Angela Bassett was the queen mother in two of Ryan Coogler’s biggest films, Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, so it was fitting that she was chosen to pay loving tribute to the director as he was honored at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s star-studded Art and Film gala.
The LACMA event, which also honored artist Mary Corse, is one of the most exclusive events on the Hollywood calendar, and this year, the guest list did not disappoint. Bassett, who shimmered in a golden dress designed by evening sponsor Gucci, was joined by A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Ava DuVernay, Cynthia Erivo, Demi Moore, Salma Hayek and many more at Saturday’s exclusive dinner at the recently redesigned museum.
HIM star Tyriq Withers mingled with models and accepted congrats heaped upon him by fellow party-goers on his recent success; Washington stood close to her director husband, Nmamdi Asomugha, as she walked through the crowd; later, Doja Cat had the crowd amped as she rapped and sang her hits to cap off the night, channeling Marilyn Monroe with short blonde curls, a shimmering short gold dress and dripping in diamonds.
Tessa Thompson, who was directed by Coogler in Creed, was also on hand to celebrate Coogler, as were Sinners stars Miles Caton and Omar Benson Miller. Michael B. Jordan, who has starred in all but one of Coogler’s feature films, was filming in London.
Bassett praised Coogler for spotlighting “the humanity in every story he tells” and elevating every project he touches.
“Ryan never loses focus on the people at the center of them,” she added. “Every choice he makes keeps us connected to the emotional core of those stories long after we leave the theater.”
A humbled Coogler used his speech to thank collaborators like his wife, producer Zinzi Coogler, Bassett, Thompson, Jordan and more, but also how Los Angeles, including LACMA, helped open up his world when the Oakland native was growing his craft while a student at USC. He recounted how he went to his first mosque in Los Angeles, and later, his first synagogue, as he mourned the death of entertainment executive Michael Latt, who was one of his early supporters and collaborators.
“It reminded me about our shared humanity at a moment when I needed to know about it, and it made me eternally grateful for having found this work, having met these people,” he said. “I think I’m the luckiest man in the world; being a filmmaker is the best job in the world.”