The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Oscar nominated actor Colman Domingo is the recipient of the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance in Sing Sing. The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-13, 2025. The event will be presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.

“We are so thrilled to honor the remarkable talent of Colman Domingo at the Palm Springs International Film Awards for the second year in a row. In Sing Sing, Colman Domingo delivers another outstanding performance based on the true story of the wrongfully convicted Divine G, who finds purpose in prison through stage acting.” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “For this incredibly raw and captivating performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Colman Domingo.”

Domingo joins this year’s previously announced honoree: Emilia Pérez will receive the Vanguard Award, presented to director Jacques Audiard and actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez. Past recipients of the Spotlight Award, Actor include Bryan Cranston for Trumbo, Brendan Fraser for The Whale, and Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge along with Domingo himself for Rustin last year. All four went on to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, with Fraser receiving the Best Actor award.

In the A24 film Sing Sing, Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin). In this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Directed by Greg Kwedar, Domingo also executive produced Sing Sing.

Colman Domingo has been nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globes, SAG, Tony, Critics Choice Awards, Independent Spirit, Gotham Awards, Lawrence Olivier, Drama Desk, Drama League award. He has won an Emmy, AAFCA, NAACP Image, and many more.

In 2023, Domingo starred as Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin in Netflix and Higher Ground’s film Rustin for which he received an Academy Award Nomination, Golden Globes, Bafta and SAG nominations. He can also be seen as “Mister” in the Warner Bros production of The Color Purple, which received a SAG Ensemble nomination and a NAACP award nomination.

His Emmy Award-winning role as “Ali” in HBO’s Euphoria as well as his roles in Zola, If Beale Street Could Talk, Selma, Candyman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Lucy in the Sky, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Lincoln, Freedomland, and three films directed by Spike Lee, including Miracle At St. Ana, Red Hook Summer and Passing Strange continued to show his versatility on screening. Domingo and his husband Raul Domingo have produced a myriad of work under their Edith Productions banner including It’s What Inside, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance film festival and sold to Netflix. He has also co-produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony-nominated play Fat Ham.

Upcoming projects include the limited series “The Madness” for Netflix on November 28^th; Lionsgate’s Michael playing Joe Jackson, directed by Antoine Fuqua as well as the Netflix Tina Fey comedy “The Four Seasons”.

About the Palm Springs International Film Society

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards®, and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons