Brad Pitt wins at Palm Springs

Jan 8, 2007, 12:20 GMT

Brad Pitt and Kate Winslet were among the actors honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007 Gala Awards on Saturday (06.01.07).

Pitt's desert-based drama 'Babel' and the critically acclaimed 'Little Children', which stars Winslet, received multiple gongs at the ceremony, which is widely considered to be a good indicator for the upcoming Oscar nominations.

The 'Babel' cast - which, apart from Pitt, includes Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi - took home the Ensemble Performance Award.

Pitt said about the movie: "I love the undercurrent of this film, and that is the inability, sometimes, to understand where the other side is coming from."

Blanchett also accepted the festival's Career Achievement Award.

Winslet won the Desert Palm Achievement for Acting award for her performance in 'Little Children'.

She said: "What's fantastic about the nominations is that hopefully people will go and see the movie."

'Little Children' director Todd Field won the Sonny Bono Visionary Award - named after the late mayor of Palm Springs, who founded the festival in 1989.

Jessica Biel was honoured with the Rising Star Award for her performance in turn-onf-the century romance 'The Illusionist'.

After being presented with the accolade by actress Sienna Miller, Biel said: "I was nothing but pleased, even though I've been working for a long time."

Among the other winners was comedy 'Little Miss Sunshine', which took the Chairman's Vanguard Award, while Jennifer Hudson was recognised for her breakthrough performance in 'Dreamgirls'.

The festival runs until January 15.

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007 Gala Awards list of winners:

Ensemble Performance Award: 'Babel'

Director of the Year: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ('Babel')

Career Achievement Award: Cate Blanchett ('Babel,' 'Notes on a Scandal,' 'The Good German')

Desert Palm Achievement for Acting: Kate Winslet ('Little Children')

Sonny Bono Visionary Award: Todd Field ('Little Children')

Rising Star Award, Male: Adam Beach ('Flags of Our Fathers')

Rising Star Award, Female: Jessica Biel ('The Illusionist')

Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing: Philip Glass ('The Illusionist,' 'Notes on a Scandal')

Chairman's Vanguard Award: 'Little Miss Sunshine'

SAG Foundation Patron of the Arts Award: Sydney Pollack

Breakthrough Performance Award: Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls')

(C) BANG Media International