Richard Linklater to Receive Sonny Bono Visionary Award at Palm Springs Film Fest

By: Dec. 04, 2014
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The 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present two-time Academy Award® nominated filmmaker Richard Linklaterwith the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at its annual Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Sonny Bono Visionary Award include Academy Award® winning filmmakers Tom Hooper, Danny Boyle, Quentin Tarantino, and Michel Hazanavicius. Presented by Cartier, and hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 2-12.

"Richard Linklater's latest feature film is the critically acclaimed Boyhood, a one-of-a-kind epic undertaking shot over the course of 12 years with the same cast," said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. "For his creative innovations in filmmaking, The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present Richard Linklater with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award."

Linklater wrote, produced and directed Boyhood, a film about growing up as seen through the eyes of a boy named Mason (in a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason's parents, and Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood, parenting and growing up. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners, to birthdays and graduations, and all the moments in between are set to a soundtrack spanning the years with music from Coldplay, Paul McCartney and Arcade Fire. The film, which was produced by Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring and John Sloss, was released by IFC Films.

Linklater's list of film credits include Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, Tape, School of Rock, Before Sunset (which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay), A Scanner Darkly, Bernie, and BEFORE MIDNIGHT (which earned him a second Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay). Linklater also serves as the Artistic Director for the Austin Film Society, which he founded in 1985.

The Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, J.K. Simmons, and Rosamund Pike.

About The Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees last year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The Festival is also known for its annual Black Tie Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents who, in recent years, have included Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, David O. Russell, Meryl Streep, and Kate Winslet.

The Awards Gala of the 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is presented by Cartier and sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Entertainment Tonight. The City of Palm Springs is the Title Sponsor of the Film Festival. Presenting Sponsors are Wells Fargo, The Desert Sun and Spencer's. Major sponsors are Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Wessman Development, Bank of America, Wintec, Regal Entertainment Group, Ignition Creative, Desert Regional Medical Center, Windermere Real Estate, Eisenhower Medical Center, Guthy-Renker, Integrated Wealth Management, VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com, Ocean Properties, Chihuly and Telefilm Canada.

For more information, call 760-322-2930 or 800-898-7256 or visit www.psfilmfest.org.



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