Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles, Bruce Springsteen, Bowen Yang to be Honored at 5th Annual Academy Museum Gala
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced Oscar-winning actress Penélope Cruz, Director Walter Salles, Oscar-winning musician Bruce Springsteen and actor and comedian Bowen Yang as the honorees of its annual fundraising gala on October 18, 2025.
Cruz will be honored with the Icon Award. Salles will receive the Luminary Award. Springsteen will receive the museum’s inaugural Legacy Award and is also set for a live performance at the event. Yang will be presented with the Vantage Award.
The evening will help raise vital funds to support museum exhibitions, education initiatives, and public programming, including screenings, K–12 programs, and access initiatives in service of the public and the local community of Los Angeles. Last year’s gala raised more than $11MM for the museum. Supported by Rolex, the exclusive presenting partner and founding supporter of the Academy Museum, the Gala is being co-chaired by Jon M. Chu; Common; Viola Davis and Julius Tennon; Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey; Jennifer Hudson; and Academy Museum Trustee Alejandro Ramírez Magaña.
“The Academy Museum Gala is a special evening dedicated to bringing together individuals to champion the celebration, advancement, and preservation of cinema. As we gather for a fifth year, we are honored to recognize Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles, Bruce Springsteen, and Bowen Yang—storytellers whose influence has been proven to resonate in film and beyond,” said Academy Museum Director and President Amy Homma. “We are so thankful to founding supporters of the museum, including our partner Rolex, for their long-standing commitment to cinema, and our co-chairs for hosting this important event.”
The Icon Award, presented to Penélope Cruz, celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant global impact.
The Luminary Award, presented to Walter Salles, given to an artist whose singular contributions have expanded the creative possibilities of filmmaking.
The inaugural Legacy Award, presented to Bruce Springsteen, honors an artist whose body of work has inspired generations of storytellers and deeply influenced our culture.
The Vantage Award, presented to Bowen Yang, is given to an emerging artist who is helping to challenge dominant narratives around cinema.
Rolex has championed cinematic achievement through its partnership with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and is proud to support the awards given to these four distinguished artists.
The 2025 Academy Museum Gala Host Committee, also announced today, includes:
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Noah Baumbach, Dave Bautista, Gael García Bernal, Alison Brie and Dave Franco, Adrien Brody, Nia DaCosta, Willem Dafoe, Danielle Deadwyler, Ariana DeBose, Laura Dern, Harris Dickinson, Colman Domingo,Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Eisenberg, Jacob Elordi, Jeff Goldblum, Ludwig Göransson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Brian Tyree Henry, Oscar Isaac, Rian Johnson, Simon Kinberg, Zoë Kravitz, Jude Law, Greta Lee, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, Demi Moore, Lupita Nyong’o, Jenna Ortega, Ke Huy and Echo Quan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Eddie Redmayne, Seth and Lauren Miller Rogen, Eli Roth, Bird Runningwater, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldaña, Chloë Sevigny, Celine Song, June Squibb, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Jeremy Strong, Tessa Thompson and Rachel Zegler. More individuals joining the host committee will be announced at a later date.
The 2024 Academy Museum Gala honored Paul Mescal, Rita Moreno, and Quentin Tarantino. The 2023 Academy Museum Gala honored Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Sofia Coppola. The 2022 Academy Museum Gala honored Julia Roberts, Miky Lee, Sir Steve McQueen, and Tilda Swinton. The 2021 Academy Museum Opening Gala honored Haile Gerima and Sophia Loren as well as Academy Museum Campaign Leaders Annette Bening, Bob Iger, and Tom Hanks.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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