The American Film Institute awards, celebrating the top films and TV shows of the year

The American Film Institute awards luncheon, celebrating the top 10 films and TV shows of the year, has just begun a busy awards weekend that will conclude with the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night.

Each year, the AFI luncheon is memorable for attendees because there are no losers—all the guests are there to represent movies and TV shows that have already been recognized as the best of 2025. There are no acceptance speeches—just a pleasant lunch, some inspiring words, and montages from the films and TV shows. “This is so nice. It’s my favorite. It’s so chill,” one film producer was overheard telling another guest.

This year's film honorees included Avatar: Fire And Ash, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good, while the TV honorees were Adolescence, Andor, Death By Lightning, The Diplomat, The Lowdown, The Pitt, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio, and Task. It was Just an Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi, received the Special Award, given to a film that doesn't qualify for the Top 10 list.

The event is always glamorous, but this year's lineup of talent was especially star-studded. Hollywood's biggest names mingled with influential executives at the Four Seasons hotel ballroom. Leonardo DiCaprio leapt from his seat to greet arguably the most prominent figure in the room: Apple's Tim Cook. Cook, who rarely attends Hollywood events, was surrounded by celebrities eager to greet him as he supported Apple's major shows, including Severance and The Studio. Alongside Cook and DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg was another notable presence, attending as a producer of Hamnet. When a montage of films featured Jaws, the entire ballroom erupted in applause, acknowledging the iconic director's presence.

A quick glance at the long line of talent waiting for photos illustrated the event's magnitude: Wicked's Ariana Grande stood patiently behind Marty Supreme's Gwyneth Paltrow and One Battle After Another breakout Chase Infiniti. The Studio's Seth Rogen, following Grande onto the red carpet, joked with photographers, apologizing for being less glamorous than Grande: “Sorry guys. It’s a real step down.”

The ballroom was lively with conversations as film and TV stars crossed paths. Emma Stone introduced Grande to her Bugonia director Yorgos Lanthimos. Train Dreams star Joel Edgerton chatted with Severance star Tramell Tillman. Jay Kelly star George Clooney joked with Netflix's Ted Sarandos about avoiding being in the background of other photos while navigating the crowded ballroom.

Paltrow encountered her Great Expectations co-star and longtime friend Ethan Hawke, while Michael B. Jordan and Sinners director Ryan Coogler caught up with Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie. One Battle After Another star Teyana Taylor warmly embraced Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi. Andor's Diego Luna ran up to greet his good friend Guillermo Del Toro. A Breaking Bad universe reunion occurred when Jesse Plemons (attending for Bugonia) met Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, who were there with their new show Pluribus. Universal's Donna Langley and Warner Bros.'s Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy mingled with the crowd. The last to enter the room was Timothee Chalamet, who skipped the carpet but arrived in time to join the Marty Supreme table, sitting next to his co-star Odessa A’zion.

AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale opened with remarks on the current global challenges, emphasizing the significance of storytelling. “Our hearts are breaking, every day it seems, on the hour,” he stated. “With so much loss, why are we celebrating today? Because we need you. Because we need your stories to help us make sense of emotions that we cannot escape, nor should we escape them.”

After clips of the honored films were shown, the uplifting event concluded with a brief speech from Carol Burnett, who reflected on her lifelong passion for storytelling. “I never lost the deep respect and love that I have for all the stories we tell through cinema, and television. Creative collaboration has always remained at the heart of our work,” she expressed. “The world is a better place for having heard your voices.”