Festival Awards Gala to be Held Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart

The 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Anna Kendrick with the Rising Star Award for her performance in Up in the Air at the Festival's annual Awards Gala.  Festival chairman Harold Matzner made the announcement at a private event at the historic Charlie Chaplin home of Patricia Barry in Beverly Hills,CA hosted by Festival board member Stephen Breimer. Darryl MacDonald and his programming staff greeted the assembled Los Angeles industry and media attended, many who have been involved with the festival since it's inception. Industry executives both past and present along with producers, directors and media representatives including Variety's Peter Bart, Indiewire's Anne Thompson, Hollywood Reporters' Editor, Elizabath Guider, critic Kirk Honeycutt, and Movieline's Steven Farber sampled the featured and plentiful mexican appetizers and toasted the festival and its young star.  Marc Halperin, who brought Cinema Paradiso to the first festival, as the opening night film chatted with representatives from the Belgium and French consulates, as well as sponsor Regal Cinemas. The Awards Gala, presented by Cartier, will kick-off the 2010 Awards Season on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, and will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart.  The Festival will be held January 5-18, 2010.

Commenting on the selection, Matzner said, "Anna Kendrick is an extremely gifted young actress. Given her striking, multifaceted performance in Up in the Air, we are delighted to present her with the Festival's Rising Star Award." Up in the Air is a dramatic comedy from Jason Reitman, the Oscar® nominated director of Juno. The film stars Oscar® winner George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened by a young, upstart efficiency expert (Kendrick) just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles.  The film also stars Vera Farmiga and Jason Bateman.  Paramount Pictures will release the film on December 4, 2009.

In 2008, Kendrick was seen in the blockbuster feature film Twilight. She will also star in the sequel, New Moon, which will be released to theatres nationwide on November 20, 2009. Currently, Kendrick is on location filming the third installment of the popular Twilight Saga, entitled Eclipse.

Kendrick made her feature film debut in Todd Graff's Camp, a darling of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. An accomplished theater veteran, Kendrick began her career as Dinah Lord in the 1997 Broadway musical production of High Society for which she received a Tony® Award Nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. At 12 years old, the honor made her the second youngest Tony nominee in award history.

Celebrating its 21st anniversary PSIFF was founded in 1990 by then Mayor Sonny Bono.  The festival, scheduled from January 5-18, 2010, will include over 400 screenings of more than 200 films from approximately 60 countries.  The Festival presents a majority of the films submitted for consideration in the Best Foreign Language category for the Academy Awards, as well as a large number of American independent and international features and documentaries marking their world, North American or U.S. debuts.  Screenings are held on 15 screens throughout Palm Springs.

The Festival's 21st Annual Awards Gala is presented by Cartier and sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Entertainment Tonight.  Renewing sponsors of this year's Festival are Title Sponsor, The City of Palm Springs and Presenting Sponsors, The Desert Sun, the City of Indian Wells, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Spencer's Restaurant, and KPSP Local 2.  Major Sponsors include Bank of America, Integrated Wealth Management, Guthy-Renker, Regal Entertainment, Wessman Development, Ocean Properties Development, Palm Desert National Bank and Wells Fargo.

For additional information please visit www.psfilmfest.org.