Angelina Jolie to receive Desert Palm Achievement Award

Angelina Jolie arrives at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

PALM SPRINGS – The Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress will be presented to Angelina Jolie at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, organizers announced this week.

Jolie will be will be recognized at Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3 for her portrayal of opera soprano Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” for which she recently received a Performer Tribute at the Gotham Awards.

After premiering at the Venice International Film Festival, “Maria” was acquired by Netflix in August. The film is set for a theatrical release on Nov. 27 before debuting on the streaming platform on Dec. 11.

“Maria presents the iconic Angelina Jolie in the role of a lifetime as she embodies Maria Callas, the world-renowned opera legend. Jolie’s extraordinary portrayal captures the heart and complexity of an artist whose life was as captivating as her music,” festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a statement.

“In honor of her mesmerizing transformation into this groundbreaking yet tragic figure, we are thrilled to present Angelina Jolie with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress.”

“Maria” is centered upon the eponymous American-Greek vocalist “as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye,” according to the film’s official summary, painting a new picture of Callas in the reflective final days of her life.

Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Stephen Ashfield, Valeria Golino and Kodi Smit-McPhee also appear in supporting roles.

The movie is Larraín’s third biopic of a historic 20th century woman, in what some critics have referred to as an unofficial trilogy. Both Natalie Portman (“Jackie”) and Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) earned Best Actress nominations at the Academy Awards for the previous two.

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Jolie has a formidable Oscars resume herself, winning Best Supporting Actress for her part in “Girl, Interrupted” and receiving another nomination for “Changeling.” The Academy also recognized her with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2014.

Her legendary acting career includes appearances in “Hackers,” “Gia,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Wanted,” “Salt,” and “Maleficent.” Jolie has also directed six films and produced several others, and she received a Tony Award in June as a producer of “The Outsiders.”

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In addition to work on both sides of the camera, Jolie is known for her humanitarian efforts, such as her advocacy for refugees, women’s rights and conservation. She founded the Maddox Foundation, a multi-focused integrated development program in Cambodia, and launched the sustainability-focused fashion collective Atelier Jolie in 2023.

Jolie joins Nicole Kidman (International Star Award), Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), the cast of “Conclave” (Ensemble Performance Award), Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award), Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor) and the cast and director of Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” (Vanguard Award) as announced honors recipients at PSIFF 2025.

Emma Stone, the previous recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, went on to win an Oscar statuette for her performance in “Poor Things.”

Other festival honorees include Cate Blanchett, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Marion Cotillard, Viola Davis, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Renée Zellweger.

After the ceremony on PSIFF 2025’s second day, the film festival will continue through Jan. 13. (CNS)