The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Regina King with the Chairman’s Award for her role in the drama “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
The festival will make the presentation at its film awards gala on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival, now in its 30th year, runs from Jan. 3 to Jan. 14.
“Whether she’s acting, producing or directing, Regina King is an amazing creative talent,” said festival chairman Harold Matzner. “In her latest film ‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ she gives an outstanding performance as Sharon Rivers, a mother supportive of her daughter whose fiancé is thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. For her performance in this challenging role, which has received much critical acclaim, it is our honor to present the Chairman’s Award to Regina King.”
Past recipients of the Chairman’s Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Reese Witherspoon.
Based on the novel by James Baldwin, “If Beale Street Could Talk” is the story of a newly engaged Harlem woman (played by KiKi Layne) who races against the clock to prove her lover’s innocence while carrying their first-born child to term. King portrays her mother. The film from Annapurna Pictures is written and directed by Barry Jenkins.
For her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” King received a best supporting actress award from the New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review and a best supporting female nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards. Her TV credits include “American Crime,” for which she won two Emmy Awards.