Viola Davis, Ben Stiller, and Sigourney Weaver were among the stars who paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley at the American Film Institute Awards on Friday.
The ceremony began with a moment of silence for Presley, who died the day before after a medical emergency. The luncheon honoured the Elvis Presley biopic “Elvis” as one of its ten film honorees. Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only child, has been a vocal supporter of the film throughout its awards season run, including an appearance at Tuesday’s Golden Globes, where star Austin Butler was honoured for his portrayal of her father.
In Beverly Hills, California, some sat in silence while others bowed their heads in the ballroom.
Steven Spielberg, Patricia Arquette, Daniel Kaluuya, Seth Rogen, and Miles Teller were among those in attendance.
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Nope,” “She Said,” “Tar,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Woman King,” and “Women Talking” were among the films honoured.
“Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Better Call Saul,” “Hacks,” “Mo,” “Pachinko,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Severance,” “Somebody Somewhere,” and “The White Lotus” were among the television shows honoured.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” was separately given a special award during the event — where each film and TV show was honoured with well-spoken words about the celebrated project followed by a brief clip of a scene.
Before the event, “Severance” stars Adam Scott and Arquette exchanged laughs and hugs before taking photos with other cast members, including the show’s director Ben Stiller. Jordan Peele, the director of “Nowhere Boy,” spoke with Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. Weaver was photographed with her “Avatar” co-star Stephen Lang, director James Cameron, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
When pregnant Keke Palmer saw Kaluuya, her “Nope” co-star, she was all smiles, and the two hugged and talked for a few minutes.
After a 10-minute benediction to celebrate the honoree’s achievements, Al Pacino received a standing ovation.
