The 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival – LIVE

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (www.psfilmfest.org) will be held January 3-14, 2019, and we will be there bringing you Live coverage of the event from the red carpet.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees last year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The Festival is also known for its annual Film Awards Gala, a glamorous, black-tie event attended by 2,500, presented this year by American Express and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight. The Film Awards Gala honors the year’s best achievements in cinema in front of and behind the camera. The celebrated list of talents who have been honored in recent years includes Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Mary J. Blige, Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Gal Gadot, Tom Hanks, Holly Hunter, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Eddie Redmayne, Julia Roberts, Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon. Call 760-969-7533 for Gala tickets or tables, 760-778-8979 or 800-898-7256 for Film Festival information or visit www.psfilmfest.org.

RYAN COOGLER TO RECEIVE HONOR AT VARIETY 10 DIRECTORS TO WATCH BRUNCH AT PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Variety will honor director Ryan Coogler at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Friday, January 4th as part of the annual 10 Directors to Watch Brunch at the Parker Palm Springs. The brunch is presented by AT&T.

The Black Panther director will receive the annual Creative Impact in Directing Award. Previous recipients of this award have included Patty Jenkins, David O. Russell, Charlie Kaufman, Jeff Nichols and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The award celebrates his career, from his groundbreaking first feature Fruitvale Station, to his most recent work directing Black Panther, which was recently named one of AFI’s Best Films of the Year and is nominated for a Golden Globe Best Motion Picture – Drama.

“Ryan Coogler has directed one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of the year with Black Panther,” said Variety Co-Editor in Chief, Claudia Eller. “The film’s cultural significance is matched by its artistic merits and is a crowning achievement for a young filmmaker whose incredible storytelling abilities were already on full display in his compelling 2013 drama Fruitvale Station.”

“MARY POPPINS RETURNS” TO RECEIVE ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE AWARD AT 30TH ANNUAL PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FILM AWARDS GALA

The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Mary Poppins Returns with the Ensemble Performance Award at its annual Film Awards Gala. Expected to attend are Emily Blunt, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson. The award will be presented by the film’s director Rob Marshall. The Film Awards Gala, hosted by Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight, and presented by American Express, will be held on Thursday, January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 3-14.

“Mary Poppins Returns is a happy film, that re-creates the magic and adventure of the first film,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In this outstanding sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family as they race to keep the bank’s executives from foreclosing on their home. Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda lead an excellent ensemble cast that also includes Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury and many others. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the cast of Mary Poppins Returns with the Ensemble Performance Award.”

The cast joins previously announced honorees Timothée Chalamet, Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Regina King, Spike Lee, Rami Malek, Melissa McCarthy and the film Green Book. Past recipients of the Ensemble Performance Award include Academy Award® winner for Best Picture Argo, as well as past Best Picture nominees American Hustle, The Big Short, Hidden Figures, The Imitation Game and The Social Network.

Mary Poppins Returns is an original musical from director Rob Marshall which continues the story of the practically-perfect nanny and the Banks family. In the film, Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) have grown up, Michael has three children of his own, and his wife has recently passed away. Emily Blunt stars as Mary Poppins, who returns to help the grieving Banks family move past their terrible loss and find the joy and wonder missing from their lives. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Mary’s friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.

The film has received numerous accolades including one of the AFI Movies of the Year Award; one of the top ten films for the National Board of Review; Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress and Best Actress in a Comedy for Emily Blunt; Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Miranda and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Blunt; SAG Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in A Leading Role nomination for Blunt.