Colman Domingo Honored with Spotlight Award at Palm Springs International Film Awards
Colman Domingo, the celebrated Oscar-nominated actor, has been announced as the recipient of the Spotlight Award, Actor, at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Awards in the USA. The award recognizes his powerful portrayal of Divine G in Greg Kwedar’s A24 film "Sing Sing." The ceremony will take place on January 3, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, presented by Silvercrest and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight. The festival itself will run from January 2 to January 13, 2025.
“Colman Domingo delivers another outstanding performance based on the true story of the wrongfully convicted Divine G, who finds purpose in prison through stage acting,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “For this incredibly raw and captivating performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Colman Domingo.”
"Sing Sing" follows the journey of Divine G, an incarcerated man who discovers meaning through acting in a prison theatre group. Featuring a cast of formerly incarcerated actors, the film highlights resilience, art, and humanity. Directed by Greg Kwedar, the project also saw Domingo serving as an executive producer.
This is Domingo’s second consecutive recognition at Palm Springs; he received the Spotlight Award last year for his portrayal of Bayard Rustin in Rustin, a Netflix film produced by Higher Ground. Past honorees of the award include Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), all of whom went on to receive Academy Award nominations, with Fraser winning Best Actor.
Colman Domingo’s career has been marked by versatility across film, television, and theater. He received an Academy Award nomination for Rustin and is widely known for his Emmy-winning role as Ali in HBO’s Euphoria. Domingo’s extensive credits include acclaimed films like If Beale Street Could Talk, Selma, Candyman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Zola. He has also appeared in multiple Spike Lee films, including Miracle at St. Anna and Red Hook Summer.
Beyond acting, Domingo and his husband, Raul Domingo, run Edith Productions, which has produced works like It’s What Inside, premiering at Sundance 2024 and later acquired by Netflix. Domingo has also co-produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fat Ham.
The actor’s upcoming projects include the Netflix limited series The Madness debuting on November 28, Lionsgate’s Michael, where he portrays Joe Jackson, and the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons.