Frazer Harrison
Some of Hollywood’s finest were honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Thursday at the Palm Springs Convention Center, hosted by Mary Hart.
Spotlight awards were given to Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) and Colman Domingo (Rustin), who follow in the footsteps of previous luminaries such as Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, and Brendan Fraser. Taraji P. Henson and Blitz Bazawule presented Brooks’s award, and Lenny Kravitz presented Domingo’s.
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) won the Icon Award, presented by Sandra Oh.
Director of the Year went to Greta Gerwig for Barbie, presented by the movie’s stars, Margot Robbie (in pink Balmain) and America Ferrera.
Giamatti presented the Breakthrough Performance Award to Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who starred with him in The Holdovers.
The top acting awards—the Desert Palm Achievement Awards—went to Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer (presented by Robert Downey, Jr) and Emma Stone for Poor Things (presented by Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe).
Leslie Uggams presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jeffrey Wright for American Fiction.
Gerwig presented the Chairman’s Award to Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for their work on Barbie.
Carey Mulligan won the International Star Award for Mæstro, presented by Meryl Streep.
The Vanguard Award went to Killers of the Flower Moon, honouring Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert de Niro, Jesse Plemons, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Redcorn, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Tatanka Means, Chad Renfro, Julie O’Keefe, Lulu Goodfox, and William Belleau.
Honorees received either the John Kennedy The Entertainer statue or a Chihuly glass sculpture.
Other VIPs at the event included Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Kirsten Dunst, Yorgos Lanthimos, Eva Longoria, Tom Ackerley, Beverly Johnson, Annie González, Udo Kier, and festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi and artistic director Lili Rodríguez.
The event was sponsored by Entertainment Tonight and IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Presley Ann; Emma McIntyre