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The Stars Will Sparkle Once Again for The Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala
Posted By:
Matt Link
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The brainchild of former mayor Sonny Bono, The Palm Springs International Film Festival began in 1989 and has since become one of the largest film festivals in North America. Nearly 130,000 attendees flock annually for the world-class lineup of new international features and documentaries. The festival has become a focal point for Oscar buzz, especially for potential foreign film nominees. And its January 7th Black Tie Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center is the star-studded highlight of the 11-day festival. Past honorees in attendance for this glamorous night have included Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Sean Penn, Natalie Portman, and Kate Winslet.
But this year’s Black Tie Awards Gala may just outdo them all, with names like Pitt, Clooney, Theron, and Close all in attendance. And other glamorous names like Cartier and Mercedes- Benz act as the evening’s official sponsors.
First of all, Brad Pitt will be on hand to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life. George Clooney, who appeared with Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven (including scenes shot in Palm Springs) will also be in attendance to receive the Chairman’s Award for the films The Descendants and The Ides of March.
Glenn Close will be collecting the festival’s Career Achievement Award. Her new film Albert Nobbs, where Close portrays a woman who tries to pass as a man in 19th century Ireland, will be playing as part of the festival on Saturday, January 7 at 7 PM at the Palm Springs High School, and on Monday, January 9 at 10:30 AM at the Camelot Theatres.
Acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) will be presented with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at the Gala, and Stephen Daldry with the Director of the Year Award for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Actors Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) will be presented with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award, and Octavia Spencer (The Help) with the Breakthrough Performance Award.
Members of the film Young Adult will receive the Vanguard Award recognizing its outstanding creative ensemble, and on hand Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. Actor Jessica Chastain (The Help, The Tree of Life) will receive with the Spotlight Award and composer Howard Shore (Hugo, The Lord of the Rings) the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing.
At press time, the only way to get into the Black Tie Awards Gala was by purchasing a Benefactor’s Pass for $2,750, but that also gets you into all the other festival screenings, parties, and events. For more information, call 760-322-2930 or 800-898-7256 or visit www.psfilmfest.org.
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