Before Villeneuve took the stage, a video capturing his film legacy of big, bold, and personal epics like Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and the Dune trilogy was played, featuring a slew of A-list directors singing his praises, including Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, James Cameron, and Chloé Zhao. “I’ve always felt that cinema is seen as a pop art—the film carries the burden of being popular in the present,” said Villeneuve in his acceptance speech. “But at the end of the day, the real challenge is to make something that can enter the test of time.”
Speaking of tests (screen tests, that is) Villeneuve got a bit playful with the end of his speech, announcing to the room that he would right here, right now, announce which actor would play James Bond. The French-Canadian director is helming the next Bond film and over the past week, reports have been flying about who might be cast. Would Villeneuve put us all out of our misery and spill the beans? “The actor who will play the next James Bond is—and I will stop right now because [producer] Amy Pascal is about to have a heart attack,” he said with a smile.
The gala, once again presented by Gucci, hosted a slew of this Oscar season’s most exciting young filmmakers, including Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker and Club Kid’s Jordan Firstman, along with La Bola Negra directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (known as Los Javis). The latter told me they didn’t plan to party as hard as they did at the Academy Museum Gala a few weeks ago, where they went viral for singing along to Taylor Swift’s performance of “Love Story.” Said Ambrossi, “I’m drinking only water tonight.”
