The Awards Part Of Awards Season Springs Into Action In The Desert At Star Studded PSIFF Gala

The Palm Spring International Film Festival Film Awards Gala is always fun, and always BIG with a captial ‘B’. This year’s 36th edition, the 20th hosted by indefatiguable Mary Hart who keeps it rolling along, no break for chat and dinner because once it starts you just eat while you applaud the many stars, and equally starry presenters handing them their very, shall we say, unique statuettes. The recipients are always, repeat always, plucked from the creme de la creme of Oscar hopefuls, and in fact as this season jumps into hyper gear with one ceremony after another, continuing with the Golden Globes tomorrow (the holidays are over, the hollywood days have begun), every single one of Friday’s nights PSIFF Awards Gala honorees you will also see changing formal attire and walking the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton Sunday. This event was a warm up, a chance to try out heartfelt , humorous speeches we are likely to be hearing variations of all season long from the lucky few who manage to go all the way to the Dolby in March. Fasten your seatbelts.

Palm Springs however holds a certain charm in all its guadiness, and considering the vast wealth and finery on view I was shocked to see it said “black tie optional” . There were few in the sharply dressed and cavernous Palm Springs Convention Center who dressed down. And unlike every other single awards ceremony in the season, this is the only one with a full orchestra playing on each winner with music associated with them, beginning with Hart who entered the stage to the familiar theme from Entertainment Tonight (where I also happily worked with her in the show’s first decade). And let’s talk about that stage (!) It is football stadium huge, requiring Nikes (if you dared) rather than heels just to get across it. On the Cinerama-sized screen (IMAX will be jealous) stretching the entire length of the stage are three separate identical visions of whoever has the microphone, presenter and recipient. Due to the immense size of the place and the crowd inside it is necessary. And before any of the stars enter they have to run a gauntlet from the red carpet outside, past applauding and adoring well dressed attendees lined up on both sides through the lobby and inside the ballroom until finally reaching studio-bought tables not in front, but in the center, the 800s. The first vast eight rows of tables closet to the stage are reserved for the longtime supporters and high rollers, and Palm Springs has plenty of them.

Honorees, who all must attend in person (just try to keep them away), were Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Actress, Aurora), Kieran Culkin (Breakthrough Actor, A Real Pain), Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award Sing Sing), Ariana Grande (Rising Star Wicked), the cast of Conclave (Ensemble Performance), Nicole Kidman (International Star Babygirl), Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Actor Award The Brutalist), Angelina Jolie (Desert Palm Actress Award Maria)Timothee Chalamet (Chairman’s Award A Complete Unknown)the cast and director Jacques Audiard of Emilia Perez (Vanguard Award), and Dune Part 2 director Denis Villeneuve (Visionary Award). Apparently the Gala organizers have retired the original name from the formerly called Sonny Bono Visionary Award (Bono founded the fest when he was PS Mayor).

I was happy to be seated at one of two Netflix tables, 806, with Jolie, her daughter Zahara, and her presenter, the veteran and iconic movie star Jacqueline Bisset. I asked Jolie if she had memories of being at this event before, but she indicated it was so many years ago it was all a blur. I can see why because I was there and when she finally made her way to her table (with Brad Pitt then) she was surrounded by a sea of flashes going off like something out of The Dolce Vita. It was as pure an example of white hot stardom I had ever witnessed. I told her that, and she just smiled, like indicating ‘yeah, another day on the job’. She is so deserving of any honor this year for playing Maria Callas in a risky and rewarding performance. “Thank you for giving space for my madnessfor this and for Maria, for allowing me to have a voice and to find mine again,” she said in her acceptance. Bisset had never been to the gala before, and was there this time because she is actually Jolie’s godmother, something I never knew. Jolie said Bisset and her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand were close friends and that her mother chose Jackie as someone she knew had qualities that would be a great role model for her daughter.

I managed to make the rounds of the Emilia Perez table right next to us. Selena Gomez is an old pro at these types of gatherings at this point, but for Karla Sofia Gascon it is all new, and surprisingly Zoe Saldana as well who asked me and Netflix’s Lisa Taback (seated next to her) if this is what awards season is always like. I told her this year, now past the pandemic and strikes, was the first in while that seemed like things were back to the way they were. “That’s good,” Saldana said. “Because this is my first time and I want it to be great.” Co-star Edgar Ramirez was also there, and Audiard joined late shortly before the presentation of their award which was the last of the evening. His acceptance, after each of the actors spoke was pure charm, and all in french.

All the speeches were memorable in one way or another. Madison, new to the awards trail, pointed out past roles like a “masked psycho killer” and a “deranged 1960’s hippie” as experiences to led to her role as a sex worker looking for a future in Anora. On the other end of scale are veterans like Kidman (accepting her fourth PSIFF award), getting emotional as she still grieves the loss of her mother whose death she learned of while in Venice premiering Babygirl. She flew back to Australia before learning she had won Best Actress there and so this is the first time she could publicly talk about it and it was quite moving.

Sharon Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis, Demi Moore, Amy Adams Andrew Garfield, and Gary Oldman were among the presenters. Some like Chalamet, and Isabella Rossellini did double duty both giving (Chalamet to Villeneuve) and Isabella Rossellini to Madison, and later on stage as part of the Ensemble winner Conclave presented by director Edward Berger to her and co-stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Lucian Msamati, John Lithgow, and Carlos Diehz. Stone talked about playing Culkin’s mother in A Mighty Heart, while Culkin himself, a recent Emmy winner for Succession could marvel at the fact he was getting a “Breakthrough Actor” award at age 42 and 35 years since his debut.

Domingo , the only returnee from last year, was especially authentic in his acceptance, as was Chalamet who, not even 30 yet, bowed down to not just his presenter Oldman, but those he admires as he forges his own career. Grande, receiving her rising star award, had the imposing task of following her hilarious presenter Jennifer Coolidge, and managed to do just that with a funny and sweet acceptance. “I’ve been performing since I was a child, so I never thought at the age of 31 I’d be hearing the words rising star again. So I want to thank my good friends Botox and Juvederm,” she laughed.

All in all a great start to the new year and the final two month stretch to Oscar, a period where contenders start giving awards, getting awards, and yes, still campaigning for awards. ‘Tis the season, folks.

See you Sunday at the Globes.