By Ryan Pearson, Entertainment Writer
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) --Bradley Cooper, Spike Lee, Olivia Colman and other Oscar contenders kicked off Hollywood’s 2019 awards season with an emotional trip to the desert city of Palm Springs.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival gala was a familiar setting for Cooper, who received director of the year honors on Thursday. He had presented the same trophy to his “Silver Linings Playbook” director David O. Russell six years ago, and filmed key “A Star is Born” scenes in the area.
First-time director Cooper choked up while thanking co-star Sam Elliott for his “blind faith,” saying, “It’s just a testament that if you believe in something so strong and you’re willing to work tirelessly, you can get great artists like Sam Elliott.”
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” star Melissa McCarthy and “The Favourite” star Colman both held back tears when talking about their husbands on stage.
Lee, winner of a career achievement award, recounted his early ambitions after being introduced by his “BlackKklansman” stars John David Washington and Adam Driver.
“Growing up in public school in Brooklyn, I would sit in the back of the class,” he said. “I would practice my autograph. Didn’t take any notes. Just practice my autograph. I don’t know why. But I knew one day I would be signing autographs. So this whole thing, as a filmmaker. I think that I didn’t choose film. Film chose me.”
Emily Blunt heaped praise on her “Mary Poppins Returns” director Rob Marshall.
“If what Mary Poppins does for people is come in and infuse a sense of wonder and hope and joy, well then … you are our Manny Poppins, always and forever,” she said.
Colman made one of the night’s few nods to real-world politics. She called Queen Anne, her character in “The Favourite,” ‘’someone in whom resides all the madness, frustration, confusion and instability of a powerful person unfit for their job. I don’t know if you know of anyone like that.”
“Green Book,” a race-focused story set in the 1950s and inspired by a true story, was given the Vanguard Award at the event. On the red carpet, star Viggo Mortensen pushed back against what he called “extremely unfair” recent media reports questioning the historical accuracy of the film.
Honorees at the black tie optional gala dinner will be seeing plenty more of each other. All the individual award winners are also nominees at the Golden Globe Awards, to be held Sunday in Beverly Hills..
AWARD RECIPIENTS
Icon Award
Glenn Close
The Wife
Sony Pictures Classics
Breakthrough Performance Award
Rami Malek
Bohemian Rhapsody
Twentieth Century Fox and Regency Enterprises
Spotlight Award, Actress
Melissa McCarthy
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Vanguard Award
Green Book
Participant Media, DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures
Sonny Bono Visionary Award
Alfonso Cuarón
Roma
Netflix and Participant Media Present, A Netflix Original Film, Produced by Esperanto-Filmoj
Director of the Year Award
Bradley Cooper
A Star is Born
Warner Bros. Pictures, Live Nation Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Chairman’s Award
Regina King
If Beale Street Could Talk
Annapurna Pictures, PASTEL and Plan B Entertainment
Career Achievement Award
Spike Lee
BlacKkKlansman
Focus Features
Desert Palm Achievement Award
Olivia Colman
The Favourite
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Spotlight Award
Timothée Chalamet
Beautiful Boy
Amazon Studios, produced by Plan B Entertainment in association with Big IndiePictures
Ensemble Performance Award
Mary Poppins Returns
Walt Disney Pictures
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More