Box office hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” and the TV programs “Abbott Elementary” and “The Morning Show” were among the honorees recognized Friday as recipients of the American Film Institute Awards for 2023.
The AFI Awards — which were formally presented during a private luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills — recognize movies and TV programs that are “deemed culturally and artistically representative of this year’s most significant achievements in the art of the moving image,” according to the organization.
Along with “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” films receiving the AFI honor were “American Fiction,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “May December,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Other TV programs making the cut were “The Bear,” “Beef,” “Jury Duty,” “The Last of Us,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Poker Face,” “Reservation Dogs” and “Succession.”
“As our nation and our world continue to navigate difficult times, AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon these works of art that lift us up and, ultimately, lead us to empathy,” AFI President/CEO Bob Gazzale said in a statement. “That we do so without competition is AFI’s hallmark, and we are proud to gather this community of artists together — as one — to celebrate their extraordinary contributions to our time.”
Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn delivered the officials “benediction” during the event, which was attended by luminaries including Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Greta Gerwig, Paul Giamatti, Lily Gladstone, Bob Iger, Yorgos Lanthimos, Steve Martin, Julianne Moore, Alexander Payne, Reese Witherspoon, Ramy Youssef, Ali Wong and Jeffrey Wright.