Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close director Stephen Daldry has been named the Director of the Year by the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). The three-time Oscar nominated filmmaker will receive his award at the January 7, 2012 awards gala hosted by Mary Hart. Daldry joins a list of 2012 honorees that includes previously announced winners George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Octavia Spencer, Michelle Williams, and the film Young Adult.
“Stephen Daldry has garnered international acclaim as a director, bringing his consummate skill to both the cinema and stage,” stated Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In his latest work, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, he directs a virtuoso cast in the story of a young boy who, after losing his father on 9/11, goes on a quest to learn what an unusual key found in his father’s possessions may unlock. This journey then becomes a metaphor for the need of a child to maintain a close bond with a loved one who died tragically and too soon. For this haunting film and for all of his achievements as a ‘director’s director,’ the Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present the 2012 ‘Director of the Year Award’ to Stephen Daldry.”
More on Stephen Daldry [Courtesy of PSIFF]:
Daldry is an award-winning director of both stage and screen. His first feature film, Billy Elliot, won more than 40 awards worldwide and received three Oscar® nominations, including Best Director. His second feature The Hours received nine Oscar® nominations including Best Picture and Director, 11 BAFTA nominations and won Best Picture (Drama) at the Golden Globes. His other recent feature, The Reader, earned five Oscar® nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture.
Source: PSIFF – December 22, 2011
