family,
disappointment for
The Power of the Dog
Concession to the Covid, the traditional group photo bringing together the 200 lucky ones has been replaced by photos of a dozen talents gathered.
CODA
acclaimed by the applause meter
Benedict Cumberbatch and Alfred Molina, who had the task of reading the names of all the nominees.
ROBYN BECK / AFP
Benedict Cumberbatch, star of the western
The Power of the Dog
, who holds the record for twelve nominations, told AFP that he was
"happy to continue to beat the bell"
of the votes for this dark portrait of manhood in the home stretch.
Members of the Academy can cast their vote until March 22.
The presence of the interpreter of
Dr Strange
was all the more crucial as the director of the film, Jane Campion, could not be present after having tested positive for Covid-19.
But the organizers sent him a packed lunch.
Couple in the city and on the screen of
The Power Of The Dog
, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons were also unable to free themselves.
CODA,
which features deaf and hard of hearing talents, ignored until now, is the little Thumb that could shake up the competition.
ROBYN BECK / AFP
The team of
CODA
, a remake of the hit French comedy
La Famille Bélier
which features deaf and hearing-impaired actors, shone with applause.
Kristen Stewart, Lady Di melancholy in
Spencer
, spent a lot of time with them.
The independent film, acquired by Apple TV +, received the prize for best distribution at the SAG Awards at the end of February, awards given by the union of American actors who generally weigh heavily in the race for the Oscars.
“We are a very close-knit cast, so it was wonderful to receive such a trophy, and very unexpected
,” welcomed his revelation Emilia Jones.
Denzel Washington and Steven Spielberg in high demand
Denzel Washington and Will Smith.
MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS
Smiling and cheerful Denzel Washington and Steven Spielberg were in high demand for selfies and handshakes.
Producer of
Drive My Car,
in the running for four statuettes, Teruhisa Yamamoto even bowed to the director of
Jaws
and
West Side Story.
Composer and performer of the latest James Bond anthem
No Time To Die
, Finneas O'Connell and his sister Billie Eilish have turned some celebrities into real intimidated fans.
Among the guests from afar was Pawo Choyning Dorji, the director of
The School at the End of the World
, an astonishing film from Bhutan, a small country in the Himalayan peaks for which it is the first participation in the Oscars.
"I just cried meeting Jessica Chastain
," said his wife, producer Stephanie Lai, seated at the table next to the star of
In the Eyes of Tammy Faye
, favorite for the Oscar for Best Actress.