At the 37th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, Leonardo DiCaprio stressed the significance of creating cinema rather than just content. The event, which took place on Friday night in Palm Springs, California, marked the commencement of Hollywood's award season, celebrating some of the film industry's most anticipated contenders.
DiCaprio, who was unable to attend the festival in person due to ongoing political conflict with Venezuela that caused the cancellation of flights out of the Caribbean, where he had been vacationing, accepted the award via a pre-recorded video. His co-stars, Chase Infiniti and Teyana Taylor, accepted the award on his behalf.
In his message, DiCaprio emphasized the necessity of experiencing movies together in a theater. He stated that this belief is more important now than ever before. He acknowledged that original films are becoming increasingly difficult to produce and protect. DiCaprio made it clear that cinema, which tells stories made by people to be shared in a dark room as a communal experience, still matters.
The awards night featured heartfelt speeches that underscored the importance of unity among artists, as well as the need to preserve original storytelling and movie theaters. Michael B. Jordan, while accepting the Icon Award, encouraged his colleagues to continue creating original stories that foster unity. He expressed his hope that the films being honored would inspire people to do more, be better, see each other more clearly, and make the world a brighter place, so that they could step back into the sun together when the lights come up in the theater.
Also at the event, Cyrus accepted the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award for her song “Dream As One” in “Avatar: Fire and Ash”. Cyrus voiced her hope that artists would shift their focus to becoming more community-driven rather than seeing each other as competitors. She noted that while numbers might make it seem like a sport, performance involves so much more.
Guillermo del Toro, another honoree, reflected on the relevance of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein.". Del Toro stated that the novel's relevance means two things: "We never learn, and sometimes the only way to talk about humanity is through monsters".
