Palm Springs film festival live updates: Spielberg gets personal, Austin Butler reminisces

It's been three years since the Palm Springs International Film Festival was last held, but COVID-19 cancellations were a distant memory Thursday evening when stars descended upon the desert again for one of the city's most glamorous events of the year: the Palm Springs Film Awards.

Check back here for the sights, sounds and most memorable moments of the Film Awards' return.

Film awards begin

9:12 p.m.: The evening ended with a goodbye from hosts Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, who made sure to shoutout the man responsible for it all.

“Thanks to Harold Matzner, who isn’t with us but is in our hearts tonight,” Turner said before wishing everyone a safe journey home.

9:09 p.m.: Steven Spielberg, director of “The Fabelmans,” gave a heartwarming speech when accepting the Vanguard Award alongside his cast.

“When people see themselves in these characters, that’s the greatest reward for me,” he said, adding that the personal nature of the film makes this win that much more special.

We went on to thank the two biggest supporters of his career.

“I’m not aware of many other filmmakers with a Wikipedia page as densely populated with sharks and dinosaurs and robots and aliens … so it has been a wild ride,” he said. “Thanks for setting me on that ride every day with reverence and awe … my very unique mother and father.”

7:20 p.m.: "Elvis" director Baz Luhrmann had plenty to say when presenting the Breakthrough Performance Award to "Elvis" star Austin Butler. In one of the longest introductions of the night thus far, he spoke in depth about Butler's perseverance during the tumultuous experience of filming the movie at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared a "secret" about his initial reaction to the idea of casting someone to play the King of Rock.

"When I share this secret, please don't share it with the studio," Luhrmann said with a laugh. "I thought '... I'm never going to find someone who can play Elvis, that is never going to happen, because that character is almost impossible to realize.' Then the miracle of Austin Butler happens."

Butler gave the director a warm embrace before taking the award and gushing about his love for the desert.

"When I was a kid, the only vacation my family and I ever went on every other year was a timeshare of my grand parent's at the Palm Springs Tennis Club, so some of the happiest memories from my childhood were right here in Palm Springs ... so standing on this stage tonight is extra special."

7:10 p.m.: In perhaps the most desert-centric speech of the night thus far, Sarah Polley, director of "Women Talking" and recipient of the Director of the Year Award, said one of the first things she told her cast when she found out she'd be honored was "Oh my god, I love Palm Springs and have tried to crash this gala before." She went on to add that "Women Talking" cast member Frances McDormand told her to "pack her dancing shoes."

6:27 p.m.: "Atlanta" actor Brian Tyree Henry kicks things off by presenting the first honor of the night, the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress, to "Till" star Danielle Deadwyler.

6 p.m.: It's showtime for the Film Awards, but several stars, including "The Fablemans" supporting actor Seth Rogen, "The Fablemans" star Gabriel LaBelle and "Elvis" leading man Austin Butler were still chatting up reporters on the red carpet as announcements over the loudspeakers told guests to take their seats for dinner.

Celebrities begin to arrive on red carpet

5:29 p.m.: Bill Nighy, the star of the film "Living," hits the red carpet with "Living" writer Kazuo Ishiguro. "The Whale" star Brendan Fraser arrived shortly after with his girlfriend, Jeanne Moore. "Till" star Danielle Deadwyler also took to the carpet in a showstopping pink dress, the first colorful ensemble of the night.

4:57 p.m.: Keith Beauchamp, one of the three writers of the film "Till," arrives on the red carpet in style.

4:40 p.m.: Julia Butters, who played Reggie in "The Fabemans," is the first celebrity to arrive on the red carpet, which is completely covered in case the rain decides to return.

— Staff

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 2023 Palm Springs Film Awards updates: Spielberg gets personal