Variety Will Honor actress Charlize Theron and 10 Directors to Watch at Palm Springs International Film Festival

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Variety will present actress Charlize Theron with the Indie Impact Award, at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). The Indie Impact Award celebrates a performer and filmmaker for her outstanding contributions to the art and business of cinema.

“Charlize Theron continues to make an impact by committing herself to films that exemplify the best in independent cinema,” stated Variety Executive Editor Steven Gaydos.  “She notably won an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award for the independent film ‘Monster,’ and contributed unforgettable performances to films such as ‘The Burning Plain,’ ‘In the Valley of Elah’ and ‘North Country.’  Her recent acclaimed work in ‘Young Adult,' for which she was recently nominated for a Golden Globe® Award, demonstrates Theron's characteristic edge and verve.”

Previous recipients of the Indie Impact Award include Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mark Wahlberg.

“Young Adult” will also be honored the evening before at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Awards Gala with the prestigious Vanguard Award, recognizing its outstanding creative ensemble.

Variety will also honor its “10 Directors to Watch” spotlighting the most exciting new talents in the fields of directing, writing, producing, acting, cinematography and comedy.   This year’s “10 Directors to Watch” include: Zal Batmanglij (“Sound of My Voice”); Valerie Donzelli (“Declaration of War”); Gareth Evans (“The Raid”); Philippe Falardeau (“Monsieur Lazhar”); Mike “Mouse” McCoy & Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”); Gerardo Naranjo (“Miss Bala”); Matt Piedmont (“Casa de mi Padre”); Michael Roskam (“Bullhead”); Lynn Shelton (“Your Sister’s Sister”); and Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”).  “Sound of My Voice,” “Declaration of War,” “Monsieur Lazhar,” “Miss Bala” and “Bullhead” will be shown at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Past “10 Directors to Watch” honorees have included Ben Affleck (“Gone Baby Gone”), Wes Anderson (“Bottle Rocket”), Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”), Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer”), Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”) and Christopher Nolan (“Memento”), among others.

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Palm Springs International Film Festival to honor Actress Jessica Chastain and Composer Howard Shore

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Jessica Chastain with the Spotlight Award and composer Howard Shore with the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing.

Jessica Chastain will receive the Spotlight Award.  The Spotlight Award honors an actor or actress for their extraordinary performances in the current cinematic year.  Chastain will receive the award for her roles in The Help, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Debt and Coriolanus.

Her work in Take Shelter earned a Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female.  Her other honors this year include a New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Tree of Life, The Help and Take Shelter and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s award as Best Supporting Actress for all of her movies this year.  Additionally, Chastain’s role in The Help led her to several acclamations including a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Howard Shore will receive the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing.  He previously received the same honor at the Festival’s Awards Gala in 2005 for composing the score in The Aviator.  His collaboration with director Martin Scorsese also includes composing the scores for “Gangs of New York” and “The Departed.”  This year he will be receiving the award for his 'exceptional' work in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.

PSIFF recipients of the Frederick Loewe Music Award include T Bone Burnett, Alexandre Desplat, Danny Elfman, James Newton Howard, Randy Newman and Diane Warren.

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen to Open and Almanya, Welcome to Germany to Close 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will launch on Thursday, January 5 with CBS Films’ Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and wraps on Sunday, January 15 with Almanya, Welcome to Germany.  The festival,  running from January 5-16 in Palm Springs, California announced its Galas, Premieres, Modern Masters and a Special Presentation.

OPENING AND CLOSING GALAS
The Festival will open with the screening of CBS Films’ Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (UK.  Directed by Oscar©-nominee Lasse Hallström, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an extraordinary, beguiling tale of fly-fishing and political spinning, of unexpected heroism and late-blooming love and of an attempt to prove the impossible, possible. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt star in the feature film alongside Oscar©-nominee Kristen Scott  Based on Paul Torday’s acclaimed novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is written by Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy and produced by Paul Webster and executive produced by Jamie Laurenson, Stephen Garrett, Paula Jalfon, Zygi Kamasa and Guy Avshalom.  CBS Films will open the film in US theaters on March 9, 2012.

Closing the Festival is Almanya, Welcome to Germany (Germany), neatly structured into two interwoven time frames, this charming, colorfully styled comedy centers on multiple generations of a German-Turkish clan, and derives its touching, laugh-out-loud humor from cultural misunderstandings and the question of what constitutes national identity.  The film has received many accolades including two 2011 German Film Awards including Best Film (Silver) and Best Screenplay and winner of the Audience Award at the Chicago Film Festival.  The film is directed by Yasemin Samdereli and stars Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardim, Lilay Huser, Demet Gul, Aylin Tezel, Denis Moschitto. {jathumbnail off}

Palm Springs International Film Festival to Honor Director Stephen Daldry

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present three time Academy Award nominee Stephen Daldry with the Director of the Year Award for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Daldry is an award-winning director of both stage and screen.  His first feature film, Billy Elliot, won more than 40 awards worldwide and received three Oscar® nominations, including Best Director.  His second feature The Hours received nine Oscar® nominations including Best Picture and Director, 11 BAFTA nominations and won Best Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globes.  His other recent feature, The Reader, earned five Oscar® nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.

Past Director of the Year honorees include Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella, Alexander Payne, Sean Penn, Jason Reitman and David O. Russell.

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Palm Springs International Film Festival Unveils New Program highlighting Arab Cinema for 2012

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The 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival announced a new program highlighting Arab Cinema as well as films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award, New Voices/New Visions Award and John Schlesinger Awards.  The Festival will screen 40 of the 63 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. 

ARABIAN NIGHTS: A Showcase of CINEMA FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
This program will premiere 11 new films made in the Middle East.  The showcase reflects the dramatic upsurge of film production and the concurrent emergence of exciting new filmmaking talents across the region.  The films selected in the Arabian Nights program include:

Asma’a (Egypt) – Devout, careworn widow Asma’a has a secret.  She is HIV-positive in a world where the disease is still stigmatized.  Ultimately, the host of a daring TV show inspires Asma’a to speak out and fight back – both against her illness and social ignorance.  Director: Amr Salama.  Cast: Hend Sabry, Maged El Kedwani, Hani Adel, Ahmad Kamal, Sayed Ragab, Botros Ghali.

Cairo 678 (Egypt) – Tackling the issue of sexual harassment, which continues to plague Egyptian society, this social issues drama focuses on three women from different backgrounds.  Director: Mohamed Diab Bushra.  Cast: Nelli Kareem, Nahed El Seba’i, Maged El Kedwany, Bassem Samra.

Habibi (Palestinian Territories/USA, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates) – The first fiction feature set in Gaza in over 15 years offers a story of forbidden love.  Can Qays, a poet from the refugee camp, build a future with Layla, the daughter of a traditional, religious family?  Director: Susan Youssef.  Cast: Kais Nashif, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Yussef Abu-Warda, Amer Khalil.

How Big is Your Love (Algeria/Morocco) – A heartwarming examination of childhood and love in modern Algiers.  With his parents breaking up, 8-year-old Adel is sent to live with his grandparents.  Soon it’s like he’s lived there forever, he’s so intimately wrapped up in their lives.  Director: Fatma Zohra Zamoum.  Cast: Racim Zennadi, Adbelkader Tadjer, Louiza Habani, Loubna Boucheloukh, Zahir Bouzrar, Nadjia Debbahi-Laaraf.

Love in the Medina (Morocco) – In this colorful melodrama, a young man from a conservative Moroccan family infuriates his father when he decides to become a butcher.  Soon he discovers that there is only one thing that he loves more than choice cuts…Women.  Director: Abdelhaï Laraki.  Cast: Omar Lotfi, Ouidad Elma, Driss Rokh, Amal Ayouch.

Man Without a Cell Phone (Palestinian Territories/France, Belgium, Qatar) – An Arab-Israeli village's new cell-phone tower quickly goes from minor annoyance to symbol of oppression.  In turn, charming slacker Jawdat abandons youthful aimlessness for activism.  Tempering its pointed politics with gentle humour, Sameh Zoabi's dramedy is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser.  Director: Sameh Zoabi.  Cast: Razi Shawahdeh, Basem Loulou, Louay Noufi, Ayman Nahas.

On The Edge (Morocco/France, Germany) – In the demimonde of nocturnal Tangier, four street-smart young women struggle to escape their poverty turning tricks and pawning stolen valuables.  The film won Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress at the Taormina Film Festival.  Director: Leila Kilani.  Cast: Soufia Issami, Mouna Bahmad, Nouzha Akel, Sara Betioui.

The Rif Lover (Morocco/France, Belgium) – A bold, visually ravishing tale of women struggling against the bonds of tradition as a beautiful but naïve 20-year-old falls into the clutches of a drug baron.  Director: Narjiss Nejjar.  Cast: Nadia Kounda, Mourade Zeguendi, Nadia Niazi, Omar Lofti, Siham Assif.

Sea Shadow (United Arab Emirates) – Set in a small seaside town in the Emirates, this gentle coming-of-age story follows two teenagers on the road to adulthood.  Bound by tradition and deeply rooted values, Mansoor and his pretty cousin Kaltham must find the courage to forge their own paths.  Director: Nawaf Al-Janahi.  Cast: Omar Al Mulla, Neven Madi, Abrar Al Hamad, Khadeeja Al Taie, Aisha Abdulrahman, Ahmad Iraj.

The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (Lebanon) – Beautifully conceived and expertly edited, this playful documentary uses a wealth of clips from Egyptian star Hosni's films to explore the iconic actress’s screen image and shed light on the Arab world’s most popular cinema.  Director: Rania Stephan.

Transit Cities (Jordan) – A 36-year-old divorcee returns to Amman after 14 years in the U.S., but finds her hometown, family and friends much changed. This affecting drama strikes enough universal notes pertaining to cultural estrangement to resonate with expats of any stripe.  Director: Mohammad Hushki.  Cast: Saba Mubarak, Mohammad Al-Qabbani, Shafika Al Til, Ashraf Farah, Manal Seihmeimat. {jathumbnail off}

Brad Pitt to be honored with Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present two-time Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt with the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life.

“Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances.  He has the rare ability to interpret and capture the most complicated facets of human nature, infusing his roles with strength and emotion,” said Harold Matzner, Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  “In The Tree of Life, he portrays a father whose sensitive son tries to make sense of their relationship and understand the wrongs of a difficult childhood.  In Moneyball, he faces failure head on and draws upon his dormant, though fierce competitive nature to become a standout in the world of major league baseball management. To Brad Pitt, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is once again privileged to present you with an award to honor your extraordinary talent, this time the 2012 Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting.”

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Octavia Spencer to be honored at Palm Springs International Film Festival

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Octavia Spencer with the Breakthrough Performance Award.  Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius and Michelle Williams.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

“Octavia Spencer is a consummate actress who seamlessly blends her dramatic and comedic talents, creating performances of uncommon depth,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “As the irascible Minny in The Help, she captures the essence of awoman who deals with life head on, relishing confrontation and serving as a source of courage and humor for those whom she loves. To Octavia Spencer, it is therefore a great honor for the Palm Springs International Film Festival to present the 2011 Breakthrough Performance Award.”

Spencer has most recently been seen starring in Tate Taylor’s The Help. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, The Help chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.   Screenplay by Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett, based on the critically acclaimed No. 1 New York Times best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett.  The DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media film is directed by Tate Taylor and also stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Spencer's acting career began with her big screen debut in 1995 in Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill, opposite Sandra Bullock.  Spencer's extensive feature film credits include Peep World, Dinner for Schmucks, Small Town Saturday Night, Herpes Boy, Halloween II, The Soloist, Drag Me to Hell, Seven Pounds, Pretty Ugly People, Coach Carter, Charm School, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Bad Santa, Spiderman, Big Momma's House, Being John Malkovich and Never Been Kissed.  She was recently lauded by Entertainment Weekly online for her comedic timing when she was named to their esteemed list of the “25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood.”  Spencer also won Best Supporting Actress from the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Carey Mulligan, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Felicity Huffman and Freida Pinto.

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Palm Springs International Film Festival to honor Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award at its Awards Gala.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

“Glenn Close has the gift of mesmerizing an audience whenever she performs,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “Since her film debut in 1982, Close’s ability to capture the essence of a character is unparalleled, be it a femme fatale, a notorious stalker or the trusted aide to a president.  In Albert Nobbs, her upcoming film, Close portrays a woman whose plan for survival in 19th century Ireland is to “pass” as a man, only to find herself trapped by the reality she’s created.  Here she revives a previous stage role and brings it to gritty life in yet another bravura performance.  To this star, a superstar in every sense of the word, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the 2011 Career Achievement Award to her.”

Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Cate Blanchett, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson and Helen Mirren.

In her forthcoming film Albert Nobbs, Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland.  Some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making.  Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson and Brendan Gleeson join a prestigious, international cast that includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Janet McTeer, Brenda Fricker and Pauline Collins.  Rodrigo Garcia directs from a script that Glenn Close, along with Man Booker prize-winning novelist John Banville and Gabriella Prekop, adapted from a short story by Irish author George Moore.  Roadside Attractions will release the film theatrically this December.
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French Director Michel Hazanavicius to be honored at 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival

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The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.

“Director Michel Hazanavicius boldly takes us back in time and reacquaints modern-day audiences with the magical power of black and white silent cinema to capture our hearts and our imaginations in The Artist,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The film opened to rave reviews at its premiere in Cannes and will continue to be one of the films to watch throughout awards season as a leadingbest picture contender. For his creative innovation in filmmaking The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present Michel Hazanavicius with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.”

Past recipients of the Sonny Bono Visionary Award include Danny Boyle, Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrmann, M. Night Shyamalan, Gus Van Sant and Joe Wright.

The Artist takes place in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932 and focuses on a declining male film star and a rising actress, as silent cinema grows out of fashion and is replaced by talking pictures.  The Weinstein Company presents The Artist, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius and produced by Thomas Langmann.  Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Koel Murray and Ken Davitan.

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Michelle Williams to be honored at 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival

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Michelle Williams will be honored at the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs January 5-16, 2012, with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award. 

“Every generation, the cinema has a few performers who mesmerize audiences with an exceptional blend of talent, versatility and grace,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “Michelle Williams epitomizes these qualities as she continues to accept challenging role after challenging role.  In her latest work, My Week with Marilyn, she perfectly captures the glamour and vulnerability of the iconic Marilyn Monroe who finds respite and solice during a week-long hiatus from Hollywood pressures.  To this actress, a cinematic star in her own right, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the 2012 Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award.”

Williams was last seen in Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine opposite Ryan Gosling, from which her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress as well as Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations and her fourth Independent Spirit Award nomination.  She will next be seen starring in Simon Curtis’ My Week with Marilyn.

Past recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award include Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet.

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