HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES — This year’s Academy Governors Awards honor two major film producers, a great screenwriter and a veteran casting director.

There was also a tribute to the late composer and conductor Quincy Jones.

“He is a man we will never forget and we will celebrate him,” said Oscar winner Marlee Matlin.

Jennifer Hudson, another Oscar winner, said: “Quincy had a presence like no other. Beyond a legend and an icon.”

“I loved Quincy. He was a friend. He lived 50 lives in one,” said Diane Warren, songwriter and multiple Academy Award nominee.

Casting director Juliet Taylor was also honored at the event.

“I mean, she’s legendary and it’s so cool that casting directors are part of the Academy now,” Oscar winner Nicole Kidman said.

It was a star-studded evening, with many actors coming to help kick off Oscar season.

Writer Richard Curtis, who gave us classics such as holiday favorite “Love Actually,” has been awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

“I’m now starting to feel like people are coming back to the movies. I’m lucky that these are movies that people want to watch more than once,” Curtis said.

The Academy has awarded James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

“It’s a great honor and our father received it in 1981,” Wilson said. “It’s an incredible thing. We’re shocked.”

We’ll see the Governors Award winners recognized next spring during the 97th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 2, 2025 on ABC.