PALM SPRINGS, California, USA (AP) — Leonardo DiCaprio emphasized the importance of creating cinema and not simply content at the Palm Springs Film Festival on Friday night.

“Films are meant to be experienced, together, in a theater. Right now, that belief matters more than ever. Original films are harder to make and harder to protect. But movies still matter, not the content, but the cinema. Stories made by people for be shared in a dark room in a communal experience,” he said.

DiCaprio accepted the award through a pre-recorded video. Variety reported that he was unable to attend the festival due to the ongoing political conflict with Venezuela, which led to the cancellation of multiple flights from the Caribbean, where the actor was vacationing. His co-stars, Chase Infiniti and Teyana Taylor, accepted the award on his behalf.

The 37th annual International Film Awards at the festival in Palm Springs, California, kick off Hollywood's awards season, honoring some of the film industry's most anticipated contenders.

The glamorous evening was filled with long, emotional speeches, each emphasizing the importance of unity among artists and the importance of keeping original storytelling and theaters alive.

In accepting the Icon Award, actor Michael B. Jordan urged his colleagues to continue telling original stories that foster unity.

“The films we are honoring tonight inspire us to do more, to be better, to see each other more clearly, and to make the world a brighter place. And maybe when the lights go up in the theater, we can return to the sun together,” the actor declared.

Cyrus accepted the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award for his song “Dream As One” in “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” The artist expressed hopes that everyone will focus more on the community instead of seeing each other as competitors.

“Numbers may make it feel like a sport, but acting is so much more than numbers because each artist can bare their soul in a completely unique way and each contribution leaves their own mark on history,” she said.

Jane Fonda briefly led the audience in a breathing exercise before presenting Chloe Zhao, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley with the Vanguard Award. Fonda attributed the call to action to director Chloe Zhao, who routinely led similar exercises before festival screenings of “Hamnet.”

Guillermo del Toro stood alongside his cast of “Frankenstein” to accept the Visionary Award.

The director revealed that he recently lost his older brother and reflected on the relevance of Mary Shelley's classic novel as the world continues to grapple with emerging technology and division. For del Toro, its relevance means two things: “We never learn, and sometimes the only way to talk about humanity is through monsters.”

Timothèe Chalamet received the Spotlight Award and focused his speech on his character “Marty Supreme”'s quest for greatness and making his dreams come true.

Mahershala Ali presented Ethan Hawke with the Career Achievement Award, recalling how Hawke's performance in “Reality Bites” was one of the many films that inspired his early days of acting.

Hawke's acceptance speech gave credit to the friends and collaborators who left a mark. mark on who he is today and remembered the influence the late River Phoenix had on his life.

“I stand here before you as a cumulative sum of all the individuals who helped shape me,” the actor noted.

Hawke headed to the stage a second time for a “First Reformed” reunion with his former co-star Amanda Seyfried to present her with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for an Actress.

Seyfried was quick to point out the unexpected full circle moment when receiving the same award as DiCaprio.

"I want to thank Leo for inspiring me to be an actress. So, it's strange. It's incredible to receive this award. It's the same title of the award, so it's like sharing it with him? In some way? Maybe?", noted the actress.

The night continued with laughter from actor and comedian Adam Sandler after Laura Dern presented him with the President's Award. Sandler accepted his award with nothing less than a brief stand-up routine about what his life would have been like if he had chosen a quieter career instead of working in entertainment.

“He would probably still have a deal with Netflix. But I would be paying them a monthly fee to watch the latest season of 'Stranger Things,'" the comedian noted.

The cast of "Sentimental Value" accepted the International Star Award as a whole. Rose Byrne took the Breakthrough Performance Award for an Actress for her work in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," joking about the idea of receiving a breakthrough award in her 40s. The show concluded with Kate Hudson accepting the Icon Award for an Actress for her work. in “Song Sung Blue”.

Awards season continues with the 31st annual Critics' Choice Awards and next Sunday with the 83rd Golden Globes.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.