The Academy Museum Gala will return for its fourth ayear on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles, honoring Oscar-winning actor, singer and dancer Rita Moreno, two-time Oscar-winning writer and director Quentin Tarantino and Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal.
Moreno will receive the Icon Award, reflecting her global cultural impact; Tarantino will be awarded the Luminary Award for expanding “the creative possibilities of cinema,” and Mescal will accept the Vantage Award as an emerging artist challenging the “dominant narratives around cinema,” according to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures — which opened in 2021 on 6067 Wilshire Boulevard.
“The Academy Museum Gala celebrates the power, global impact and indelible importance of cinema, and I am thrilled we can gather for a fourth year and honor these three amazing artists — Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Mescal — whose groundbreaking achievements, filmmaking influence and demonstrated versatility will continue to inspire generations of artists and filmmakers,” said Amy Homma, Academy Museum director and president. “We are profoundly grateful to Rolex for their continued support of the museum and cinema worldwide, our co-chairs Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria, and Tyler Perry for hosting this special evening.”
It’s expected to be a starry night; the host committee alone includes Demi Moore, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Garner, Sally Field, Zoë Kravitz, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Orlando Bloom, Sterling K. Brown, Kieran Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Colman Domingo, Jessica Lange, Cynthia Erivo, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, and more.
The event — which has become one of L.A.’s most glamorous red carpets — is hosted to help raise funds to support the museum’s exhibition and public programming. Last year the institution recognized Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola. At the opening gala, in 2021, the museum honored Haile Gerima, Sophia Loren, Annette Bening, Bob Iger and Tom Hanks.