Variety Presents Rian Johnson with the Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY FILMMAKER RIAN JOHNSON TO RECEIVE HONOR AT VARIETY 10 DIRECTORS TO WATCH BRUNCH AT PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

LOS ANGELES, CA – (December 13, 2022) -- Variety will honor GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rian Johnson with the Creative Impact in Screenwriting 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.

Johnson is an Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominated filmmaker, who is known for crafting films with their own artfully designed voice and look, and for telling unique stories that blend the pulp of genre with a genuine soulfulness. He is currently in post-production on his first television series, POKER FACE, a gritty and clever drama starring Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrien Brody and Stephanie Hsu, among others, which he wrote and is directing several episodes. Produced under his and partner Ram Bergman’s T-Street banner and alongside MRC Television, the mystery series will launch on Peacock in 2023. Additional film credits include STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, which he was chosen to helm after directing just three films, including the critically acclaimed LOOPER, THE BROTHERS BLOOM and BRICK.

Past recipients of the Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award include Aaron Sorkin and Chris Rock. The award celebrates Johnson’s body of work, including the Netflix film GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY, which is the follow-up to his Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, KNIVES OUT, which earned him Academy Award®, WGA and Critics Choice Award nominations for “Best Original Screenplay” and a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Picture – Musical or Comedy. 

“The promise of Rian Johnson’s breakthrough neo-noir thriller ‘BRICK’ was realized with Johnson’s wickedly smart sci-fi hit ‘LOOPER’, and breakthrough mainstream success followed with his joining the hallowed Star Wars franchise team,” said Variety’s EVP of content, Steven Gaydos. “But it’s Johnson’s creation and direction of the sensational ‘GLASS ONION’ comic crime film series that makes him one of world cinema’s most elegantly accomplished cinema stylists and a worthy heir to Agatha Christie and all the other greats of the ‘whodoneit’ genre.”

Baz Luhrmann will receive the Creative Impact in Directing Award and Variety will fete its annual 10 Directors to Watch at the event as previously announced. 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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