Inside the Academy Museum Gala with Paul Mescal, Ariana Grande and more

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures held its annual gala honoring Paul Mescal, Rita Moreno and Quentin Tarantino on Saturday night, raising more than $11 million to support the Los Angeles museum's exhibitions, educational initiatives and public programming , inaugurated in 2021.

The fourth annual event, one of Hollywood's star-studded nights, was co-chaired by Dr. Eric Esrailian, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Eva Longoria and Tyler Perry. The evening's guest list ranged from Hollywood icons – Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Meg Ryan, Joaquin Phoenix and Julia Louis-Dreyfus – to newcomers, including AnoraIt's Mikey Madison, QueerIt's Drew Starkey, GirlHarris Dickinson, recent Emmy winner Anna Sawai and Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez with Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.

There have also been plenty of appearances from those who could land a spot among this year's Oscar nominees, including Evil' stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (with co-star Jeff Goldblum and director Jon M. Chu), the cast of Emilia Perez (Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Édgar Ramírez), Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve, The ApprenticeSebastian Stan, Sing SingIt's Colman Domingo and The substancethey are Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

At the gala, Mescal received the Vantage Award, which toasts an emerging artist who contextualizes and challenges dominant narratives about cinema; on Saturday he was presented by his team Enemy co-star, Saoirse Ronan.

THE Gladiator II star said The Hollywood journalist on the red carpet that the recognition is “a huge, huge honor. When the offer came, it wasn't something I was expecting and honestly I was a little reticent because I didn't understand the context of it, that this was someone who was at the beginning of their career and trying to establish what the his career. means to them. It made more sense and I'm really proud to be able to express what this job and this industry mean to me.

Spielberg was on hand to present the Icon Award, which celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant global cultural impact, to Moreno, the star of his updated History of the West Side; the award now adds to the EGOT winner's already complete trophy mantle. John Travolta completed the trio of awards by presenting Tarantino with the Luminary Award, which is given to an artist whose contributions have expanded the creative possibilities of cinema.

During his acceptance speech, Tarantino announced that he would donate his handwritten first draft of the screenplay pulp Fiction to the museum.

Grande closed out the night by bringing Erivo on stage as the star performed “I'm Here.” The color purple“Home” by Diana Ross from The Magician“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz and Prince's “Purple Rain.” The event was presented in collaboration with Rolex, founding supporter and official watch partner of the Academy Museum.