If you’re in Los Angeles this weekend, there are, by my estimate, about 10,428 awards screenings and Q&As going on about town over the next four days. That may be a bit of a hyperbole, but it sure feels that way. And the reason it’s such a busy weekend? The Governors Awards.
I’m Rebecca Ford, and I’ll be attending the Governors Awards on Sunday evening. The annual Academy event, which gives honorary Oscars to several industry icons, is not technically an awards event, but has ballooned into one, with nearly every contender flying into town to attend. This year’s event will honor Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, screenwriter and director Richard Curtis, casting director Juliet Taylor, and music producer Quincy Jones.The event will have an added significance due to Jones’s recent passing earlier this month––it’ll be a powerful way to honor his incredible legacy.
For years now, the event has brought out most of the season’s big awards contenders, who work the room (which is obviously full of Academy voters). But it’s not just about shaking hands with those in the ballroom—it’s also about being photographed and associated with an Academy event in the thick of awards season. For me, the Governors Awards is a great opportunity to talk to a room full of voters and see what films they’re all discussing.
As I mentioned, this weekend is also packed with screenings and panels as studios try to make the most of the time they have with all their talent in town. These range from tastemaker screenings (which often see a lot of celebrities in the audience) to official screenings for SAG or BAFTA voters. Some may wonder if there’s a true advantage to these events—as in, do they actually influence voters?—but it’s a tried and tested way to make sure voters see your movie, and often they will remember it more if they hear a bit about the making of it during a postscreening panel. Who wouldn’t be impressed to learn that the three-hour epic The Brutalist was made for under $10 million, or that Malcom Washington went to Samuel L. Jackson’s home to convince him to join The Piano Lesson?
Speaking of contenders, many of this year’s biggest names are featured on Vanity Fair’s 2025 Hollywood Issue, which came out this week. In it, Nicole Kidman, Zendaya, Zoe Saldaña, Josh O’Connor, and Danielle Deadwyler all talk about their films. Many of them took huge risks in their latest works, from Zendaya and Kidman’s bold erotic ventures in Challengers and Babygirl to Saldaña’s audacious performance in the crime musical Emilia Pérez. “Looking at the movie, I think it’s the first time in a very, very long time that I just feel like I held my own. I’m proud of the decisions that I made and how I brought her to life,” Saldaña told me. Their big swings paid off—and are the reason they’ll be very busy this weekend.
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