The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Kate Hudson is the recipient of the Icon Award, Actress, for her performance in Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue.” The Film Awards will take place on January 3rd, 2026, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2nd–12th, 2026. The event will be presented by Kering and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.
“Kate Hudson’s turn in ‘Song Sung Blue‘ is deeply moving, bringing warmth, vulnerability, and musical confidence to a role that demands both heart and grit,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “From her breakthrough in ‘Almost Famous’ to her fearless turns in romance, comedy, and drama across her career, she has shown a remarkable ability to evolve as an artist. It is our privilege to honor her with the Icon Award, recognizing not just this performance but a body of work that continues to inspire.”
Based on a true story, “Song Sung Blue” follows Mike and Claire as they become Lightning and Thunder, a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band that takes them from a small garage to dive bar glory to an unlikely Milwaukee stardom defined by their moving devotion to one another and the raucous power of “Sweet Caroline.” But when tragedy strikes and plunges them to the bottom, it’s the revelatory power of their love — for music and for each other — that binds the pair, provides a way forward, and ultimately helps them remember one another. The Focus Features film is directed and written by Craig Brewer, starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, Hudson Hensley, Fisher Stevens, and Jim Belushi. “Song Sung Blue” opens in theatres nationwide on Christmas Day. Hudson received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Kate Hudson is a Golden Globe Award winner and Academy Award–nominated actress, singer/songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. She is best known for her roles in “Almost Famous,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and “Bride Wars,” which she also produced. She co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in “Deepwater Horizon” and “Marshall,” opposite Chadwick Boseman and Sterling K. Brown, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in “Music.” She co-starred opposite Octavia Spencer in the Apple TV+ series “Truth Be Told,” and starred in Ana Lily Amirpour’s mystery thriller “Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.” She was part of the all-star ensemble of the Netflix global smash hit, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” She currently stars in and executive produces the hit Netflix series “Running Point,” which has wrapped its second season.
Hudson 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); Amanda Seyfried (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress); “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).
Past winners of the Icon Award include Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe, Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Lady Gaga, Paul Giamatti, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep. In their respective years, Close (“The Wife“), Dafoe (“The Florida Project“), Duvall (“The Judge”), Giamatti (“The Holdovers“) and Streep (“August Osage County”) were each nominated for an Academy Award in their respective years.
What do you think of this news for the Palm Springs International Film Festival? Have you seen “Song Sung Blue“ yet? If so, what did you think of the film? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
