Angelina Jolie will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award in Palm Springs on January 3, 2025

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Angelina Jolie is the recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, for Pablo Larraín's Maria. The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-13, 2025. The event will be presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight. 

"Maria presents the iconic Angelina Jolie in the role of a lifetime as she embodies Maria Callas, the world-renowned opera legend. Jolie’s extraordinary portrayal captures the heart and complexity of an artist whose life was as captivating as her music," said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. "In honor of her mesmerizing transformation into this groundbreaking yet tragic figure, we are thrilled to present Angelina Jolie with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress.” 

Jolie joins this year’s previously announced honorees: Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Conclave (Ensemble Performance Award) presented to actors Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati; Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor); Nicole Kidman (International Star Award); Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award); and Emilia Pérez (Vanguard Award) presented to director Jacques Audiard and actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez.  

Past winners of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress include last year’s recipient Emma Stone who went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with Cate Blanchett, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Marion Cotillard, Viola Davis, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Renée Zellweger. 

From director Pablo Larraín, Maria, stars Academy Award winner, Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life. The film also features Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Stephen Ashfield, with Valeria Golino and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Mandrax. Maria releases in select theaters on November 27, 2024 and on Netflix on December 11, 2024.  

Angelina Jolie is an Academy Award-winning actress, director, and producer, with film credits including Walt Disney Pictures’ Maleficent series, Salt, and Girl, Interrupted. Jolie directed, produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed feature First They Killed My Father and the upcoming Without Blood; additionally, she directed the Oscar®-nominated drama Unbroken. She is a Tony Award-winning producer on the acclaimed new Broadway musical The Outsiders.  

With over 20 years working as a humanitarian focusing on work with refugees and human rights, Jolie also champions local leadership in environmental conservation and has funded schools, health and education initiatives globally. Additionally, she is founder of the Maddox Foundation, an integrated development program headquartered in Cambodia, with a focus on conservation, agriculture, education and economic development projects in the area. She is the founder of Atelier Jolie, a hub for artists, empowering people to participate in creating their own fashion, with a focus on sustainability. Jolie is also co-author of Know Your Rights and Claim Them, a guide for youth.  

About the Palm Springs International Film Society   

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards®, and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons.