In a recent gathering at the Academy's annual nominee luncheon, celebrated filmmaker Steven Spielberg lauded the past year as a remarkable one for cinema. Held in a bustling Beverly Hills ballroom, the event saw the convergence of top-tier stars, directors, producers, and other industry professionals, all gearing up for next month's Academy Awards.

While "Oppenheimer" currently leads the race for Best Picture, Spielberg, a producer on the competing film "Maestro," emphasized the exceptional quality of films beyond Christopher Nolan's atomic age drama. He described the past year as one of the best in terms of high-quality films in the last decade.

"Maestro," a biopic of legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, directed by Bradley Cooper, was particularly praised by Spielberg. The film is part of a diverse Best Picture shortlist, which includes the billion-dollar grossing "Barbie," and festival hits like "American Fiction," "The Holdovers," "Past Lives," and "The Zone of Interest."

The luncheon was marked by a spirit of camaraderie, with no apparent hostilities or tensions between rivals. Best Actress frontrunners Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone shared a private chat and emotional hug, while Robert Downey Jr, the favorite for Best Supporting Actor, kept his fellow nominees entertained.

Despite some perceived snubs in the Best Actress and Best Director categories, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig attended the event, representing their blockbuster film. Gerwig received a loud cheer for her screenplay nomination, while Robbie, a producer of "Barbie," was a popular figure in the group photo.

Academy president Janet Yang praised the "global" makeup of this year's nominees, who were selected by voting members from 93 different countries. Among the international nominees, Ugandan pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, the subject of the nominated documentary "Bobi Wine: The People's President," was particularly noticeable.

The Oscars continue to be a platform for global issues, with Mstyslav Chernov, director of the nominated documentary "20 Days in Mariupol," urging attendees to pay attention to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.