The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which held its third annual gala on December 4th, raised over $10 million to support the museum’s exhibitions, education initiatives, and public programming, including screenings, K-12 programs, and access initiatives in service of the general public and the local community of Los Angeles. Director and President of the Academy Museum, Jacqueline Stewart, welcomed guests during cocktails in the museum’s Sidney Poitier Lobby. Guests then danced along to a special beatnik dance performance choreographed by Stephen Galloway as they made their way to dinner on the Dolby Family Terrace, which, this year, took design inspiration from the Hollywood landmark restaurant, Chasen’s. Before ending their evening, guests were treated to a surprise musical performance by Billie Eilish and Finneas, and concluded their night with a visit to the museum’s new exhibition, John Waters: Pope of Trash, the first retrospective dedicated to Waters’s six-decade film career.

The celebratory evening, commemorating the acclaimed museum’s two-year anniversary, was a star-studded affair that honored four Hollywood icons for their contributions to film both past and present. Greta Gerwig presented three-time Academy Award-winner and 21-time Academy Award-nominated actor Meryl Streep with the Academy Museum Gala Icon Award, celebrating her significant global cultural impact. The Visionary Award was presented to Academy Award-winning and three-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and actor Sofia Coppola by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao for her extensive body of work that has advanced the art of cinema. This year’s Vantage Award was presented by Christopher Nolan to award-winning actor, producer, and director Michael B. Jordan, whose sister Jamila Jordan, accepted on his behalf, for his work as an emerging artist who is helping to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema. Global media leader Oprah Winfrey received the Pillar Award from Gala Co-Chair Ava DuVernay, acknowledging her exemplary leadership and support for the Academy Museum. The event was attended by some of Hollywood’s most prolific and notable actors, filmmakers, and industry executives as well as members of the event’s host committee who came together to support the museum.