Adrien Brody will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, organizers announced Thursday.
Brody will be Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 3 for his lead performance in Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” an immigrant drama which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Silver Lion for Corbet’s direction.
The three-and-a-half-hour epic (including a 15-minute intermission) received immediate praise for its grand scale on a small budget — Corbet told The Hollywood Reporter that the movie was made for less than $10 million across several years. A24 won the resulting bidding war, and the film is set to open domestically on Dec. 20.
“In `The Brutalist,’ Adrien Brody delivers a stunning performance as architect László Toth following his escape to America to rebuild his life, having been forced to flee Europe at the end of the war,” festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a statement. “Brody’s mesmerizing portrayal showcases the depth of human dignity in the face of incredible suffering.”
“The Brutalist” is centered on Brody’s character as he “escapes to America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes,” according to the film’s official summary. “On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.”
Brody has received three Emmy nominations and previously earned an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist.” He took home the Oscar at age 29, making him the youngest winner in that category.
His career also includes a number of other highlights, including working with acclaimed directors such as Peter Jackson, Ken Loach, Barry Levinson and Spike Lee. Brody has appeared in five Wes Anderson movies as well, from 2007’s “The Darjeeling Limited” to 2023’s “Asteroid City.”
He joins the cast of “Conclave” (Ensemble Performance Award), Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award), Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor) and Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” (Vanguard Award) as announced honors recipients at PSIFF 2025, as of Thursday.
The previous winner of the festival’s award, Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), also took home an Oscar for the same role, a double feat matched by other Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor recipients such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn and Eddie Redmayne. Other PSIFF honorees in the same category include Brad Pitt, Riz Ahmed, Bradley Cooper, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield and Colin Farrell.
After the ceremony on PSIFF 2025’s second day, the film festival will continue through Jan. 13.