Brendan Fraser Getting Spotlight In Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS, CA — Brendan Fraser will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor next month at the Palm Springs International Film Awards in recognition of his critically acclaimed performance in "The Whale," organizers announced Tuesday.

"Fraser demonstrates his impressive talent in Darren Aronofsky's powerful adaptation of `The Whale,"' festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. "Fraser gives an extraordinary and haunting performance that paints a vivid portrait of our inability to escape our own sadness."

In "The Whale," which was released Dec. 9, Fraser plays an obese English teacher attempting to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter while also confronting his long-buried traumas and an unspoken love.

"For this award-caliber performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Brendan Fraser," Matzner said.

Fraser previously appeared in films including "Mummy," "GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra," "George of the Jungle," and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

The film awards ceremony, co-hosted by Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner from "Entertainment Tonight," will be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, on Jan. 5.

The film festival will be held from Jan. 5-16.