Palm Springs Film Fest: 'Joker' Star Joaquin Phoenix to Receive Chairman's Award

The three-time Academy Award nominee will collect his hardware at the event's annual awards gala on Jan. 2.

Joaquin Phoenix, who has been nominated for an Academy Award three times, has been chosen to receive the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Chairman's Award in recognition of his performance in Todd Phillips' Joker, in which he plays Gotham citizen and stand-up comic Arthur Fleck.

The 31st edition of PSIFF is set to run Jan. 2-13. Phoenix will collect his hardware from Phillips at the fest's annual awards gala on Jan. 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

"Joaquin Phoenix mesmerizes audiences in Joker with a performance that elicits empathy and reminds society on the whole that we can be better," said fest chairman Harold Matzner Thursday in a statement. "For this performance, another in his arsenal of unforgettable characters, we are honored to present Joaquin Phoenix with this year’s Chairman’s Award."

Previous recipients of the honor include Regina King, Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.