- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Rock band U2 will receive the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, it was announced Monday. The group’s song, “Ordinary Love,” heard in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, has been nominated for the best original song Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards and is considered a top contender for the best original song Oscar.
The award, named after the late pop star-turned-politician who founded the fest, will be presented on Jan. 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center as part of the festival’s 25th edition, which runs from Jan. 3-13. The members of U2 — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. — are expected to accept the award in-person.
FILM REVIEW: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
“We normally present the Sonny Bono Visionary Award to a director, but for our 25th anniversary we wanted to take the occasion to celebrate U2, a visionary group and the world’s premier rock band, for their unparalleled humanitarian work against extreme poverty, disease, and social injustice,” festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “Their latest song ‘Ordinary Love’ from the film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is an ode to Nelson Mandela, who had such a powerful impact on our world, and a man whom the band worked with in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.”
The fest previously announced that it will honor 12 Years a Slave‘s helmer Steve McQueen with its Director of the Year Award and supporting actress Lupita Nyong’o with its Breakthrough Performance Award; Captain Phillips‘ lead actor/Saving Mr. Banks‘ supporting actor Tom Hanks with its Chairman’s Award; August: Osage County‘s lead actress Meryl Streep with its Icon Award; Dallas Buyers Club‘s lead actor Matthew McConaughey with its Desert Palm Award, Actor; Gravity‘s lead actress Sandra Bullock with its Desert Palm Award, Actress; August: Osage County‘s supporting actress Julia Roberts with its Spotlight Award; Saving Mr. Banks‘ composer Thomas Newman with its Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing; and Nebraska‘s Bruce Dern with its Career Achievement Award.
Twitter: @ScottFeinberg
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day