The love for “Hidden Figures” continues. It has just been announced that the 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will present the cast of “Hidden Figures” with the Ensemble Performance Award.
Written by Allison Schroeder and the film’s director, Theodore Melfi, and based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, “Hidden Figures” tells the “incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson ( Monáe), brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.”
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, and Jim Parsons are expected to attend the gala on January 2, during which the award will be presented.
“History has its share of incredible untold stories, and this is one of the most compelling, the tale of three African-American women — engineers, physicists, mathematicians — who in their work for NASA in the early 1960s were integral in calculating the flight trajectories for Project Mercury and Apollo 11,” said Festival Chairman Harold Maztner. “Fueled by the performances of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe, the ensemble cast also features outstanding performances from Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Glen Powell and many others. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the entire cast of “Hidden Figures” with the 2017 Ensemble Performance Award.”
“Hidden Figures” will have an Oscar-qualifying run when it hits theaters December 25. Having a science-based film starring women, and women of color at that, campaign for and potentially win awards would be not only a huge deal for Hollywood, but for the awards race as well. With three African-American stars, “Hidden Figures” has the potential to help steer #OscarsSoWhite in a more inclusive direction.
It was previously announced that Nicole Kidman will receive the International Star Award at the 28th Annual Palm Springs Film Festival this year. The fest is set for January 2–16, 2017.
