It's one of the most wonderful times of the year: Global Movie Day is back!

Stars and filmmakers like Tom Hanks, Angela Bassett, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Howard are sharing their love for the different ways movies impact our lives, all in honor of this unique and special celebration.

The annual holiday began in 2020, created by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and takes place the second Saturday of February every year.

This year, we asked actors, directors, and more to share with us the movies that have made them feel seen, which movie world they would like to live in, and much more. Read on for the stars' answers and fond memories of the movies that have made them feel recognized, welcomed, and curious about the world, both real and fictional.

And be sure to share your thoughts with us on social media using #GlobalMovieDay.

Movies That Made You Feel Seen

One of the movies that made comedian/actor/writer Billy Eichner feel seen on-screen was My Best Friend’s Wedding, and Rupert Everett's role as Julia Roberts BFF, who happened to be gay. "It really was a huge moment when Rupert Everett was in My Best Friend’s Wedding," Eichner explained, "playing such a pivotal scene-stealing role as a gay character by an openly gay man."

Troy Kotsur, who won last year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in CODA, found representation as a deaf person in an unexpected film: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. "When I saw the Tusken Raiders, there was two of them on-screen and one of them was getting the other one’s attention by tapping on their shoulder. And as a child, when I saw that specific moment of communication, I felt a connection to it because of that gesturing, that sign language. And it happened in the first Star Wars!"

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro felt immediate kinship with outcast characters searching for connection. "It's a toss between Frankenstein and Pinocchio," he said for which one he identified with more. "The abandonment of a son that had to figure out the world and ultimately to exist a little outside quote unquote the normal… I identify very much [with that]."

Movie Worlds To Live In

Movies often present worlds we wish we could live in or run away to, whether they’re heightened versions of our own, or ones of pure imagination.

Imagination is the key with Kendrick's choice for a movie she wishes to live in, Hook. "That scene where Robin Williams is there and he scoops up this pile of whipped cream and they have this food fight," she recalled. "I just so desperately wanted to live in a world where, if I just imagined a pile of flavored whipped cream, it would just appear before me."

Elizabeth Banks and Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter both wished they could take a tour of the factory in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As Carter put it, "I just feel like it would be bright, and joyous, and colorful, and quite tasty."

Nanny star Sinqua Walls wanted to join the Toretto family in the Fast and Furious franchise.

"They always have the nicest car and they have the freedom to not have to worry about insurance, jumping from buildings, and not worrying about what that price tag's going to be," he said. "They don't ever have to pay for anything, but they always have a nice car. If you can actually live in that fabricated world, I would love to."

Favorite Film From Another Country

Movies don't just take us to fantastical places, but open our eyes to places we've never been. Stories from around the world offer an exciting way to experience something completely new and discover the things that connect us across the globe.

For Hanks, one of those movies is Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. The two-time Oscar winner gushed about the "epicness" of Kurosawa's masterpiece, adding, "Kurosawa is… everything… between the cinematography and also the performances."

Bassett, an Oscar-nominee this year for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, loved Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning social satire Parasite. "It's social commentary," she said. "It's humor, great characters, wrapped in one."

And Howard found his connection to a new experience with Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves. "It awakened me to the possibility of cinema from all around the world, having an impact on me in a very personal way," he said.

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