Presented by Chanel, the gala will celebrate Spielberg’s extraordinary contribution to cinema and his enduring influence on generations of filmmakers and audiences worldwide. As part of the tribute, MoMA will also present a special screening series dedicated to Spielberg at its Roy and Niuta Titus Theatres.

Spielberg’s association with MoMA stretches back more than five decades. In 1974, the museum helped introduce him to audiences through its New Directors/New Films programme. Since then, his career has grown to encompass some of the most influential films in modern cinema.

Eight Spielberg films are currently part of MoMA’s collection: The Sugarland Express (1974), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Color Purple (1985) and Empire of the Sun (1987).

“MoMA’s support of Steven Spielberg extends back over a half-century,” said Rajendra Roy, MoMA’s Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film. He highlighted Spielberg’s ability to combine artistry with entertainment and praised his global influence and commitment to p reserving film history.

The honour comes following Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, which stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell.

A recipient of numerous major honours, Spielberg is an EGOT winner and has received a Kennedy Centre Honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. He has also won three Academy Awards and holds the distinction of having received nine Oscar nominations for Best Director, while also recording 14 Best Picture nominations as a producer.

Spielberg joins an illustrious list of previous MoMA Film Benefit honourees, including Sofia Coppola, Samuel L. Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Penélope Cruz, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Martin Scorsese, Julianne Moore, Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Alfonso Cuarón, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Kathryn Bigelow, Tim Burton and Baz Luhrmann.

Chanel has supported MoMA’s annual Film Benefit since 2011 and has served as the museum’s lead film sponsor since 2021.

The MoMA Department of Film cares for more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film stills. Proceeds from the Film Benefit help support the preservation and expansion of the museum’s collection, as well as virtual programming, premieres, festivals, retrospectives and other film initiatives.