Reese Witherspoon to Receive Chairman’s Award at Palm Springs Film Fest

Actress Reese Witherspoon would be conferred the Chairman’s Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), on Jan. 3, 2015.

The recognition comes for her role as Cheryl Strayed in ‘Wild’, an adaptation of Strayed’s best-selling memoir about 1,100 miles hike up the Pacific Crest Trail in search of inner peace following her mother’s demise. The movie reveals a woman‘s journey to rebuild a life after reckless behavior and drug addiction. Other stars in the movie include Kevin Rankin, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman, Keene McRae, W. Earl Brown, Gaby Hoffmann, and Mo McRae. Witherspoon not only starred in the movie, but she also produced the film, through her Pacific Standard Films banner, buying the rights to Strayed’s memoir prior to its publication.

The 38-year-old actress has delivered a brilliant performance portraying the life of Cheryl Strayed. Her performance is being hailed as one of the finests in her impressive 20-year span of acting. With the award, the The Oscar-winning star of Wild joins the ranks of previously announced honorees at PSIFF including Richard Linklater, Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Rosamund Pike, and J.K. Simmons. Previous winners of the festival’s Chairman’s Award include Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman.

Witherspoon, in addition to “Wild” is going to appear in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice”. The actress served as a producer on David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” and is expected to join Kidman in a TV adaptation of ‘Big Little Lies’.

The actress won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. She also earned the Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, New York Film Critics Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Broadcast Film Critics Award, and People’s Choice Award, among 11 other awards.