BY: Brande Victorian
Winning an Academy Award is one thing, being honored by the Academy is a completely different thing,’ says the British film director and producer.
On Saturday night, Sir Steve McQueen, Julia Roberts, Tilda Swinton, And Miky Lee were honored at the Second Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. McQueen, known for directing the award-winning film 12 Years A Slave, which made him is the first Black filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, told us on the red carpet he was “moved” by the recognition from his peers.
‘Winning an Academy Award is one thing, being honored by the Academy is a completely different thing, so I was really touched,” he shared.
On the red carpet, we asked McQueen’s peers which works of his had the greatest impact on their own artistry, and fellow director Ava DuVernay said it was the London native’s 2020 anthology film series Small Axe.
“I think it was glorious,” she said. It was expressions of joy and angst and turmoil and tragedy and triumph and that’s really what we want is the multitudes. We are multitudes.”
Actor Jonathan Majors agreed while also praising McQueen’s 2011 erotic drama Shame. “Where he’s willing to take his humanity to allow stories about humanity to come out the way they do is quite brave,” said the star of the upcoming films Devotion and Creed III.
Check out our full red-carpet interviews in the video above as Jay Ellis, Jessica Chastain and more weigh in on the cinematic excellence of Sir Steve McQueen.
