Palm Springs International Film Awards 2023 Program Book

dinner is just as award winning.

HOSTS AND MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Kevin Frazier & Nischelle Turner

Nischelle Turner is co-host of the seven-time Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. She joined ET as a correspondent in 2014 and was named co-host in 2021.

Turner is an award-winning journalist, having won six Emmy Awards with ET, and a contributor for CNN where she is featured in entertainment segments on CNN Newsroom, New Day and CNN Tonight. Turner often lends her voice to entertainment and political news, along with joining their coverage on the Grammys, Golden Globes and Oscars®. She also hosts and produces CBS’ summer hit series, Secret Celebrity Renovation, which began its second season in August 2022 and co-hosts the popular The Big Podcast with Shaq.

Turner began her journalism career in 1998 when she joined WEHT as a reporter and fill-in anchor in Evansville, Indiana. In 2000, Turner was a weekday reporter and weekend anchor for WVUE-TV FOX8 in New Orleans. After establishing a presence in news, Turner joined KTTV in Los Angeles in 2004 as a reporter on Good Day LA and anchor for Good Day LA Weekend. She returned to New Orleans a few months after leaving to cover Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath for Good Day LA. Her coverage of the disaster won several journalism awards.

As an avid sports fan, Turner’s passion and knowledge came in handy when she joined Fox NFL Sunday as a sideline reporter for national football broadcasts in 2007. She has also covered Major League Baseball and basketball for Fox. In 2009, Turner hosted Extra on Essence, an online entertainment show focusing on Hollywood’s most elite stars. Turner also has served as a freelance reporter and host for KNBC.

Turner attended the University of Missouri where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcast news.

Kevin Frazier is co-host of the Emmy Award-winning syndicated entertainment newsmagazine

He continues to have a lasting impact on the entertainment industry as a multi-faceted journalist, producer and entrepreneur. He has interviewed Hollywood’s biggest stars from Oprah Winfrey to Brad Pitt to Beyoncé. Frazier joined ET as co-host in September 2014, coinciding with the beginning of the 34 th season.

In addition to his position on ET, where he has won six Emmy Awards, Frazier has kept busy hosting numerous shows and events. Frazier hosted Emmy-nominated Game Changers With Kevin Frazier, which spotlighted professional athletes who use their public image to make positive changes in the lives of fans in need. In 2012 and 2013, he co-hosted Clash of the Commercials on CBS. Frazier also served as lead anchor for College Football on FX and Fox Sports Net and hosted the launch of SportsNet for Time Warner Cable. He has served as co-host of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS since 2011.

Prior to hosting ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, Frazier served as the co-host and managing editor of ET’s sister show, THE INSIDER. He originally joined THE INSIDER in March 2011, after spending seven years as a correspondent and weekend host for ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT. Frazier’s professionalism, charisma and demeanor have made him a sought-after journalist to cover high-profile and historical events.

In 2008, Frazier founded HipHollywood.com, the premiere online web site for the latest urban entertainment news. The site is a content partner for ETonline.com and TV One, offering breaking news, up-to-the moment pop culture information, and exclusive photos and interviews with today’s top stars in music, sports, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT – Season 42 television and film. HipHollywood.com is the only urban media outlet providing broadcast quality content for television distribution. Additionally, he launched Kevin Frazier Productions (KFP) to focus on in-depth reporting and video production for a variety of corporate and entertainment clients. In 2018, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT WEEKEND began airing HipHollywood.com branded segments.

Frazier began his broadcasting career as a local sports reporter. Prior to joining ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT in 2004, he served as host of ESPN’s SportsCenter, NBA Shoot Around and NBA Fastbreak and worked at the FX Network as co-host of The FX Sports Show. He has also served as a sideline reporter for the NFL on Fox telecasts as well as host of the pre-game shows for NFL on Fox, NHL on Fox and College Football Saturday

Frazier is an active member of the Los Angeles civic community and frequently participates in events and speaking engagements for charitable organizations. He is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT

Tribute

Although you will not be with us tonight, your indelible mark on our Film Awards ceremony will endure for many, many years. Your generosity and outstanding intellect have made these awards the global event they have become.

Quietly, out of the spotlight, your dedication and commitment to excellence will be remembered by all of us who have joined with you to create this magnificent celebration of film.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

Jim & Jackie Lee Houston

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE AWARD ACTRESS

Danielle Deadwyler TILL UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING

One of the most acclaimed performances of the year comes from an ascendant actor leading her biggest film to date. Danielle Deadwyler’s impeccable turn in Till is all the more outstanding considering the gravity of the subject — a major event in American history that may not be as well known as it should be. She plays Mamie Till-Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, the slain 14-year-old whose lynching in 1955 helped ignite the civil rights movement. His death might never have taken on the national significance that it did had his mother not had the strength to allow her son’s body to be photographed and displayed for all to see the severity of the racist crime.

Director Chinonye Chukwu centers Till not on the hatred behind Emmett Till’s murder, but on the strength that Mamie finds within herself at her darkest moment. Deadwyler is both heart-shattering and galvanizing as Mamie transitions from grieving mother to activist.

Of exploring the character, she has said: “We know this very black-and-white binary understanding of her experience. We know that she made a significant choice that was the catalyst for the civil-rights movement. And we saw the image of his body, we saw the various images of her in deep mourning, but you don’t necessarily see all of the triumphant awareness and the brilliance — and, specifically, the power that she began to stand in.”

Deadwyler has shown flashes of the power that she could bring to such a weighty role throughout her career. Born in Atlanta, she studied theater, dance, and creative writing and started her career on local stages. She earned master’s degrees in American studies from Columbia University and in creative writing from Ashland University. She has made numerous television appearances, including in Netflix’s From Scratch, HBO’s Station Eleven, FX’s Atlanta, and in Tyler Perry’s The Haves & The Have Nots. She was named to Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch list in 2021. Among her growing list of accolades for Till, Deadwyler received the National Board of Review Award for breakthrough performance.

Till (2022)

The Harder They Fall (2021)

The Devil to Pay (2019)

Jane and Emma (2018)

The Leisure Seeker (2017)

Gifted (2017)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Dalvin Adams

Brendan Fraser

He became one of the most popular actors in Hollywood playing charming heartthrobs and wise-cracking action heroes, but Brendan Fraser is back in the spotlight in a major way for his triumphant, transformative dramatic performance in director Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Fraser is Charlie, a fiftysomething teacher whose heartbreak over losing the love of his life led him to develop extreme obesity and confine himself to his home. When he learns it’s only a matter of time before he dies of heart failure, Charlie makes a last-ditch effort to repair his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter, who’s still enraged by his abandonment.

Variety has called Fraser’s work “a performance for the ages.” The actor spent four hours each day getting into makeup and prosthetics that weighed up to 300 pounds. He worked with a dance instructor for months to ensure he would move naturally with the excess weight, spoke with numerous people struggling with eating issues, and consulted with the Obesity Action Coalition advocacy group to inform a portrayal that is both sensitive and unflinchingly authentic.

He presents a self-destructive man who’s consumed by physical and psychic agony, and yet he’s never one-dimensional. There’s always a light in Fraser’s big, deep eyes and a current of gentleness and wit that hints at the man Charlie once was. He takes us on a deeply affecting, highly charged emotional roller coaster that is all the more impactful because it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen from Fraser.

The Canadian-American actor showed gifts for both comedy and drama with his breakthrough roles in Encino Man and School Ties in 1992, and became a fullfledged star leading Disney’s George of the Jungle and The Mummy franchise. He continued to balance blockbusters with critically acclaimed turns in independent dramas like Gods and Monsters and Crash, for which he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble. He has recently starred in the DC Universe series Doom Patrol on HBO Max and Professionals on The CW.

The Whale (2022)

No Sudden Move (2021)

The Secret of Karma (2020)

Line of Descent (2019)

The Poison Rose (2019)

The Nut Job (2014)

Gimme Shelter (2013)

Breakout (2013)

Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013)

Hair Brained (2013)

A Case of You (2013)

Escape from Planet Earth (2012)

Escape from Planet Earth Stand Off (2011)

Furry Vengeance (2010)

Extraordinary Measures (2010) Inkheart (2008)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

The Air I Breathe (2007)

The Last Time (2006)

Journey to the End of the Night (2006)

Crash (2004)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)

The Quiet American (2002)

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Monkeybone (2001)

Bedazzled (2000)

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists (2000)

Dudley Do-Right (1999)

The Mummy (1999)

Blast from the Past (1999)

Gods and Monsters (1998)

George of the Jungle (1997)

Still Breathing (1997)

The Twilight of the Golds (1996)

Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)

Glory Daze (1995)

The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) The Scout (1994)

Airheads (1994) With Honors (1994)

Younger and Younger (1993)

Twenty Bucks (1993) School Ties (1992) Dogfight (1991)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Chad Griffith

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Sarah Polley WOMEN TALKING UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING

At once patient and propulsive, intimately theatrical and sweepingly cinematic, Women Talking is Sarah Polley’s boldest directorial statement to date — and she does it all with essentially one conversation in one location. The women of a modern Mennonite community have recently discovered the horrific abuses they’ve been subjected to for years are not the work of evil spirits, as they’ve long been told, but in fact the men of the community. Now eight of them must debate a monumental decision on behalf of them all: leave their isolated community for freedom in an unfamiliar world, stay and fight back against their assailants, or do nothing.

Within these highly specific circumstances, Polley — who adapted her screenplay from Miriam Toews’ novel, which was inspired by a true story — creates a story that feels universal, timely, and all too relatable even in our modern world. She shows full command of every craft, from the glorious widescreen cinematography to the costumes, but most of all the performances from a multigenerational cast of newcomers and veterans, who each get the space to bring a distinct voice to their characters.

It’s no surprise Polley is able to draw such extraordinary performances, since she began her career as an actor at a very young age. The Toronto native had a leading role in Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen in 1988 and won her first Gemini Award (Canada’s equivalent of an Emmy) the following year. Among her many acting credits include The Sweet Hereafter, Guinevere, Go, My Life Without Me, and Dawn of the Dead. She made an auspicious debut as a feature writer/director, earning an Oscar® nomination for her screenplay for Away From Her, and received worldwide acclaim for her last feature, the meta-documentary Stories We Tell. Also well known as a political activist, Polley continues to bring a uniquely personal touch to all of her work.

Women Talking (2022) Stories We Tell (2012) Take This Waltz (2011) Away From Her (2006)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Derek Shapton

Austin Butler

ELVIS WARNER BROS.

When director Baz Luhrmann set out to cast Elvis, he had a tall order to fill. He needed an actor who could embody one of the most charismatic and iconic men of the 20th century. And he needed someone who could capture him throughout the emotional and professional highs and lows of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Enter Austin Butler. The California native started his career on television in small roles on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, had recurring parts on The CW’s Life Unexpected and Switched at Birth, and a major role in Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries. He made his Broadway debut alongside Denzel Washington in the 2018 revival of The Iceman Cometh, and hit the big screen in a small but memorable role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Butler caught Luhrmann’s attention with an unsolicited tape of him performing “Unchained Melody” on the piano, and his Broadway costar Washington even called the director to attest to the young actor’s incredible abilities. Butler spent two years studying for the role and preparing to sing Elvis’ songs. He plays perhaps the most impersonated man on the planet, but Butler had to go much deeper to humanize the legend. “I was looking at Elvis and I was seeing the icon, the superhero. Those things aren’t the man. I had to strip all that away,” he has said. His full immersion into Elvis’ psyche at every stage of his life, from the hip-shaking young rebel to the timeworn Las Vegas showman, is evident in every frame. Even Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley have spoken out about Butler’s uncanny performance, praising him for capturing the king’s spirit. Truly, a star is born.

Elvis (2022)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

Dude (2018)

Yoga Hosers (2016)

The Intruders (2015)

My Uncle Rafael (2012) Aliens in the Attic (2009)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Eric Ray Davidson

Michelle Yeoh

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE A24 FILMS

A bona fide legend of the martial arts genre whose star has soared worldwide with a range of roles in everything from romantic comedies to superhero blockbusters, Michelle Yeoh has taken her talents to an extraordinary new level in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Yeoh plays an ordinary, unfulfilled woman who learns she alone has the power to save the world — if she can figure out how to jump between planes of the multiverse to pick up skills from different versions of herself in different realities. The genre-defying film is smart, funny, action-packed, and heartfelt all at once, a rare cinematic feat achieved thanks to its multifaceted star.

Born in Malaysia, Yeoh pursued a career as a professional ballet dancer from an early age, studying at London’s Royal Academy of Dance as a teen. After being sidelined by an injury, she returned to her home country, where she won the Miss Malaysia pageant. Her fateful appearance alongside Jackie Chan in a 1984 television commercial launched Yeoh (then billed as Michelle Khan) into the world of Hong Kong action movies. By 1985 she was cast as the lead in Yes, Madam! and began a succession of more than a dozen roles in which she became famous for her elegant, expressive martial arts style (influenced by her dance background) and for doing her own stunts.

She achieved worldwide fame fighting alongside Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies and gracefully married her action skills with her natural dramatic gifts in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination. Her success snowballed with films like Memoirs of a Geisha, Crazy Rich Asians, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and now with the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once and a recent accolade as TIME magazine’s Icon of the Year, Yeoh has rightfully achieved global superstar status.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

Boss Level (2020)

Last Christmas (2019)

Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018)

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Morgan (2016)

Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)

Final Recipe (2013)

The Lady (2011)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Reign of Assassins (2010)

True Legend (2010)

Purple Mountain (2008) Babylon A.D. (2008)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

The Children of Huang Shi (2008)

Sunshine (2007)

Far North (2007)

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Silver Hawk (2004)

The Touch (2002)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Moonlight Express (1999)

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The Soong Sisters (1997)

The Stunt Woman (1996)

Shao Lin xiao zi II: Xin wu long yuan (1994)

Wonder Seven (1994)

Wing Chun (1994)

Tai Chi Master (1993)

Supercop 2 (1993)

Heroic Trio 2: Executioners (1993)

Holy Weapon (1993)

The Heroic Trio (1993)

Butterfly and Sword (1993)

Supercop (1992)

Easy Money (1987)

Zhong hua zhan shi (1987)

Royal Warriors (1986)

Yes, Madam! (1985)

Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)

The Owl vs. Bumbo (1984)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Thomas Laisne

Colin Farrell

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

From Terrence Malick and Michael Mann to Steven Spielberg and Steve McQueen, Colin Farrell has worked with some of the best directors in the business. But something extra special happens when he teams with Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson, his director and costar in the critically acclaimed In Bruges. Every bit as biting as that dark comedy but packed through with a melancholy poignancy, their reunion for The Banshees of Inisherin features Farrell at his absolute best as Pádraic, a simple dairy farmer on a small Irish island in the 1920s who is going through a bad breakup — with his lifelong friend, Colm (Gleeson). Pádraic won’t accept “I just don’t like ya no more” as the reason Colm wants to be left alone, launching a wrenchingly funny feud that embroils the whole town.

For a man accused of being dull (“nice, not dull,” Pádraic objects), Farrell’s performance is anything but. He has a pitchperfect command of McDonagh’s razor-sharp dialogue but brings many layers of sweet, often achingly sad nuance to his character with the unspoken — a furrowed brow, a bewildered blink of the eyes, a long swallow. He even turns his character’s palpable vulnerability and boyish eagerness for his friend’s attention into endearing qualities through the sheer force of his presence.

Farrell’s commanding screen presence was evident from his earliest appearances on screen. The Dublin-born actor launched to stardom after his first starring role, Joel Schumacher’s Tigerland, and has been in high demand for both independent movies and big-budget blockbusters ever since. He has earned 13 Irish Film and Television Award nominations, won the Golden Globe in 2009 for In Bruges and had an additional nomination in 2017 for The Lobster, and took home the award for best actor at the premiere of Banshees at the Venice Film Festival. Given the universal acclaim for his latest role, Farrell looks certain to add his first Oscar® nomination to his résumé.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Thirteen Lives (2022)

The Batman (2022)

After Yang (2021)

Voyagers (2021)

Ava (2020)

Artemis Fowl (2020)

The Gentlemen (2019)

Dumbo (2019)

Widows (2018)

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

The Beguiled (2017)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Solace (2015)

The Lobster (2015)

Miss Julie (2014)

Winter’s Tale (2014)

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Epic (2013)

Dead Man Down (2013)

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Total Recall (2012)

Fright Night (2011)

Horrible Bosses (2011)

London Boulevard (2010)

The Way Back (2010)

Crazy Heart (2009)

Ondine (2009)

Triage (2009)

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Pride and Glory (2008)

In Bruges (2008)

Cassandra’s Dream (2007)

Miami Vice (2006)

Ask the Dust (2006)

The New World (2005)

Alexander (2004)

A Home at the End of the World (2004)

Intermission (2003)

S.W.A.T. (2003)

Veronica Guerin (2003)

Daredevil (2003)

The Recruit (2003)

Phone Booth (2002)

Minority Report (2002)

Hart’s War (2002)

American Outlaws (2001)

Tigerland (2000)

Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)

The War Zone (1999)

Drinking Crude (1997)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Matt Easton

DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett TÁR FOCUS FEATURES

With each performance, Cate Blanchett further cements her status as one of the greatest actors not just of her generation, but of all time. So when many critics call her latest a career-best, it’s praise that should not be taken lightly. In writer/director Todd Field’s Tár, Blanchett is Lydia Tár, a world-renowned conductor and composer at the height of her fame on the highbrow classical music scene. But the brash, provocative personality that has made her a masterful artist has begun to clash with the contemporary culture. Accusations of predatory behavior with underlings surface alongside social media videos of her schooling a sensitive young student, quickening Tár’s seemingly inevitable fall from grace.

Truly, it takes a genius to play a genius, and Blanchett daringly sinks her teeth into this psychological study, creating a full-bodied character layered with cool ferocity and glimpses of private fragility. So fully formed is her character that many assume they’re watching the biopic of a real-life woman, but Tár is entirely the creation of Blanchett and Field. The actor studied piano and learned how to conduct — with an astonishing, magnetic physicality — the real Dresden Philharmonic, making her commanding presence feel entirely authentic.

It’s the kind of full commitment and engrossing performance audiences have come to expect from Blanchett throughout her entire career. Born in Melbourne, she attended Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art and began making an immediate impact on the stage, garnering awards for her earliest performances with the Sydney Theatre Company. She made her breakthrough on the big screen in Elizabeth, earning the first of six Oscar® nominations and securing her a permanent spot on Hollywood’s A-list. She won the Academy Award in 2015 for playing Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator and again in 2014 for Blue Jasmine, and the raves she has earned for Tár could foretell yet another trip onto the Oscar stage

Tár (2022)

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette (2019)

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

Ocean’s Eight (2018)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Song to Song (2017)

Manifesto (2015)

Carol (2015)

Truth (2015)

Cinderella (2015)

Knight of Cups (2015)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

The Monuments Men (2014)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

The Turning (2013)

Blue Jasmine (2013)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Hanna (2011)

Robin Hood (2010)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

I’m Not There. (2007)

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

The Good German (2006)

Babel (2006)

Little Fish (2005)

The Aviator (2004)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The Missing (2003)

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Veronica Guerin (2003)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Heaven (2002)

The Shipping News (2001)

Charlotte Gray (2001)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Bandits (2001)

The Gift (2000)

The Man Who Cried (2000)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Pushing Tin (1999)

An Ideal Husband (1999)

Elizabeth (1998)

Oscar and Lucinda (1997)

The Wedding Party (1997) Paradise Road (1997)

Photo by

Tom Munro

INTERNATIONAL STAR AWARD ACTOR

Bill Nighy LIVING SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

One of British cinema’s most beloved, inimitable character actors is earning his biggest raves as a leading man in the sixth decade of his career. In his richest, most heartfelt role to date, Nighy headlines director Oliver Hermanus’ Living, an elegant adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s film Ikiru translated to early-1950s London and penned by Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro. Nighy’s Mr. Williams is a somber civil servant who’s wasted his days pushing paper in a grim office until a surprise diagnosis gives him only six months to live. Suddenly facing death, he takes a bold leap to live his final days to the fullest. Nighy’s tender, understated performance is both heartbreaking and inspiring as it builds to a tear-jerking climax. Watching him peel back the layers of stern conservatism that characterize postwar England, revealing ever more vulnerability and humanity, is like watching a master class in naturalistic acting.

It’s a revelation from a man who has long endeared himself to audiences through a signature wry, winking charm. Nighy was born in Surrey, England, and moved to Paris after school with hopes of being the next Hemingway. After gravitating to acting, he studied at the Guildford School of Dance and Drama and had a distinguished stage career, including starring alongside Anthony Hopkins in King Lear at the National Theatre in London. He built an impressive resume of British TV and film credits, including the BBC drama The Men’s Room and an award-winning role in Still Crazy, but he broke through as an international star in 2003 with a spate of genre-spanning films including I Capture the Castle, Enduring Love, Shaun of the Dead, Underworld, and Love Actually. His indelible turn as an aging rocker in that blockbuster romantic comedy, won him a BAFTA Award alongside a win for the BBC TV series State of Play in the same year. He has continued to move between drama, comedy and even bigbudget franchises with equally impressive results, but Living is propelling this star to new heights.

Living (2022)

Buckley’s Chance (2021)

Minamata (2020)

Emma. (2020)

StarDog and TurboCat (2019)

Hope Gap (2019)

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

Sometimes Always Never (2018)

The Bookshop (2017)

Their Finest (2016)

The Limehouse Golem (2016)

Dad’s Army (2016)

Norm of the North (2016)

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

Skylight (2014)

Pride (2014)

I, Frankenstein (2014)

The World’s End (2013)

About Time (2013)

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Total Recall (2012)

Wrath of the Titans (2012)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Arthur Christmas (2011)

Chalet Girl (2011)

Rango (2011)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Wild Target (2010)

Astro Boy (2009)

Glorious 39 (2009)

G-Force (2009)

The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

Valkyrie (2008)

A Fox’s Tale (2008)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Notes on a Scandal (2006) Flushed Away (2006)

Stormbreaker (2006)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Underworld: Evolution (2006)

The Constant Gardener (2005)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Enduring Love (2004)

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Love Actually (2003)

Underworld (2003)

I Capture the Castle (2003)

AKA (2002)

Lucky Break (2001)

Lawless Heart (2001)

Blow Dry (2001)

Guest House Paradiso (1999)

Still Crazy (1998)

FairyTale: A True Story (1997)

Alive and Kicking (1996)

True Blue (1996)

Being Human (1994)

The Phantom of the Opera (1989)

Selected Filmography

Photo by Aliona Adrrianova

CHAIRMAN’S AWARD ACTRESS

Viola Davis

THE WOMAN KING TRISTAR PICTURES & eOne

Viola Davis is a force of nature, both in front of the camera as one of the most distinguished actors of her generation, and behind the camera as a producer. She is the founder of JuVee Productions, which creates theater, television, and film with a focus on giving a voice to the voiceless through strong, impactful, and culturally relevant narratives — three criteria that perfectly describe Davis’ latest project as actor-producer.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King is inspired by the story of one of the few documented all-female armies in modern history, the Agojie, that defended the 19th-century African kingdom of Dahomey (located in present-day Benin). Davis is Nanisca, a fierce and highly skilled general tasked with training the next generation of soldiers for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Davis brings gravity to every role she plays, but The Woman King is that rare film that pairs the emotional depth of a character-driven epic with jawdropping action. If the fight sequences seem hyper-authentic, it’s because Davis and her cast members did almost all of their own stunts, often barefoot. “We didn’t have a CGI option — we are real human beings,” Davis has said, “so in order for you to enter the story and believe it, we had to do it.” The African American Film Critics Association has named The Woman King the best film of the year, and both the American Film Institute and National Board of Review have named it one of their top 10.

Among Davis’ many achievements are an Academy Award for Fences (among three additional nominations), two Tony Awards, and an Emmy Award for How to Get Away with Murder, the television drama she led for six seasons. Winning the Grammy Award for which she is nominated as narrator of her best-selling memoir Finding Me would land her exclusive EGOT status. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her ninth on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

The Woman King (2022)

The Unforgivable (2021)

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)

Troop Zero (2019)

Widows (2018)

Fences (2016)

Suicide Squad (2016)

Custody (2016)

Lila & Eve (2015)

Blackhat (2015)

Get on Up (2014)

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014)

Ender’s Game (2013)

Prisoners (2013)

Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Won’t Back Down (2012)

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

The Help (2011) Trust (2010)

Eat Pray Love (2010)

It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010) Knight and Day (2010)

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

State of Play (2009)

Madea Goes to Jail (2009)

Doubt (2008)

Nights in Rodanthe (2008)

Disturbia (2007)

World Trade Center (2006)

The Architect (2006)

50 Cent in Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005)

Solaris (2002)

Antwone Fisher (2002)

Far from Heaven (2002)

Kate & Leopold (2001)

Traffic (2000) Out of Sight (1998)

Selected Filmography

Photo by AB+DM

PICTURES & AMBLIN

The Vanguard Award is a group honor recognizing a film’s cast and director for their collective work on an exceptional film project. The Fabelmans is both a universal coming-of-age story about the pursuit of a dream, and a cinematic memory of the family dynamics that shaped the life and career of one of our greatest living filmmakers. Directing an outstanding ensemble cast that includes honorees Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle, and Judd Hirsch is none other than the legendary Steven Spielberg. It’s the director/co-writer’s most autobiographical film yet, exploring how his childhood, family, and early moviegoing experiences shaped his artistic ambitions. The master’s direction is as vivid and riveting as ever, never reverting to nostalgia even as he recreates some of the early 8mm films he made growing up. Telling such a deeply personal story requires the perfect cast, and Spielberg has chosen wisely.

He tells the story through Sammy Fabelman, played by with impressive selfassurance by dynamic young newcomer Gabriel LaBelle. Michelle Williams has the role of a lifetime as his mother Mitzi, whose own artistic temperament is often at odds with the ideal of a 1950s housewife. Williams fleshes out so many facets, filling Mitzi with genuine love and encouragement, but also recklessness, impulsivity, and regret. Paul Dano also brings many subtle shades to Sammy’s father, Burt, who more rigidly adheres to the expectations of the bread-winning midcentury man. There’s warmth and humanity under the surface even as the career-oriented man continually dismisses his son’s visionary art as a “hobby.” Seth Rogen is pitch-perfect in the pivotal role of “fun uncle” Bennie, Burt’s best friend who takes on a surrogate father figure role for Sammy, and the incomparable Judd Hirsch leaves an indelible impression as Sammy’s transient great-uncle, an ex-circus performer who has some stirring words of advice for the boy in whom he sees a kindred spirit. Together, this team has created an instant classic.

Courtesy Amblin Partners.

Photographer: Brian Bowen Smith

For almost 20 years, no star has shone brighter at the Palm Springs International Film Awards than Mary Hart. Peerless in the world of entertainment journalism, the longtime Entertainment Tonight host and Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame inductee joined the Film Awards as Master of Ceremonies in 2004, and she has brought tireless support to the event ever since.

Mary’s extraordinary donation of time and energy has led to the Film Awards growing in stature every year. She helped the event turn into one of the most important nights in film, with the biggest stars in the world journeying to Palm Springs to celebrate the finest films and performances of the year. She welcomed our honorees, presenters, and sold-out crowds with her unmatched presence and grace, creating unforgettable, magical evenings that kicked off the awards season in classic style.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

JOHN KENNEDY STUDIO

For providing “The Entertainer” Awards

DALE CHIHULY

For providing the Gilded Emerald Piccolo Venetian with Sunburst

PARKER

PALM SPRINGS

For hosting Gala Honorees and Presenters

CHASEN & COMPANY

For Awards Gala public relations support

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WINERY

For providing the wine

SHARI KELLEY or the floral arrangements and table decor for our Honorees, Presenters and Honored Guests

Searchlight Pictures Congratulates COLIN FARRELL

Recipient of the DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTOR

Harold Matzner

Thank You and Congratulations!

Harold, Your brilliant and enthusiastic leadership has had an invaluable impact on the success of the Film Awards, annual festivals, member programs and our city.

With Much Appreciation,

NOSTALGIA, FILMED ON LOCATION.

The City of Palm Springs, having played a starring role in some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies, proudly invites you to enjoy the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival.