From Nicole Kidman’s touching, tearful speech to Angelina Jolie receiving her award from her godmother, here are some memorable moments from the Palm Springs Film Festival 2025.
Since 1990, the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) has established itself as among the premier presenters of world cinema. Located at Coachella Valley in southern California, it gathers diverse audiences, including industry, film aficionados from across the country and filmmakers from around the world. PSIFF also recognizes members of the industry who’ve accomplished remarkable achievements from the past year, with the 36th edition of the festival marking the start of an eventful awards season.
This year’s PSIFF was a star-studded one filled with its fair share of highlights. Here’s a rundown of what went down during the prestigious annual event.
READ ALSO: 2025 Golden Globes: ‘Emilia Pérez’ And ‘The Bear’ Lead Nominations
And The Awards Go To…
The PSIFF 2025 recognized a total of 11 figures and films in the industry for their accomplishments. Filmmaker Denis Villenueve received the Visionary Award for Dune: Part II. Timothée Chalamet earned the Chairman’s Award for his role as Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown. Kieran Culkin was awarded with Breakthrough Performance for his role as protagonist Benji Kaplan in the comedy-drama Real Pain; actress Mikey Madison also received the Breakthrough Performance award for Anora, where she plays the titular young sex worker.
Angelina Jolie took home the coveted Desert Palm Achievement Award for her powerful performance in Maria, a biopic of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas; Adrien Brody also received a Desert Palm Achievement Award for his role as Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth in The Brutalist.
Colman Domingo received a Spotlight Award for his work in Sing Sing, a prison drama film centered on a theater group of incarcerated men. Ariana Grande bagged the Rising Star Award for her bubbly, emotional performance as Glinda in the movie adaptation of Wicked. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman continues to make waves with her sensual role as high-powered CEO Romy in the erotic thriller Babygirl, which won her the International Star Award at the festival.
Films, as a whole, also received specific awards during the ceremony. This included the critically-acclaimed Conclave—a thriller-mystery about conflicts and hidden secrets within the Roman Catholic Church—which won an Ensemble Performance Award for its strong lineup of talents like Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, and Lucian Msamati. The musical-thriller Emilia Pérez, which focuses on the unexpected partnership between a Mexican lawyer and infamous cartel boss, won a Vanguard Award.
Nicole Kidman’s Heartfelt Speech On Her Late Mother
Upon receiving her award for Babygirl, presented by good friend and fellow actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Kidman delivered a touching speech that brought her to tears as she dedicated her International Star Award to her late mother Janelle, who passed away in September 2024.
“I went home over Christmas, and I’ve lost both my parents. So I’m in that place of going ‘Huh, okay…this is different now.’ But they’ve given me the resilience, they’ve given me the love, and they’ve given me the strength to keep moving forward,” she expressed.
“I’m still grieving my mom. And so I want to dedicate, because I didn’t get to do it at the Venice Film Festival; when I arrived at Venice, I got the call that she was gone. […] Thank you for giving me the chance to say, this is for my mom,” she continued. “My whole career has been for my mom and my dad, and they’re not here now; but I still want to keep working and giving the world, because I love what I do and I love you all, and I’m so grateful for the privilege to be a part of this film community.”
The actress proceeded to apologize for crying, stating: “I feel my momma right now, this is for you momma,” she says, choking back tears as Curtis comforted her.
A Sweet Moment Between Angelina Jolie And Jacqueline Bisset
Another legendary actress also received recognition in the 36th PSIFF, and that’s none other than Angelina Jolie. Making the moment even sweeter was the fact that her godmother, English actress Jacqueline Bisset, presented the Desert Palm Achievement Award.
“It is such a thrill to be here with you tonight to present this award to Angelina Jolie, who just happens to be my goddaughter, and whose mother Marcheline was one of my dearest friends,” Bisset said during her opening lines, according to Escher Walcott and Jack Smart of People. She also expressed how proud she was of Jolie’s career as a humanitarian, as well as her work as a mother to her children.
Jolie herself gave a sweet shoutout to her children during her acceptance speech, as Kirsten Chuba of The Hollywood Reporter detailed. “There was Maria and there was Callas; Callas was loved, but Maria was often alone. But I’m around today because when I walk off this stage, I am more myself because of you, Zahara [Jolie’s 19-year-old daughter, who accompanied her mother to the PSIFF], and your brothers and sisters. I love you,” the actress shared.
Ariana Grande Is A Rising Star
Comedian Jennifer Coolidge brought her usual wit and charm as she presented the Rising Star Award to Ariana Grande, making a playful jab that questioned why Grande—who has long been in the entertainment industry—received a rising star award.
“Hasn’t Ariana already risen?” The White Lotus star quips during her remarks. “I mean, the girl’s barely 30 and it feels like she’s been famous since the Eisenhower administration. I do have a theory about Ariana: She’s actually a very old person and she just has really good skin. She could be like 90 years old, who knows?” she added, as Emily Tannenbaum of Glamour reports.
Grande responded in kind with humor, thanking “Botox and Juvederm” for the award. “Thank you Jennifer for doing this for me,” she elaborated. “Your comedic genius, your brilliance, has inspired me my entire life. I just love you, and thank you.”
On a more serious note, Grande highlighted the importance of comedy, especially in relation to her role as the ever-cheerful yet multi-faceted Glinda. “Though Glinda the good is full of frivolous humor and witty punchlines, comedy is just another way of telling the truth,” she explained. “She has an innate ability to make light out of darkness, even when there is pain, and I’m so grateful to have lived in that, to have learned so much from her over these past three years.”
Banner photo via Instagram @psfilmfest.
