Sandra Bullock to Receive Achievement Award at Palm Springs Film Fest

The 25th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Academy Award-winning actress Sandra Bullock with the DesertPalm Achievement Award, Actress, at its annual Awards Gala. Each year the festival selects an actor and actress to receive this award. Matthew McConaughey will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, which was previously announced. Presented by Cartier and hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs Jan 3-13, 2014.

"Sandra Bullock is the epitome of cinematic talent and versatility," said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. "In her latest and arguably most demanding role as first-time astronaut Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity, Bullock faces the primal nightmare of being stranded in space with no apparent way of returning. Throughout the entire film, her determination to survive is masterfully portrayed. To this consummate performer who continues to captivate audiences with her artistry, it is our honor to present the 2014 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, to Sandra Bullock."

Past actress recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, include Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams.

Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a Warner Bros. Pictures film directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. But on a seemingly routine mission, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed by space debris, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. The only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the true-life drama The Blind Side. This year, in addition to Gravity, Bullock also starred opposite Melissa McCarthy in the smash hit buddy cop comedy The Heat. She has also recently starred in such diverse projects as the drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, the romantic comedy The Proposal, and the Oscar-winning Crash. In addition to her Oscar, Bullock has received numerous awards and nominations for her acting work, including a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, four MTV Movie Awards, an American Comedy Award, ten Teen Choice Awards, and four People's Choice Awards for Favorite Female Movie Star.

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 annually 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, Danny Boyle, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Helen Mirren, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet.

The Awards Gala of the 25th 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 AARP, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Wessman Development, Bank of America, Wintec, Regal Entertainment Group, Windermere Real Estate, Eisenhower Medical Center, Guthy-Renker, Integrated Wealth Management, PalmSpringsOasis.com, Ocean Properties, Panavision, Chihuly and Telefilm Canada.

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

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