When you think of film festivals attracting the biggest and brightest red carpet stars, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto immediately spring to mind. But the Palm Springs International Film Festival, now in its 37th year, is considered one of the year’s kick-off events for award season. Held early in the year, prior to the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards ceremony, and before final voting is due for the upcoming Academy Awards, the desert oasis that is only two to three hours (depending on traffic) from Los Angeles is a must stop for the year’s most applauded and award-worthy talent.
The sparkling centerpiece of the festival is the glitzy yet relaxed black-tie gala dinner, held at the Palm Springs Convention Centre. This year’s took place on January 3, 2026. Stars are not zipped into a VIP area but are seated among the 2400 guests at the many large round tables, where champagne and hearty three-course meals are served before the official proceedings (not to mention the decorative small glass buddhas placed at each seat that guests are welcome to take home). Twelve awards are handed out throughout the evening, usually bestowed by other A-listers and award contenders. This year’s roster of honorees included high-caliber stars such as Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Hudson, Adam Sandler, Rose Byrne, Miley Cyrus, Amanda Seyfried, Ethan Hawke, as well as the filmmakers and directors of “Sentimental Value” and “Hamnet”.
For many who have already received Golden Globe nominations and are campaigning for the Oscars, the event offers a chance to hone their award speech skills as they share personal stories, their love of cinema, and the experience of working on their films.
First up for the night was the Breakthrough Performance Award, given to Australian actress Rose Byrne. Byrne made her first screen appearance at age 15 and continued to work in Australian film and TV before her Hollywood breakout in 2011 with “Bridesmaids”. She has since demonstrated her ability to mix drama and comedy in films like 2014’s “Neighbors” and in Apple TV series “Physical” and “Platonic,” starring Seth Rogen. Her latest role, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” written and directed by Mary Bronstein, is an unconventional look at a mother on edge and has been winning awards, including the Golden Globe. Byrne thanked the festival for recognizing what she described as “a punk rock film about motherhood,” which she called “the highlight of her creative career,” laughing that, at the age of 46, receiving a breakthrough award also has to be pretty punk rock.
Josh Safdie, the director and writer of “Marty Supreme,” presented the film’s star Timothee Chalamet with the Spotlight Award. The young actor thanked the Palm Springs film community for “always having his back.” “Every day to wake up in good health, the opportunity to make things for the world, the generation of people alive right now, I consider to be our graduating class,” he said, “That’s truly a gift in every sense of the word.”
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: (L-R) Paul Mescal, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor and Rose Byrne attend the 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards after party at Parker Palm Springs on January 03, 2026 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society)
A surprise presenter was the legendary Jane Fonda, who awarded “Hamnet” with the Vanguard Award, presented to director Chloé Zhao and actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.
Fonda expressed in her introduction the profound effect the movie had on her. “This is what film is supposed to be. This is the perfect film in my opinion,” she said, “It’s ironic that a film about Shakespeare or his family has little to do with words – it’s beyond words. If you give yourself over to it, you feel yourself being taken down to bedrock – it’s a primal film which I believe could have only been made by a woman like Chloé Zhao.
Leonardo DiCaprio received the Desert Palm Achievement Award but had to accept it via a pre-recorded video message because his plane was delayed by unexpected flight restrictions related to the situation in Venezuela. DiCaprio reflected on his own love of cinema and how it should remain.
“My father used to take me to the Vista theatre in LA, and I now live four blocks away. It’s now home to one of the last Vista Vision projectors on earth,” said DiCaprio. “Neighborhood theatre is where I first felt the power of cinema and how deeply films can affect all of us.”
“The Palm Springs Film Festival has long been a champion of storytelling, remaining steadfast in its commitment to supporting craft and supporting artists,” he said.
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: Adam Sandler accepts the Chairman’s Award onstage during the 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 03, 2026 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society)
Miley Cyrus, who has written and performed the song “Dream As One” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” was given the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award.
“It’s so refreshing to honor art without the stress of competition,” she said. ‘There is no holding my breath to see who won. It’s just pure celebration. During award season, we are often positioned as competitors, but we are meant to be a community, not opponents. There is no single best – it’s only our personal best work.”
Many of the actors and directors also appear at other festivals, including the Women In Motion–presented films “Hamnet,” directed by Chloé Zhao, and “The Testament of Ann Lee,” written and directed by Mona Fastvold and starring Amanda Seyfried. The Talking Pictures program featured conversations with director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar Isaac ahead of “Frankenstein” and Ethan Hawke speaking ahead of a screening for “Blue Moon,” where he plays the songwriter Lorenz Hart.
The eleven-day festival (Jan 2 – Jan 12, 2026) screened 176 films from 72 countries and territories, including 53 premieres.
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