Matt Damon will receive the Chairman’s Award at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Awards Gala, with “The Martian” director Ridley Scott presenting the honor to his leading man.
The gala will take place in the desert resort east of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 2, just a few days after Oscar nomination voting begins.
Damon will join other PSIFF honorees Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson, Rooney Mara, Tom McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan and Alicia Vikander.
“Since his breakthrough role in ‘Good Will Hunting,’ Matt Damon has taken on a series of challenging roles through his career,” festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “In his latest film, ‘The Martian,’ Damon dazzles yet again as Mark Watney, an astronaut desperately trying to survive on Mars, yet still finding a way to laugh and bring hope to an impossible situation.”
Last week, Damon did not receive a Best Actor nomination from the Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance in “The Martian,” though he did receive a Golden Globe nod as Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
Previous recipients of the Chairman’s Award include Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival will begin on Jan. 1 and run through Jan. 11, 2016.