Steven Spielberg Says His Passion for Filmmaking Is Unchanged Since Making 8mm Movies as a Boy

NEW YORK – After a career spanning decades, Steven Spielberg remains just as captivated by filmmaking as he was when he first picked up a camera.

Ahead of his tribute at the Museum of Modern Art’s annual film benefit, Spielberg reflected on the path that took him from a boy making homemade movies to one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors.

“I still have the enthusiasm that I had when I was 12 years old making 8 mm movies, little Westerns at home. That has never gotten old. I’ve gotten older, but that hasn’t gotten old,” Spielberg told The Associated Press at Thursday’s gala.

Spielberg has collected nearly every major distinction in cinema, including multiple Academy Awards and countless industry honors. Yet recognition from MoMA carries a special weight for the director.

“The Museum of Modern Art was one of the first museums ever to recognize film back in the mid-’30s as an art form. Not just as a concession or some kind of a technological concoction, but a real art form,” Spielberg said on the black carpet.

A defining figure in modern movie history, Spielberg has directed more than 35 feature films. His extensive body of work includes fantasy adventures, science fiction, historical dramas and intimate stories about people confronting a changing world.

Audiences have followed him into the fantastical worlds of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and the “Indiana Jones” films. He has also explored war and persecution in movies including “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List,” which earned three Oscars in 1994, including best director for Spielberg.

Rather than pursuing one particular genre, Spielberg says he is often drawn to stories that unexpectedly cross his path.

“Often the movies that I wind up directing are the films that sneak up on me from behind, like an idea, like ‘E.T.’ which just came out of the blue one day,” he said.

Released in 1982, the story of a young boy who befriends an alien stranded on Earth became a worldwide phenomenon and one of the era’s most cherished films. It remains among Spielberg’s most recognizable achievements.

Following unexpected ideas has allowed Spielberg to keep exploring new creative territory rather than returning to the same formula.

“I’m a bit like a chameleon. I kind of take the shape of the environment that I’m standing in front of. And so my favorite directors are the directors who were able to come out of a hole each time, a different hole each time, and didn’t make the same movie in the same style again and again and again,” he said.

The star-studded guest list featured Robert De Niro, Michelle Williams, Drew Barrymore, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Martin Scorsese, a longtime friend of Spielberg, also attended. On a rainy New York evening, Spielberg greeted Scorsese at the entrance with a warm embrace.

Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance to open the evening, followed by a tribute with Blunt, Steve Martin and Scorsese. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose performed “Somewhere” from “West Side Story,” while Bruce Springsteen offered an acoustic rendition of “Dancing in the Dark.”

The annual benefit supports MoMA’s film collection, helping fund the preservation and acquisition of significant works of cinema as well as film exhibitions at the museum. Chanel has sponsored the event since 2011.

During his acceptance speech, Spielberg emphasized that filmmaking is never a solitary achievement and paid tribute to the many collaborators who have accompanied him throughout his career.

“Standing alone up here feels wrong. Filmmaking is collaborating. And when I get singled out on a night like this it reminds me that I have never stood alone,” he said.