Palm Springs Film Festival Announces First Gala Honoree

Organizers for the 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced on Tuesday the first honoree for the film festival gala planned for January.

Festival leaders will present Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan with the Breakthrough Performance Award for her work in the currently released drama “Never Let Me Go and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”

Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will kick off the 2011 awards season on Saturday, January 8 at the Palm Springs Convention Center and will be hosted by ?Entertainment Tonight?s? Mary Hart. The Festival runs January 6-17.

?Carey Mulligan is an actress of extraordinary talent and versatility,? said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. ?In her most recent performances as the estranged daughter of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps to Never Let Me Go, where her character learns that life isn?t always what it seems, she brings uncommon vision and depth to her art. It is a great honor for the Palm Springs International Film Festival to present her with the 2010 Breakthrough Performance Award.?

Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Hudson, Felicity Huffman, Freida Pinto, Jeremy Renner and Mariah Carey.

Festival organizers said Carey Mulligan burst onto the scene as Jenny in Lone Sherfig?s “An Education,” for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Her other film credits include Jim Sheridan?s “Brothers,” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; Michael Mann?s “Public Enemies,” with Johnny Depp; and Shana Feste?s “The Greatest,” starring with Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon.

She began her film career in Anand Tucker?s And When Did You Last See Your Father? and Joe Wright?s Pride and Prejudice.

Mulligan currently stars in Fox Searchlight?s “Never Let Me Go” and 20th Century Fox?s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”