The Palm Springs International Film Awards announced that Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global star Ariana Grande was the recipient of the Rising Star Award for her performance in Universal Pictures’ Wicked, her first starring role in a major studio film. The Film Awards took place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running January 2-13, 2025. The event was presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight.

 

Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, is based on the generation-defining stage musical about the untold story of the witches of Oz. Grande plays Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege, whose life and world view is upended by her unlikely friendship with Elphaba, a young woman ostracized because of her green skin. Their adventures together will lead them to fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

 

“In Wicked, Ariana Grande’s portrayal of Glinda elevates her to new heights with a powerful acting performance that beautifully combines her outstanding musical talent, brilliant characterization and impeccable comedic timing,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “Ariana is an iconic global performer, who has seamlessly transitioned to film in her first major starring role, proving herself to be a multifaceted and undeniable talent. This role is certain to be the beginning of the many accolades she will garner throughout her acting career. It is our great honor to recognize Ariana Grande with the Rising Star Award.”

 

Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), and Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl and Ex Machina). In the years those actors were each honored, Howard, Lawrence, and Kendrick received Academy Award^® nominations, and Vikander received the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award.

 

Grande joins this year’s announced honorees: Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor); Timothée Chalamet (Chairman’s Award); Conclave (Ensemble Performance Award) presented to actors Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati; Kieran Culkin (Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor); Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor); Angelina Jolie (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress); Nicole Kidman (International Star Award); Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress); and Emilia Pérez (Vanguard Award) presented to director Jacques Audiard and actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez.

 

Grande is the first artist to hold the top three Billboard Hot 100 spots since The Beatles in 1964 with “7 Rings,” “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored,” and “Thank U, Next.” At age 31, she has delivered seven consecutive platinum-selling albums led by 4x Platinum “My Everything” and surpassed 34 billion streams on Spotify – she’s the platform’s most streamed female artist of all-time – while rapidly becoming one of the biggest pop stars of our generation with her powerhouse vocals and unmatched presence both on stage and with her fans. In 2022, Grande became the first artist to have four albums with over 4 billion streams each on Spotify. Grande is also the first female artist in Spotify history to have 9 songs with over 1 billion streams and 20 songs with over 900 million streams. Grande has over 50 billion streams on Spotify across all credits (solo & features) and 15 songs with over 1 billion Spotify streams. 

 

In January 2024, Grande announced her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine. Its lead single, “Yes, And” was released with an accompanying music video on January 12, 2024, and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song topped the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts for two weeks. On March 8^th, Grande released Eternal Sunshine along with the second single off the record, “We Cant Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” Both the album and its second single debuted atop the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 respectively. It also marked Grande's first instance of reaching the top of both the Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts. In June 2024, Grande released the third single from the album, “The Boy is Mine” soon followed by “The Boy is Mine (Remix)” with Brandy and Monica.

 

At 15 years old, Grande landed the role of “Charlotte” in the Broadway production of 13. From there, she was cast in Nickelodeon’s Victorious, which led to a spin-off starring Grande’s character in Sam & Cat.

 

About the Palm Springs International Film Society 

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm SpringsInternational Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards®, and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons.