PHOTOS: A-List Celebrities Take Palm Springs for Annual Film Festival Gala

PALM SPRINGS, CA – Glamour and glitter filled the desert as Golden Globes and Oscar hopefuls made their rounds at the Awards Gala of the annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The star-studded red carpet event launched the festival’s 28th edition on Monday, Jan. 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Dubbed as the first awards show of the 2016-2017 Awards Season, the celebrity-fueled event, was grand and magnificent in scope. In fact, the evening’s festivity had a full live orchestra, 12,750 purple orchids flown in from Holland and lavender crystal buddhas radiating vibes of "WOW."

The gala was once again hosted by famed entertainment correspondent Mary Hart, honoring individuals in the cinema world with several prestigious awards for acting and directing.

Below, check out some photo highlights from the event.

2017 PSIFF Awards Gala Honorees

• Ruth Negga received the Rising Star Award for "Loving" presented by her co-star Joel Edgerton and director Jeff Nichols.

• Mahershala Ali received the Breakthrough Performance Award for "Moonlight" presented by co-star Janelle Monae.

• Nicole Kidman received the International Star Award for "Lion" presented by her co-star Dev Patel.

• Andrew Garfield received the Spotlight Award for "Hacksaw Ridge" presented by Laura Dern.

• "Hidden Figures" (Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Janelle Monáe, Jim Parsons, Kimberly Quinn, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, Octavia Spencer) received the Ensemble Performance Award presented by the film’s producer Pharrell Williams.

• Natalie Portman received the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress for "Jackie."

• Casey Affleck received the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor for "Manchester by the Sea."

• Amy Adams received the Chairman’s Award for "Arrival."

• Annette Bening, pictured here with Warren Beatty, received the Career Achievement Award for "20th Century Women."

• "La La Land" (Damien Chazelle, Justin Hurwitz, Ryan Gosling) received the Vanguard Award.

• Tom Hanks received the Icon Award for "Sully."

Additional guests who attended the red carpet event: actress Denise DuBarry ("Do It or Die"), actor Phillip Keene ("Major Crimes"), director Ritesh Batra ("The Sense of An Ending"), actress Suzanne Somers, actor Udo Kier ("Old Money"), Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon, along with festival representatives Harold Matzner (Festival Chairman) and Michael Lerman (Artistic Director).

The festival got officially underway with a screening of "The Sense of An Ending" on Thursday, Jan. 5, and it will close with Taylor Hackford's "The Comedian" on Sunday, Jan. 15.

The Festival will screen 190 films from 72 countries, including 58 premieres (9 World, 5 International, 20 North American and 24 U.S.) from January 2-16, 2017.

For more information on the Palm Springs International Film Festival, go to: http://www.psfilmfest.org/.

Photo Credit: Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Festival