Variety Presents Baz Luhrmann with the Creative Impact in Directing Award

“ELVIS” DIRECTOR BAZ LUHRMANN TO RECEIVE HONOR AT VARIETY 10 DIRECTORS TO WATCH BRUNCH AT PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

LOS ANGELES, CA – (December 7, 2022) -- Variety will honor “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann with the Creative Impact in Directing Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The award will be presented on Friday, January 6th as part of the annual 10 Directors to Watch brunch at the Parker Palm Springs. The film’s star, Austin Butler, will be on hand to present Luhrmann with the award. Butler will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor at the festival’s Film Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 5th. 

Writer/Director/Producer Luhrmann is a master storyteller and pioneer of pop culture working across film, opera, theatre, events and music. His most recent film, “Elvis,” which opened in theaters around the world this summer, has become the filmmaker’s highest grossing film in the U.S. and in 22 international territories, including the UK, Mexico, Holland, Brazil and New Zealand. In Australia, “Elvis” is currently ranked as the fourth-highest grossing Australian film of all time. “Elvis” also has landed as the second-highest grossing musical biopic of all time, globally.

The Oscar-nominated director, writer and producer burst onto the scene with the first of the Red Curtain Trilogy, “Strictly Ballroom” (1992), followed by the ambitious modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) and Academy Award-winning “Moulin Rouge!” (2001), which brought back the movie-musical and cemented Luhrmann’s cult-like following amongst audiences and industry alike. In addition, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” won Tony Awards for scenic design, costume, lighting, sound design and orchestrations, and a featured acting Tony for Broadway favorite Danny Burstein. A collaboration with Netflix later produced “The Get Down” (2016), a critically successful series based on the birth of hip-hop in 1970s South Bronx.

Past recipients of the Creative Impact in Directing Award include Ryan Coogler, Tom Hooper, Patty Jenkins, David O. Russell, Charlie Kaufman, Jeff Nichols and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The award celebrates Luhrmann’s body of work, including the Warner Bros. Pictures’ film "Elvis", which is one of the biggest films of the year. 

"From his dazzling Cannes Film Festival sensation of 1992, "Strictly Ballroom," to his current Oscar-contending biopic, "Elvis," Baz Luhrmann has been at the forefront of international cinema as the rare auteur who also connects with global audiences,” said EVP of Global Content, Steven Gaydos. “Whether it's turning the screen musical upside down with "Moulin Rouge" or bringing F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jazz Age to new life and new relevance with "The Great Gatsby," Luhrmann makes distinctive, personal cinema on a grand scale, a reminder of Hollywood Golden Age directors who are revered as bold film artists and also remembered for creating big, accessible, beloved hit movies."

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (www.psfilmfest.org) will be held January 5-16, 2023. 

About Variety 

Variety is the seminal voice of the entertainment industry. After 117 years of award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights, and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players, Variety is the most trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, aspirants and passionate entertainment enthusiasts, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print, podcasts, branded content, events, and summits.

In May 2019, Variety’s “Actors on Actors” on PBS took home a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy award and has been awarded the Emmy for best entertainment programming at the 67th and 68th Emmy Awards. “Actors on Actors,” an interview special that features pairings of prominent actors discussing their craft, was produced by PBS SoCal in partnership with Variety Media, LLC. Follow Variety on Facebook facebook.com/variety; Twitter, @variety; Instagram, @Variety The Variety Group – Variety, Variety.com, Variety Insight, Indiewire,– is owned by Variety Media, LLC, a division of Penske Media Corporation.

About the Palm Springs International Film Society 

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards® and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons. 

About Parker Palm Springs 

Situated on 13 lush acres, the Parker Palm Springs is an estate where luxury is fun. Designed by Jonathan Adler, the property boasts 131 rooms, 12 villas, and the 2-bedroom Gene Autry Residence.  There are 4 restaurants - Norma’s (of NY fame), Mister Parker’s, a dark and seductive French bistro, Counter-Reformation, a hidden wine bar, and the Lemonade Stand, perfect for an afternoon bite or cocktail. The Palm Springs Yacht Club spa at over 18,000 sq. feet is well-known and a place to indulge in a treatment, take a yoga class, or even lounge at the Deck. Additionally, the hotel has 4 red clay tennis courts, grounds consisting of games such as croquet and petanque as well as outdoor fire pits and fountains.  The perfect desert escape!  4200 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264. (760) 770-5000, www.theparkerpalmsprings.com.  

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