At the Academy’s annual luncheon on Monday, Tom Cruise hailed as the “last true movie star,” proved his worth as nearly 200 Oscar nominees gathered to celebrate and assess their rivals. Despite the presence of A-listers like Steven Spielberg and Cate Blanchett, Cruise remained the centre of attention, receiving greetings from various Hollywood luminaries.
Cruise, who both starred in and produced “Top Gun: Maverick,” for which he is nominated this year, is a top contender for Hollywood’s most esteemed prize, the best picture Oscar. At the Beverly Hills ballroom, filled with Oscar nominees and Academy voters, Cruise expressed his joy over the movie’s success and his desire to draw crowds to cinemas.
Meanwhile, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, dressed in a Saniya Maskatiya ensemble, attended the event as an executive producer for “Stranger at the Gate,” a short documentary centred on a US Marine veteran’s plan to bomb a mosque in his hometown.
Taking to her Instagram, the noble prize winner expressed her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity. “An amazing day @theacademy Oscars luncheon with the incredible, hard-working team behind @strangeratthegate: director @jseftel, Conall Jones and @smartypantspictures. I am grateful and honoured to be in the room with all of this year’s nominees ???? I haven’t stopped talking about how I met Tom Cruise,” captioned the 25-year-old.
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The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12 and this year’s Academy voters have nominated a variety of box office hits, including “Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” There is optimism that the inclusion of these films will attract a larger TV viewership for the Oscars. Glenn Weiss, the producer of next month’s Oscars telecast, joked that the “awards gods” have blessed them with such a great lineup of nominees.
Earlier this month, Malala, who introduced the documentary “Stranger at the Gate,” expressed appreciation for its nomination in the Best Documentary Short Film category. Directed and produced by Joshua Seftel, the film recounts the story of Richard “Mac” McKinney, a former US Marine who intended to bomb a mosque but ended up converting to Islam instead. McKinney was inspired by the kindness of the mosque’s Muslim members and is currently serving as the president of the same mosque.
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