Audience Award Winners: "Then She Found Me"

Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: "Then She Found Me"
(USA) directed, co-written by and starring Helen Hunt

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: "Autism: The Musical"
directed by Tricia Regan (USA)
The documentary follows the six-month rehearsal process of the Miracle Project, in which a group of autistic children writer and perform a full-length musical. The film is shortlisted for the Academy Awards Best Documentary Feature nomination.

FIPRESCI Award: "Armin"
directed by Ognjen Svilicic (Croatia)
The film is an intimate, poignant drama about a small-town father and son trying to maintain their dignity in the big city and in the face of unexpected opportunities. The jury selected the film for its sensitive portrayal of a father-son relationship and the subtle intimations of unseen horrors, brilliantly evoked in a serio-comic manner.

FIPRESCI Award Best Actor: Song Gang-ho for his role in "Secret Sunshine"
directed by Lee Chang-dong (South Korea)

FIPRESCI Award Best Actress: Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu for their performances in "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
directed by Cristian Mungiu (Romania)

This year’s FIPRESCI jury members include Ronald Bergen (UK), Isabelle Danel (France) and Adam Nayman (Canada).

The New Voices/New Visions category features films from ten new international directors whose first or second films have been selected by the Festival’s programming team to represent the best work of previously unheralded talents emerging in the narrative film making field with a particularly high standard of accomplishment and innovative technique. Reviewing the films for this award were journalist Elliot Kotek; Stefan Laudyn, director of the Warsaw Film Festival; and Thorsten Ritter, International Sales Agent from Bavaria Films.

New Voices/New Visions Award: "Hounds"
directed and co-written by Ann-Kristin Reyels (Germany)
“Themselves a strange mix of cultures, the jury found common ground in their appreciation of Hounds, an accomplished first feature directed and co-written by Ann-Kristin Reyels which subtly succeeds in all aspects of the art-form. Of particular importance to our decision was our sense of this film's consideration of its context within the world at large: Hounds cleverly and comically presents a small-town microcosm of global issues - the acceptance of disabilities without condescension, the respect for other species, and the importance of love and communication within families (however unconventional their composition).”

John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature (Narrative or Documentary): "The Champagne Spy"
directed by: Nadav Schirman (Israel)

This honor, selected by the Festival programming team, acknowledges the work of a first-time filmmaker whose narrative or documentary feature represents particular distinction and the promise of a major filmmaking career. The film follows a 12 year-old boy who journeys into the shadowy corners of his father’s real and covert identities, when he learns that he is a Mossad spy.

Commenting on the selection Co-directors of programming Carl Spence and Helen du Toit said, “Prior to making his mark with acclaimed features John Schlesinger made his debut with a documentary film. We are delighted to celebrate a filmmaker, who incidentally was inspired to get into filmmaking by John Schlesinger's Marathon Man and is working on his first narrative feature following the enthusiastic audience and critical response to his debut documentary feature The Champagne Spy.”

Heineken Red Star Award: "Ben X"
directed by: Nic Balthazar (Belgium)

The Heineken Red Star Award was created to provide increased exposure and visibility for the movies screened at these film festivals, while recognizing and rewarding innovative and original works of film. The art of filmmaking is a labor of love; it takes many people to create a movie, but even when the final cut is complete, there is still a long way to go before it makes it to the big screen, which is where the Heineken Red Star Award comes in. The winner of the Heineken Red Star Award receives a full-page profile in Variety magazine, featured on a segment on the Independent Film Channel, and invited to participate in an industry networking event in Los Angeles this December – all in an effort to provide much-needed recognition and exposure for talented filmmakers to assist in getting their works to screen.

Special Jury Mention went to "The Waltz"
directed by Salvatore Maira

Special Mention for Cinematography: "Two Embraces" directed by Enrique Begne; cinematography by Frederico Barbarosa.

Commenting on these two awards the jury stated: “For his ability to construct and execute the logistical feat of an entertaining feature film in one extended take without the sacrifice of story, the jury has decided to single out Salvatore Maira’s "The Waltz" for a Special Mention. And finally, the jury acknowledges by Special Mention the vivid and eloquent cinematography created by Federico Barbarosa for Enrique Begne’s 'Two Embraces.'”

Bridging the Border’s Award presented by Cinema Without Borders: "The Band’s Visit"
directed by Eran Kolinn (Israel)

This award is given to the film that is the most successful in bringing the people of our world closer together. The story of an Egyptian brass band in a backwater, desert Israeli town and the comical tensions that erupt among the band’s members, hosts and potential audience.

The 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Emile Hirsch with the Rising Star Award at the Festival’s annual Awards Gala. Festival chairman Earl Greenburg 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. The Awards Gala will kick-off the 2008 Awards Season on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, which will be hosted by “Entertainment Tonight’s” Mary Hart. The Festival will be held January 3-14, 2008.

Commenting on the selection, Greenburg said, “Emile Hirsch has earned a reputation as the foremost leading man of his generation and his performance in Into the Wild solidifies that. We’re excited to honor him this year and include him amongst the past recipients of the Festival’s Rising Star Award.”

Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Bryce Dallas Howard, Terrence Howard and Adam Beach.

Hirsch stars in Paramount Vantage’s "Into the Wild" as Christopher McCandless who abandoned his possessions, gave his $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Written and directed by Sean Penn, the film is based on a true story and the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer.

He just wrapped production on "Speed Race"r for directors Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski, in which he stars as the title character Speed, based on the classic 1960's Japanese animated series chronicling the aspirations of a young race car driver. The Warner Bros. film, also starrring Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Matthew Fox, will open on May 9, 2008.

Hirsch was last seen in Nick Cassavetes' "Alpha Dog" opposite an all-star cast including Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis. The film documented the life of Jesse James Hollywood (Hirsch), a drug dealer who became the youngest man ever to be on the FBI's Most Wanted List. The film premiered to rave reviews at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Additional credits include Catherine Hardwicke's" The Lords of Dogtown" opposite Heath Ledger, "Imaginary Heroes" directed by Dan Harris and opposite Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels, and "The Girl Next Door" with co-star Elisha Cuthbert, "The Mudge Boy," "The Emperor's Club" and "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys."

Cotillard First Honoree Announced for Festival's January 5, 2008 Awards Gala

The 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Marion Cotillard with the Breakthrough Performance Award for her performance in "La Vie en Rose." This is the first honoree announcement made for the 2008 Festival. The Awards Gala will kick-off the 2008 Awards Season on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Festival chairman Earl Greenburg said, "Marion Cotillard delivers a tour de force performance as legendary singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose" which is sure to be recognized throughout this year's awards season. This is truly one of the year's breakthrough performances and we're delighted to recognize her for this outstanding role." Past recipients of the Festival's Breakthrough Performance Award include Jennifer Hudson and Felicity Huffman.

Marion Cotillard stars as Edith Piaf in Picturehouse's "La Vie En Rose" written and directed by Olivier Dahan. The film follows Piaf's rise from the slums of Paris to the limelight of New York all the while struggling with her passionate romances and relationships with some of the greatest names of that time. The film also stars Gerard Depardieu. "La Vie en Rose" was released in theatres across the county by Picturehouse on June 8, 2007.

Born in Paris, Cotillard most recently appeared opposite Russell Crowe in director "Ridley Scott's A Good Year," based on a bestselling novel by Peter Mayle. In 2004, Cotillard was honored with the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "A Very Long Engagement," which followed two Cesar nominations for Most Promising Actress for Gérard Pires's "Taxi.". Cotillard appeared in two sequels of the action comedy "Taxi," both directed by Gérard Krawczyk. On this side of the Atlantic, Cotillard made lasting impressions in director Tim Burton's "Big Fish" (2004) with Ewan McGregor and Abel Ferrara's "Mary" (2005) with Forest Whitaker.

Cotillard will next be seen in "L'Ennemi public n° 1" (Public Enemy No. 1), director Jean-François Richet's take on the story of Jacques Mesrine, one of France's master criminals during the 1970's, starring Vincent Cassel and Alain Delon. Filming concurrently, the sequel, "Death Instinct," will co-star Cassel and Casino Royale's Eva Green. Cotillard will soon begin production on Rob Marshall's Nine, co-starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.

FIPRESCI Award Winner- Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: “Pan's Labyrinth” (El Laberinto del Fauno)
Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro

New Voices New Visions Special Jury Prize Winner- “Agua” (Aguas Argentinas)
Directed by: Verónica Chen

New Voices New Visions Grand Jury Prize Winner- “It’s Winter” (Zemestan)
Directed by: Rafi Pitts

Audience Choice Award - Best Narrative Feature- “The Lives of Others” (Das Leben der Anderen)
Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Audience Choice Award Best - Documentary Feature- “Blindsight”
Directed By: Lucy Walker