The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Amanda Seyfried is the recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress for her performance in “The Testament of Ann Lee.” The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2026, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-12, 2026. The event will be presented by Kering and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.
“In ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,‘ Amanda Seyfried delivers a masterful performance—one that is haunting in its emotional intensity and profoundly human in its truth,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “Across her remarkable career, she has continued to evolve, take bold risks, and elevate every story she inhabits. We are honored to present her with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress.”
From award-winning writer-director Mona Fastvold (“The World to Come,” “The Brutalist“) comes the extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker’s irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. “The Testament of Ann Lee” captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements with choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (“Vox Lux“) and original songs and score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (“The Brutalist“). The cast also includes Thomasin Mckenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Matthew Beard, Scott Handy, Viola Prettejohn, Jamie Bogyo, David Cale, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Abbott.
Amanda Seyfried received both Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her portrayal of Marion Davies in David Fincher’s critically acclaimed “Mank.” Notably, for her portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout,” Seyfried won an Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics’ Choice Award as well as a selection to the TIME 100 list for 2022. Her other film and TV credits include “Seven Veils,” “Chloe,” “Long Bright River,” “The Crowded Room,” “Things Heard & Seen,” “A Mouthful of Air,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again,” “First Reformed,” “Lovelace,” “Les Miserables,” “Dear John,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “While We’re Young,” “Ted 2,” “A Millions Ways to Die in the West,” “In Time,” “Letters to Juliet,” “Mean Girls,” “Nine Lives,” “Big Love,” and “Alpha Dog.” Seyfried will next star in “The Housemaid,” a psychological thriller from Lionsgate based on Freida McFadden’s New York Times-bestselling novel. The film is set for release Dec. 19, 2025.
Seyfried joins this year’s previously announced honorees Michael B. Jordan (Icon Award), Leonardo DiCaprio (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Ethan Hawke (Career Achievement Award), Adam Sandler (Chairman’s Award), “Hamnet” director Chloé Zhao as well as actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal (Vanguard Award) and “Sentimental Value” cast members Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning (International Star Award). Last year’s recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress was Angelina Jolie for her performance in “Maria.” Past honorees also include Emma Stone, Cate Blanchett, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Marion Cotillard, Viola Davis, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Renée Zellweger, who all went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
What do you think of this news for the Palm Springs International Film Festival? Have you seen “The Testament of Ann Lee“ yet? If so, what did you think of the film and do you believe Leoanrdo DiCaprio will receive his second Oscar win for his performance in the film? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
