LOS ANGELES - Hollywood stars embraced and champagne corks popped at this year's Oscars nominee lunch, the glamorous pre-show gathering that was cancelled amid last year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Timothee Chalamet, nominated for best actor in "Marty Supreme," flashed a smile while fellow Best Actor contenders Michael B. Jordan and Ethan Hawke also flitted around the annual luncheon in Beverly Hills.
Mexican director Guillermo del Toro chatted with his tablemates as Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of "The Secret Agent," enthusiastically embraced Stellan Skarsgard and Oliver Laxe -- the latter of whom has his film "Sirat" up for best international feature film.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Lynette Howell Taylor praised the diversity of this year's nominees.
"Ballots were cast from 88 countries and regions," the British producer said, adding that "the mission of the Academy is to amplify your art, movies and your voices."
The more than 200 nominees enjoyed a buzzy afternoon, all the more energetic after last year's lunch was canceled as huge fires razed whole communities around Los Angeles. That year the lunch was replaced with a smaller dinner at the Academy's museum.
"This is a recognition of Brazilian cinema, and of the cinema of our region," Moura told AFP.
Nearby, "The Secret Agent" director Kleber Mendonca Filho joked he was feeling animated -- "like a generator."