PALM SPRINGS – The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Mary Poppins Returns with the Ensemble Performance Award at its annual Film Awards Gala.
Expected to attend from the Poppins film are Emily Blunt, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson. The award will be presented by the film’s director Rob Marshall. The Film Awards Gala, hosted by Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight, and presented by American Express, will be held on Thursday, Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs Jan. 3-14.
“Mary Poppins Returns is a happy film, that re-creates the magic and adventure of the first film,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In this outstanding sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family as they race to keep the bank’s executives from foreclosing on their home. Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda lead an excellent ensemble cast that also includes Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury and many others. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the cast of Mary Poppins Returns with the Ensemble Performance Award.”
The cast joins previously announced honorees Timothée Chalamet, Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Regina King, Spike Lee, Rami Malek, Melissa McCarthy and the film Green Book. Past recipients of the Ensemble Performance Award include Academy Award® winner for Best Picture Argo, as well as past Best Picture nominees American Hustle, The Big Short, Hidden Figures, The Imitation Game and The Social Network.
Mary Poppins Returns is an original musical from director Rob Marshall which continues the story of the practically-perfect nanny and the Banks family. In the film, Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) have grown up, Michael has three children of his own, and his wife has recently passed away. Emily Blunt stars as Mary Poppins, who returns to help the grieving Banks family move past their terrible loss and find the joy and wonder missing from their lives. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Mary’s friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.
The film has received numerous accolades including one of the AFI Movies of the Year Award; one of the top ten films for the National Board of Review; Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress and Best Actress in a Comedy for Emily Blunt; Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Miranda and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Blunt; SAG Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in A Leading Role nomination for Blunt.
