Palm Springs Film Awards Honors Conclave Cast with Ensemble Performance Award
The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that "Conclave," the star-studded drama directed by Academy Award® winner Edward Berger, will receive the prestigious Ensemble Performance Award during the 2025 ceremony. The event, presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight, is scheduled for January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center in California, marking the festival’s opening. The festival itself runs until January 13, 2025.
The award will be presented to the film’s lead actors Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati, all of whom are expected to attend the ceremony. Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi highlighted the ensemble’s stellar work, stating:
“Conclave is a thought-provoking drama, one which delivers edge-of-your-seat suspense by way of its outstanding ensemble of actors including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, and Isabella Rossellini. Together, they deliver powerful and multi-layered performances in Edward Berger’s film that will mesmerize audiences throughout this award season.”
Produced by Focus Features, "Conclave" offers a gripping portrayal of one of the Catholic Church’s most secretive traditions: the selection of a new Pope. Following the unexpected death of a beloved Pope, Cardinal Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes, is tasked with overseeing the election. However, the gathering of the Church’s most influential leaders in the Vatican becomes fraught with intrigue as conspiracies emerge, culminating in the discovery of a shocking secret with the potential to disrupt the Church's foundations.
The cast includes notable talents such as Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto, Brían F. O’Byrne, Carlos Diehz, and Lucian Msamati, alongside Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow in key roles. The screenplay, adapted from Robert Harris’s bestselling novel, is written by Peter Straughan, an Academy Award® nominee known for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Frank."
"Conclave" joins a distinguished group of past recipients of the Ensemble Performance Award, a category that has recognized casts from iconic films such as "King Richard" (2022), "Hidden Figures" (2017), "The Social Network" (2011), and "Babel" (2007).