Palm Springs International Film Awards recently announced that Andra Day will be the recipient of the Breakthrough Performance Award for ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday.’ Andra Day To Receive Breakthrough Performance Award For ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
The United States vs. Billie Holiday unapologetically presents the complicated, irrepressible life of an American icon. Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, spent much of her career being adored by fans across the globe. Beginning in the 1940s, however, the federal government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs, aiming to stop her from singing her controversial and heart-wrenching ballad, “Strange Fruit.” The Directed by Lee Daniels, The United States vs. Billie Holiday is an intimate tale of a fierce trailblazer whose defiance through music helped usher in the civil rights movement.
“Few jazz vocalists are more beloved than Billie Holiday, and Andra Day brings Holiday and her iconic voice back to life through a sympathetic and nuanced portrayal that sheds new light on the U.S. government’s role in seeking to muzzle a homegrown legend,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her impressive feature film debut as an actress and her first leading role, it is our honor to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to Andra Day.”
Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Mahershala Ali, Mary J. Blige, Marion Cotillard, Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, Felicity Huffman, Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike and Jeremy Renner. In the years they were honored, Ali, Cotillard, Hudson, Larson, Malek and Nyong’o went on to receive Academy Awards, while Blige, Erivo, Huffman, Pike and Renner received nominations.
Day joins this year’s previously announced honorees Riz Ahmed (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Anthony Hopkins (Career Achievement Award), Carey Mulligan (International Star Award, Actress), Leslie Odom Jr. (Spotlight Award, Actor), Gary Oldman (Chairman’s Award), Chloé Zhao (Director of the Year Award) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Vanguard Award).
The film will premiere on Hulu on February 26, 2021. Day received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
The Festival and Film Awards Gala will not take place as an in-person event this year, but honoree selections will be announced to recognize this year’s great performances and Entertainment Tonight will air a tribute to the honorees scheduled on February 11th and February 25th.
Day’s full-length debut Cheers to the Fall [Buskin Records / Warner Records] garnered a “Best R&B Album” nomination and her RIAA 2x Multi-Platinum single “Rise Up” received a nod for “Best R&B Performance” at the 2016 GRAMMY Awards. The song has since become the anthem to the Black Lives Matter movement, providing the audio heartbeat for activists and change-makers across the world. Andra quickly followed in 2017 with the moving anthem “Stand Up For Something” [feat. Common] from the Marshall official soundtrack album and film. The song received a nomination for “Best Original Song” at the 2017 Academy Awards.
Trailer: Andra Day in Lee Daniels’ ‘The United States Vs. Billie Holiday’
Andra Day To Receive Breakthrough Performance Award For ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Andra Day To Receive Breakthrough Performance Award For ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
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