The Festival’s annual Awards Gala is the star-studded event of the year locally—and is among the most prestigious awards shows nationally—in the run-up to the most celebrated event of all on the film calendar: The Academy Awards. With a spectacular array of celebrity presenters and honorees, and one of the media’s most glamorous entertainment show hosts acting as the evening’s emcee, this celebration of the year’s best and brightest achievements on screen has become a major precursor of the bigger awards to come.

Sean Penn will be honored with the Director of the Year Award, Daniel Day-Lewis and Halle Berry with Desert Palm Achievement Awards, Emile Hirsch and Nikki Blonsky with Rising Star Awards, Joe Wright with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award, James Newton Howard with the Frederick Loewe Achievement Award for Film Composing, Marion Cotillard with the Breakthrough Performance Award, Jerry Weintraub with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Patron of the Arts Award, Juno with the Chairman’s Vanguard Award, and the cast of Hairspray with this year’s Ensemble Cast Award. Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart will serve as emcee.

Associated Black Tie Awards Gala
Breakthrough Performance Award
Chairman’s Vanguard Award
Desert Palm Achievement Award - Actor
Desert Palm Achievement Award - Actress
Director of the Year Award
Ensemble Performance Award
Frederick Loewe Achievement Award for Film Composing
Rising Star Award - Actor
Rising Star Award - Actress
Sonny Bono Visionary Award
The SAG Foundation Patron of the Arts Award