If you”re still questioning whether Julianne Moore will be among the top contenders for this year”s Best Actress prize, allow the Palm Springs International Film Festival to bolster the argument. Announced in a press release, the fest will honor the “Still Alice” actress with its Desert Palm Achievement Award, an annual litmus test for the year”s Oscary-worthy performances.
“Throughout her career, Julianne Moore has delivered a wide range of extraordinary performances, from such diverse Oscar-nominated films as 'Boogie Nights' and 'Far from Heaven' to this year”s Cannes win for Best Actress in the riveting 'Maps to the Stars,'” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in a statement. “In her latest film 'Still Alice,' she faces one of her most demanding and challenging roles as Alice, a woman diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer”s Disease. Moore delivers another career-defining performance that is sure to captivate audiences and bring attention to this devastating disease. It is our honor to present the 2015 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, to Julianne Moore.”
Moore will receive the award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival”s Awards Gala, held Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 (the festival runs Jan 2-12). Previous winners include Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams. Moore will be joined by Eddie Redmayne, who picked up the Best Actor Desert Palm Achievement Award for his work in “The Theory of Everything.”
Moore has all the right pieces in play to carry herself to Oscar night. As she tours “Still Alice” across festivals and academy screenings, she”ll get a exposure bump with the upcoming “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” and see a little bump when Focus World slips “Maps to the Stars” into theaters for a qualifying run. An honor from PSIFF only keeps the snowball rolling.
”Still Alice” will have one-week run in New York and Los Angeles at the tail end of December. A wide release is scheduled for Jan. 16.