Spielberg says he has the same enthusiasm as he did making 8 mm movies as a boy

Decades of success haven’t dulled Steven Spielberg's appetite for filmmaking. The excitement that first drew him to the camera is still very much alive.

Before being honored at the Museum of Modern Art’s film benefit, Spielberg looked back on his journey from an ambitious young filmmaker to one of Hollywood’s most admired 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.

Though Spielberg has received virtually every major honor in filmmaking, from Academy Awards to industry tributes, recognition from MoMA holds particular significance.

“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.

One of the most successful and influential directors in film history, Spielberg has made more than 35 feature films. His work spans fantasy, science fiction, and historical dramas, along with deeply human stories that explore the world around us.

From “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” to “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and the “Indiana Jones” series, he has taken audiences to extraordinary places. He has also turned to history and human conflict in films such as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List.” The latter won three Oscars in 1994, including best director for Spielberg.

Spielberg rarely goes looking for a specific genre. More often, he says, the stories find him, sometimes arriving out of nowhere.

“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.

The 1982 film, about a boy who befriends a stranded alien, became a sensation and one of the most beloved films of its era. It also became one of Spielberg’s signature works.

That instinct to follow an idea wherever it leads speaks to the curiosity that continues to drive his work and his reluctance to repeat himself.

“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.

Celebrity guests included Robert De Niro, Michelle Williams, Drew Barrymore, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Spielberg’s longtime friend Martin Scorsese was also there to celebrate the director. On a rainy New York Evening, Spielberg made his way to the entrance to greet Scorsese with a warm embrace when he arrived.

The evening opened with a surprise appearance by Tom Cruise, followed by a special tribute featuring Emily Blunt, Steve Martin and Martin Scorsese. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose performed “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.” Bruce Springsteen also performed an acoustic version of “Dancing in the Dark.”

The annual benefit raises funds for MoMA’s film collection, supporting the preservation and acquisition of important works of cinema, as well as the museum’s film exhibits. Chanel has sponsored the event since 2011.

In his acceptance speech, Spielberg reflected on the collaborative nature of the medium and people who have shared in his journey.

“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.