Viola Davis Wins Desert Palm Achievement Award for MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

For her leading role in the film adaptation of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," Viola Davis has been honored by the Palm Springs Film Festival with the Desert Palm Achievement Award.

This distinction follows nominations from the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the NAACP Image Awards.

"Viola Davis is one of the most celebrated actors of her generation from her powerful roles on stage and screen including Fences and How to Get Away With Murder. In her latest film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Davis fully embodies the famous blues singer Ma Rainey in an explosive and memorable performance, which is sure to receive an Academy Award nomination. It's our honor to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress to Viola Davis," festival chairman Harold Matzner said, according to Deadline.

Leslie Odom Jr. will receive the Spotlight Award at the same festival for his work in "One Night in Miami."

Davis's Broadway credits include "Fences," "King Hedley II," and "Seven Guitars." She is a Tony, Emmy, and Academy Award winner - an honor otherwise known as the "Triple Crown" of acting.

When Ma Rainey, the "Queen of the Blues," makes a record in a studio in Chicago, 1927, tensions boil between her, her white agent and producer, and bandmates. Davis stars opposite the late Chadwick Boseman.

Adapted from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play, MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM celebrates the transformative power of the blues and the artists who refuse to let society's prejudices dictate their worth. Directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the film is produced by Fences Oscar® nominees Denzel Washington and Todd Black. Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige and Dusan Brown co-star alongside Grammy® winner Branford Marsalis' score.