‘Anora’ Star Mikey Madison Set For Palm Springs Film Festival’s Breakthrough Performance Award

EXCLUSIVE: Mikey Madison will collect some hardware in the Southern California desert early next year. The Anora star is set to receive the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2025 Palm Springs Film Festival.

The Palme d’Or-winning comedy stars Madison as Ani, a high-class young sex worker whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire. Complications ensue when his family gets involved. Director Sean Baker’s first film since 2021’s Red Rocket opened last month in limited release.

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“Since winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Anora has been the most talked-about film this season,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “What makes this film so outstanding is Mikey Madison’s mesmerizing breakout role that serves as the heart and soul of this story. It is our honor to present the Breakthrough Performance Award to this talented actress in celebration of her outstanding work and star-making performance.”

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Madison broke out as a series regular on 2016-22 Pamela Adlon’s FX dramedy Better Things and co-starred this summer in the Apple TV+ miniseries Lady in the Lake. She also recurred on Bravo’s dark comedy Impostors and has appeared in several films, including 2022’s Scream and a memorable role as a Manson family member who faces off against Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in Quentin Tarantino’s Best Picture Oscar nominee Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The Palm Springs Film Festival runs January 2-13 in the city east of Los Angeles, and its film awards will be handed out January 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The fest also will honor Netflix’s Emilia Pérez with its Vanguard Award and Colman Domingo with the Spotlight Award, Actor.

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