“Emilia Pérez” will receive the Vanguard Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards, the film group announced on Wednesday. Director Jacques Audiard, plus actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez will accept the honor on January 3, 2025 at the Palm Springs Convention Center during the city’s film festival, which runs January 2-13.
“‘Emilia Pérez’ is one of the greatest achievements in cinema this year. This powerful film from visionary director Jacques Audiard is led by outstanding performances from Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz and Edgar Ramírez,” festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a statement. “It’s our honor to celebrate the director and cast of ‘Emilia Pérez’ with the Vanguard Award for this achievement in filmmaking.”
The Palm Springs honor, which celebrates the director and cast of an “exceptional film project,” is the latest accolade that “Emilia Pérez” has picked up ahead of its November 1 release in theaters (followed by a November 13 debut on Netflix). The Spanish-language musical drama about a Mexican former cartel boss (Gascón) and the people caught in her orbit won the Jury Prize in Cannes as well as the Best Actress award, shared among Gascón, Saldaña, Gomez and Paz. Last year, the Vanguard went to Martin Scorsese and the “Killers of the Flower Moon” cast. Prior to that, recipients have included fellow Best Picture Oscar nominees “The Fablemans,” “Belfast,” “La La Land” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” plus Best Picture winners “Green Book” and “The Shape of Water.”
The Palm Springs International Film Awards serve as a fundraising event for the Palm Springs International Film Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting the art and science of film.