Giametti Wins Icon Award at the 2024 Palm Springs Film Festival

Paul Giametti said his part in “Holdovers" was written for him, Alex Payne is a great director. I love working with him. “Holdovers is a story about loss, failure, it’s a funny, moving picture…set in Massachusetts at christmas time, with a great sound track. 

Sandra Oh presented the icon award to Paul, “He is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with.  In “Sideways," Paul’s expression and eyes tell the story, in the “Holdovers" he expresses so much with both eyes doing very different things in both directions.  I, we deeply respect your work, your pathos and humor”.

Paul said, “When I was young I was in a play by John Steinbeck and remember feeling weightless and loving the feeling of being an actor. I went to college and told myself it was a lark, and then I did a 6 week acting program in England, my teacher was Alan Rickman, he was amazing, a beautiful man and teacher and he said to me, “Do you want to do this with your life? and he said I think you should cause you are good at it…and then I just did it anyway.”

Paul Giametti added “It’s crucial for human beings to try to live in other’s shoes, if I can help someone feel seen, or see someone else, that connection is everything.  I’m addicted to it, I did lots of bit parts to get here. I played heckler no 2, I played man in sleeping bag who said " I didn’t see nothing…”

“Alex Payne, one of the greatest American directors, (and a friend) asks me every month if I wanted any merlot.  In the “Holdovers" I am connected to my past, and my family…audiences who help these broken characters piece there lives together…it’s about loss…20 years ago my mother died, my older sister just died another amazing woman. Movies are about grief and help us process.”