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 3rd, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2nd-13th, 2025. Our very own Ema Sasic will be covering the event.
“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 RamÃrez. Past recipients of the Spotlight Award for Actor include Bryan Cranston for “Trumbo,” Brendan Fraser for “The Whale,” Andrew Garfield for “Hacksaw Ridge,” and 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 a wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin). This stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art stars 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, and Drama League awards. 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 an 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’Â 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 28th, which features Lionsgate’s “Michael” as Joe Jackson and is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and the Netflix Tina Fey comedy “The Four Seasons.”
What do you think of this news for the Palm Springs International Film Festival? Have you seen “Sing Sing” yet? If so, what did you think? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
