PALM SPRINGS, California − There's one night every year when the desert shines a little brighter than Hollywood, and that's because the brightest stars have left Los Angeles for the Palm Springs International Film Awards.
The annual celebration of cinema took place Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. ThoughLeonardo DiCaprio went missingamid travel issues, there's plenty to unpack, fromMiley Cyrusshouting out her favorite Palm Springs drag show spot toa certain celebrity and their famous girlfriendmaking a stealth entrance.
These were our favorite moments from the 2026 Palm Springs International Film Awards.
Palm Springs International Film Awards:Relive the night's celebrity speeches and arrivals
Hollywood stepped out on the first big red carpet of the new year at the Palm Springs International Film Awards in California on Jan. 3, 2025, starting with "Sentimental Value" star Renate Reinsve." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Renate Reinsve" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kate Hudson " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kate Hudson and filmmaker Josh Safdie" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Miley Cyrus " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Miley Cyrus makes her entrance." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Amanda Seyfried" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Amanda Seyfried" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Elle Fanning " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Elle Fanning interacts with fans. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Teyana Taylor, right, acknowledges fans as she enters the awards." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Rose Byrne, left, shares a playful moment with Meghann Fahy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Meghann Fahy, left, and Rose Byrne " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Oscar Isaac " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mahershala Ali " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke share a moment on the red carpet." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
"Hamnet" director Chloé Zhao " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Best Palm Springs Film Awards looks, from Kate Hudson to Miley Cyrus
Hollywood stepped out on the first big red carpet of the new year at the Palm Springs International Film Awards in California on Jan. 3, 2025, starting with "Sentimental Value" star Renate Reinsve.
Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner sneak into Palm Springs Film Awards via the back door
Timothée Chalamet, winner of the Spotlight Actor of the Year Award for his starring role in "Marty Supreme," was noticeably absent from the arrivals. When The Desert Sun inquired whether Chalamet would be attending, an event representative confirmed the actor had slipped through the back entrance with girlfriend Kylie Jenner, skipping the red carpet entirely.
Jenner was spotted in the crowdseated next to Chalamet in a slinky orange gown.
Leonardo DiCaprio sends virtual acceptance speech after he's stranded by travel issues
Leonardo DiCaprio was set to be the grand finale of Saturday's awards show as the winner of the Desert Palm Achievement Award for "One Battle After Another," but he was unable to attend the event amid airport snarls across Southern California, particularly atPalm Springs International Airport. (Variety reported he was stranded byVenezuela air restrictions.)
He did, however, record a video message that was played after he was introduced by his "One Battle After Another" co-stars Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.
"I'm stuck on the East Coast. I wish I was there to celebrate with all of you. I'm truly grateful to be a part of it, even from the distance," he said.
The most poignant part of his speech was about the importance of attending movies at theaters.
"My father used to take me to the movies, the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles. I lived four blocks away, and it's now home to one of the last Vistavision projectors on Earth. It was my neighborhood theater, it was where I first felt the power of cinema, and sitting in that dark room with my father, watching something bigger than myself, I realized how deeply movies can affect all of us."
"Original films are harder to make and harder to protect, but movies still matter, not content, but cinema. Stories made by people meant to be shared in a dark room, in a communal experience. Thank you for believing in this work, and thank you for believing in the movies," he added.
Adam Sandler ponders what he'd be if he weren't an actor
The honoree who delivered the most laughs with his acceptance speech was Adam Sandler, the recipient of the Chairman's Award for his work in "Jay Kelly."
Sandler said after he graduated college, his father told him he had one year to try acting, and if that didn't pan out, he could work for him as an electrical contractor. Sandler imagined how his life would be different if he was an electrical contractor and mowed through a six-minute set built on that premise:
"First off, I'm thinking I'd still be married to my wife, Jackie, that's destiny. True love − nothing stops that. But we'd definitely have a different house. Probably like 10 less bathrooms and a few less statues of me." (Side note: Jackie was in attendance and got a kick out of watching autograph-seekers going crazy trying to get his attention, even taking her own photos of the scene.)
"I'd probably somehow still be friends with Rob Schneider and I'd have him work with me on every electrical contract I was asked to do. Or at least he'd yell, 'You can do it' when I change the fuse box or something."
"I'd definitely be wearing the same clothes I always wear. No problem there."
"I'd probably still have a deal with Netflix, but I'd be paying them a monthly fee so that I can watch 'Stranger Things.' "
"I would not be here right now accepting an award for acting. I'd probably be at Burger King accepting an award for Best Customer. Then I'd go straight to the pawn shop and sell the trophy so I can get more Burger King. ... Actually that's not something that would've happened, that's something I actually did."
Amanda Seyfried is an ABBA dancing queen
As Amanda Seyfried approached the stage, the orchestra played some ABBA music, referencing her iconic role in "Mamma Mia!"
"That music will never stop … following me," she said to a laugh from the crowd.
When she left the stage after receiving the Desert Palm Achievement Award, the band played anther ABBA song and she gave a knowing smirk before dancing off into the wings.
Miley Cyrus shouts out Palm Springs drag hot spot
Miley Cyrus proved right away that this was not her first time in Palm Springs.
"This is such a beautiful and sophisticated event," Cyrus said while receiving the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award. "It is truly the most elegant Palm Springs party that I have ever been to. There are fewer drag queens than I'd like, but I'll be stopping by Toucans on the way back to LA to get my fix."
Cyrus was being honored forher song "Dream as One,"from "Avatar: Fire and Ash," and she circled back to Toucans Tiki Lounge later in her speech.
"We all have a persona. Self-creation is an art form, and all of us perform genuinely and that's something that I deeply admire in both award-wining actors and the drag queens of Toucans," she said. " (It's about) choosing who you want to be and then having the freedom and the bravery every day to do it again and again."
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun:5 biggest moments from the Palm Springs Film Awards
