Robert Downey Jr., Aaron Sorkin, Sebastian Stan Will Present at American Cinematheque Awards

The stars are coming out for this year's 38th annual American Cinematheque Awards — namely, big-name presenters Robert Downey Jr., Casey Affleck, Guillermo del Toro, Octavia Spencer, Aaron Sorkin and November Los Angeles magazine cover star Sebastian Stan.

The six film industry notables will take the stage at the Beverly Hilton ballroom on Friday, Dec. 6 for the event, where Jessica Chastain will receive the American Cinematheque Award and Charles Roven will be honored with the Power of Cinema Award. The awards recognize those who have made meaningful contributions to the film industry, and to the art of filmmaking as a whole.

With a career spanning almost two decades, Chastain is an award-winning star of the big and small screens and stage. Her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in 2021's The Eyes of Tammy Faye won her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She's also the founder of Freckle Films, a New York-based film production company.

Roven’s most recent successes include 2022’s Uncharted starring Tom Holland and Oppenheimer, which earned seven Academy Awards, one of them being Best Picture. The founder of the film production company Atlas Entertainment is also behind superhero films such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.

Previous American Cinematheque Award honorees include Steven Spielberg in 1989 and Tom Cruise in 1996. Robert Downey Jr., who will present at this year’s American Cinematheque Awards, was honored in 2011. Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren are the award's most recent recipients.

The Power of Cinema Award is awarded to those whose actions through storytelling have advanced the significance and social relevance of film in modern culture. Roven will join Kevin Goetz/Screen Engine, Jason Blum/Blumhouse and Participant as recipients of this esteemed award.

The glitzy event is an annual fundraiser for the American Cinematheque, a non-profit organization that hosts year-round programming at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz and the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Established in 1984, American Cinematheque is a non-profit dedicated to building an engaged film community through both new and repertory cinema. 

This year's sponsors include Amazon MGM Studios, Atlas Entertainment, Morgan Creek Productions, Hill Valley, Warner Bros. Discovery and MIRAVAL (MiravalCôtes de Provence Rosé and Fleur de Miraval Petite Fleur Rosé Champagne). For event packages and tickets, contact Corrinne Mann/Mann Productions at mann@mannproductions.net

Read Stan's LA Mag cover story here.