Featured image credit: Palm Springs Film Festival
The Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards are upon us. And though it’s likely too late for you to pull strings to get into this star-studded affair, we have the big winners compiled for the night right here. The awards ceremony takes place on Friday, January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, kicking off 2025 with some star power. Curious about who’s walking home with an award? Your wish is our command…
Vanguard Award Honoree – Emilia Pérez (film)
Studio: Netflix
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez
Netflix’s Emilia Pérez encapsulates so much vision into a single film that nothing less than the Vanguard Award would do. This award honors the cast and director alike and no movie brought out a cohesive ensemble quite like Emilia Pérez. It follows a cartel boss’s intricate plan to fake her own death in an attempt to obtain the one thing her money can’t buy… freedom. With every actor bringing their A-game and a truly inspired effort from director Jacques Audiard, we expect to see Emilia Pérez all over the awards circuit.
Ensemble Performance Award Honoree – Conclave (film)
Studio: Focus
Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati
It took more than one star to carry the tale of corruption in the Catholic church central to Edward Berger’s political thriller Conclave. And the talent curated to bring this tale to life did so in such an artful way as to land the Ensemble Performance Award. Each intricate piece of the tale combines to create the larger picture and each actor did their fair share of heavy lifting. The result is complex and ornate, and will no doubt keep us talking throughout the 2025 award season.
Spotlight Award Honoree – Colman Domingo (actor)
Film: Sing Sing
Studio: A24
Very few people find their calling in a prison cell. Yet, Sing Sing tells the striking (and true) story of the wrongly convicted Divine G who found his passion for theater while serving time in the Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison. Colman Domingo embraced the role with profundity, grit, and heartfelt soul that does justice to a tale of injustice… an inspirational highlight that snatches victory from the persistent jaws of defeat. Domingo is no stranger to the Palm Springs International Film Awards. Nor is he a first-time recipient of the Spotlight Award. But talent like this deserves a closer look.
Breakthrough Performance Award Honoree – Mikey Madison (actor)
Film: Anora
Studio: NEON
The Palm Springs International Film Awards is light on comedy this year, but actress Mikey Madison brings some much-needed relief with her acceptance of the Breakthrough Performance Award for her role as an erratic sex worker who marries the son of a powerful Russian oligarch. And, yes, the oligarch isn’t thrilled. Madison brings more to her role than laughs, showcasing her talent for pivoting between comedy and drama without breaking audience immersion. Chances are good that you’ll be seeing a lot more of her in future awards seasons.
Breakthrough Performance Award Honoree – Kieran Culkin (actor)
Film: A Real Pain
Studio: Searchlight Pictures
For those who are oddly missing Roman Roy, Kieran Culkin has been outdoing himself for years now. And while A Real Pain doesn’t clear the slate, it reinforces why we love this diverse actor who seems to always bring a charmingly familiar undercurrent of sardonic wit. In the buddy comedy A Real Pain, he manages to deliver plenty of wince-inducing moments, but also anchors the subject matter with enough relatable heartfelt drama to more than earn his Breakthrough Performance Award.
Desert Palm Achievement Award Honoree – Adrien Brody (actor)
Film: The Brutalist
Studio: A24
The true story of architect László Toth rebuilding his life after it was leveled by war, The Brutalist sets the perfect atmosphere for Adrien Brody to deliver the quiet intensity that shapes some of his most heartbreaking performances. No wonder it earned him the Desert Palm Achievement Award. With immigration such a hot topic in recent years, The Brutalist asks us to recall the epic nature of the immigration experience. Brody is a huge factor in why it succeeds so beautifully.
Desert Palm Achievement Award Honoree – Angelina Jolie (actor)
Film: Maria
Studio: Netflix
Biopics are often safe bets in award season so we’re not surprised to see Angelina Jolie earning the distinguished Desert Palm Achievement Award for her stirring portrayal of opera singer Maria Callas in Netflix’s Maria. Director Pablo Larraín and writer Steven Knight opted to focus primarily on Callas’s decline in popularity in the 1970s. Needless to say, Jolie balances her elegance with tragedy in a way that truly honors the subject.
International Star Award Honoree – Nicole Kidman (actor)
Film: Babygirl
Studio: A24
Nicole Kidman has been showcasing her skills for decades. Yet, her role as a successful CEO who risks it all for a precariously torrid affair shows that she still has new heights (and depths) we haven’t seen. It’s this dynamism that earns her the International Star Award. While Practical Magic 2 likely won’t show us much new ground from Kidman, we still can’t wait. She’s just one of those talents.
Chairman’s Award Honoree – Timothee Chalamet (actor)
Film: A Complete Unknown
Studio: Searchlight Pictures
While A Complete Unknown might not tell you much about Bob Dylan that you haven’t already heard, the film’s faults can’t be blamed on lead actor Timothee Chalamet. His commitment to the role is obvious within his first moments of screen time. But it’s when he begins to sing those hopelessly familiar songs that Chalamet’s star truly rises. The actor did his own singing in the film, allowing for a deeper connection to the source material worthy of nothing less than the Chairman’s Award.
Rising Star Award Honoree – Ariana Grande (actor)
Film: Wicked
Studio: Universal Pictures
Ariana Grande may seem like a star who’s already comfortably established herself in the firmament, but remember that the Palm Springs International Film Awards are purely focused on cinema. And Wicked just gifted audiences with our first starring role from Grande, who seems just at home in front of a camera as behind a microphone. She easily nabs the Rising Star Award for her turn as Glinda… some shoes (or slippers?) that were definitely hard to fill.
Visionary Award Honoree – Denis Villeneuve (director)
Film: Dune: Part Two
Studio: Warner Bros.
Few big-budget directors are as closely watched as Denis Villeneuve. He seemed to achieve the impossible with his sequel (really the second half of a total story) for Dune in which he re-emphasized that blockbusters can have substance. When you step into a theater to watch a Villeneuve film, you know that you’re traveling to another reality for a few hours. But what’s more; you trust you’re in capable hands. It’s why the auteur secured this year’s Visionary Award.
You’re likely reading this after the awards have been distributed but take heart! The Palm Springs International Film Festival continues through January 13 with a slew of exciting programming. It’s a taste of Hollywood but with Palm Springs style, so try to catch at least one of the events!
