The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite film review lion, was marked by many inspiring and truly motivational speeches in a true Hollywood style. Jamie Foxx shared a very touching and personal story upon receiving his actor spotlight award for Just Mercy presented by the lawyer, social justice activist, and author Bryan Stevenson. Foxx said that the movie was very personal to him. He openly spoke about his father being incarcerated for seven years, and how it affected him and what his father had taught him along the way. The actor talked about how he was able to reconnect with his father years later and watched Venus Williams play in the US Open Tennis with tears rolling down their cheeks. “Because of him teaching me not to have limits, here I am in this room with all of you,” he said. A spontaneous acceptance speech from Joaquin Phoenix, as he received the Chairman’s Award for Joker, was presented by director Todd Phillips. “Part of me thinks this is absurd and ridiculous and embarrassing,” Phoenix said after Phillips’ in- troduction about the actor since he does not like to be praised publicly, “and another part of me realises the power of the creative spirit of what we are and what we do best and I guess I try to focus on that part of it as much as I can.” English actress, singer, and songwriter Cynthia Erivo broke the ice by becoming the first person to receive the award of the night for Breakthrough Performance for Harriet based on the heroic abolitionist, presented by her friend Lena Waithe, a screenwriter, producer, and actress. Erivo said she was hon- oured to be the first woman to portray Harriet Tubman, add- ing it was a dream come true to be “honoured in this way. It is everything you could ever want as an actress to play a woman who is everything that strength and honour could be.” Antonio Banderas received the International Star Award, Actor for Pain and Glory, presented by Salma Hayek Pinault. Banderas said in his speech, “Can you imagine life without music? Or a life without literature or theatre, Or movies? It is beautiful that we have that way of reflecting ourselves. It has many purposes and one of them is a complexity to explore what we are. I would not be who I am if I did not see the mov- ies that I saw or the music that I heard.” Laura Dern received the Career Achievement Award for Lit- tle Women and Marriage Story, presented by director Noah Baumbach. Dern also brought up her local ties to the area, joking that she was “conceived in Idyllwild,” and grew up vis- iting the famed Racquet Club and having date shakes. Zack Gottsagen received the Rising Star Award for Peanut Butter Falcon, presented by writers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz who introduced the actor as their muse. In his beau- tiful speech, Gottsagen said that he was honoured to be here and “This is my dream come true.” The actor received a stand- ing ovation and thanked his mother in attendance. Quentin Tarantino received the Director of the Year Award for Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood presented by Little Women director Greta Gerwig. The actress and filmmaker delivered a heap of praise for Tarantino before she present- ed him with the award. She admitted her parents called each other Honey Bunny, a nod to Pulp Fiction and that she would stare at a VHS copy of the film at a movie store and inquire about how old she needed to be to rent it. “His movies are for everyone,” she said. "The best, biggest, brightest, the deepest part of everyone.” After receiving the award, Tarantino said, “I have always said to people speak about me as if I was dead. And they never do,” he laughed. “And you did,” he pointed to Gerwig while the audience burst out laughing. He also confessed to the audience he got into Palm Springs earlyThursday, drank three margaritas from the Blue Coyote Grill and "wrote the next thing I'm going to do." Jennifer Lopez received the Spotlight Award, Actress for Hus- tlers presented by writer/director Lorene Scafaria, who re- ceived two standing ovations. Lopez accepted her award in Jennifer Lopez