California: Joaquin Phoenix brought his mother Arlyn and Jennifer Lopez brought her fiance Alex Rodriguez to Hollywood's first awards event of 2020 -- at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Phoenix and Lopez were among the honorees at the festival's opening night gala on Thursday. Others receiving awards included Bombshell star Charlize Theron and Pain and Glory star Antonio Banderas.
Phoenix was bestowed with the Chairman's Award for his performance in massively successful film of 2019, Joker by his director Todd Phillips, whom he joined onstage.
Lopez was honoured with the Spotlight Award at the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The actor got the award for her film Hustlers during the ceremony at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
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Past recipients of the Spotlight Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Helen Hunt, Allison Janney, Rooney Mara and Julia Roberts. All recipients received Academy Award nominations in the year they were honoured, out of which Janney went on to get an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
The non-televised gala was a low-pressure affair, with winners named in advance and presented with sculpture trophies by friends and directors.
On a related note, Joaquin has begin shooting for his next. In December last year, the 45-year-old actor was spotted at New York City's Central Park where he was shooting for Mike Mills' film in extreme cold.
With inputs from APTN
