IndieWire Honors Celebrated the Visionaries and Mavericks Behind 2024’s Best Films — See All the Photos

There’s no award show quite like the IndieWire Honors. Each year, IndieWire celebrates the groundbreaking artists who refuse to let their creativity be restricted. The minds behind ten of the year’s best films are able to mingle and celebrate each other’s successes, offering a timeless reminder that filmmaking is a team effort that affords everyone room to shine.

This year marked the first IndieWire Honors exclusively devoted to film. At an intimate ceremony hosted by Simon Rex, some of the year’s biggest awards contenders gathered to celebrate the work that emerged from a tumultuous year in the entertainment industry.

“Nickel Boys” director RaMell Ross was honored with the auteur award for his heart wrenching adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “Nickel Boys,” which was recently named the best film of 2024 by IndieWire.

Denis Villeneuve received the Visionary Award for fulfilling his lifelong dream of adapting Frank Herbert’s “Dune” into an epic two-part movie that became one of the year’s biggest blockbusters.

“The Wild Robot” director Chris Sanders received the Spark Award for pushing the boundaries of animation to make one of the year’s most unexpected delights. 

“Blitz” director Steve McQueen and production designer Adam Stockhausen were honored with the Wavelength Award, which celebrated both their meticulous recreation of WWII-era London and their career-spanning collaboration

Pamela Anderson received the Performance Award for her acclaimed turn as an aging Vegas dancer in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl.”

Selena Gomez was honored with the Spotlight Award for her bold performance in Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending musical “Emilia Peréz.”

Angela Patton and Natalie Rae received the Magnify Award for directing “Daughters,” one of the year’s most touching documentaries that follows a group of young women attending a dance with their incarcerated fathers. 

Jennifer Lopez was honored with the Maverick Award, which celebrated a multi-decade career that has seen her excel at everything from music to acting before giving a career-best performance in this year’s “Unstoppable.” 

“Challengers” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, director Luca Guadagnino, and producers Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor were honored with the Impact Award, celebrating the film’s ability to penetrate the zeitgeist as an R-rated adult drama.

Keep reading to see photos from the event, which was held at Citizen News in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 5.