Kieran Culkin will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor at the Palm Springs International Film Awards for his performance in A Real Pain.
The Film Awards will take place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-13, 2025.
A Real Pain, presented by Searchlight Pictures, follows mismatched cousins David and Benji as they reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, the film stars Eisenberg alongside Culkin with a cast rounded out by Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes.
“Kieran Culkin delivers an extraordinary performance in his latest role as Benji in A Real Pain. The film follows two cousins who, after the death of their grandmother, embark on a tour of Polish Holocaust history, stirring a mix of emotions as they confront their shared past,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “Culkin brings remarkable depth to his character—a free spirit whose charm captivates a small tour group, yet who wrestles with the emotions of family loss and a sense of an unfulfilled life. For this complex performance, we present Kieran Culkin with this year’s Breakthrough Performance Award.”
Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Mahershala Ali, Austin Butler, Rami Malek, David Oyelowo, and Jeremy Renner. In the years they were honored, Ali and Malek went on to receive Academy Awards, while Butler and Renner received nominations.
Culkin joins this year’s previously announced honorees Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Conclave (Ensemble Performance Award) presented to actors Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati; Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor); Angelina Jolie (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress); Nicole Kidman (International Star Award); Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award); and Emilia Pérez (Vanguard Award) presented to director Jacques Audiard and actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez.