Viola Davis to receive Chairman's Award at Palm Springs film awards

"The Woman King" actor and producer Viola Davis will receive the Chairman’s Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The Film Awards will take place in person on Jan. 5, 2023, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the Palm Springs International Film Festival running through Jan. 16, 2023. The 2022 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Woman King," directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is inspired by true events and depicts an all-female unit of warriors known as the "Agojie" who secured the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s. General Nanisca (Davis) trains an upcoming generation of recruits for a battle against King Ghezo of Dahomey and Portuguese slave traders.

“Whether as an actress or producer, Viola Davis brings powerful stories to the screen. In The Woman King, Davis continues to prove that she is a force of nature in this groundbreaking performance about the leader of the Agojie, a unit of all-female warriors,” Festival Chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “It is our honor to present the Chairman’s Award to Viola Davis celebrating her work as both an actress and producer.”

In 2020, the New York Times named Davis as No. 9 on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century highlighting "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," "Fences" and "Antwone Fisher." Davis, who also has appeared in theater productions, has won a Primetime Emmy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Tony Awards and an Academy Award.

Some of Davis' noteworthy roles have been in films such as "The Help," "Doubt," "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," "Get On Up" and "Nights in Rodanthe." She also portrayed Michelle Obama in the 2022 TV series "The First Lady."

Past recipients of the Chairman's Award include George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson and Nicole Kidman.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival will be held Jan. 5-16, 2023.

Davis joins previously announced honorees: Austin Butler (Breakthrough Performance Award, Cate Blanchett (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress), Colin Farrell (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Sarah Polley (Director of the Year Award), Michelle Yeoh (International Star Award) and The Fabelmans (The Vanguard Award). "Elvis" director Baz Luhrmann will receive the Creative Impact in Directing Award from Variety during the festival.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Viola Davis to receive Chairman's Award at Palm Springs film awards