Palm Springs International Comedy Festival Opens With Comedy Awards Gala

The Palm Springs International Comedy Festival opened on September 21st with an intimate, star-studded gala, the 2024 PSICF Comedy Awards, held at the Zoso Hotel in downtown Palm Springs.

"We're so happy to be back 'live' in Palm Springs again after the global challenges of recent years," comments PSICF founder Paul Cruz. "Saturday's awards ceremony was magical - a true celebration of inclusivity and diversity, and the healing power of comedy. I'm very humbled that so many of the top names of comedy have come out to the desert to support my event."

Cruz and the Kramer family welcomed event host, Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed, and a parade of celebrities who walked the carpet, including 2024 Hall of Fame Award recipients Cybill Shepherd, Tom Arnold, Mo Collins (MAD TV, Parks & Recreation, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) presented by Kathy Griffin, Anne Ramsay (Mad About You, A League Of Their Own), Debra Wilson (MAD TV) and Will Sasso (Apple TV's Acapulco, The Three Stooges).

Also in attendance were transgender Latina comedian Roz Hernandez, honored with the PSICF Diversity in Comedy Award presented by Tommi Rose; LA-based comedian, actor, and writer Zach Noe Towers, who received the 2024 PSICF Breakthrough in Comedy Award; and Jonathan Kite (2 Broke Girls, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me), presented with the 2024 PSICF Best Male Stand-up Comedian Award. Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) received the PSICF Spotlight in Comedy Award.

Beloved comedian Luenell (Hacks, Lopez), named PSICF's Comedian of the Year for 2024, sent in her heartfelt acceptance speech via a recorded video.

Also on September 21st, Golden Globe winning actress Karen Sharpe-Kramer and daughters actress Kat Kramer and filmmaker Jennifer Kramer presented The PSICF Stanley Kramer Mad World Comedy Award to filmmaker Nicholas Eliopoulos for his documentary Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins. Produced by Dolly Parton, narrated by Cybill Shepherd, and includes Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Shirley MacLaine and Goldie Hawn.

Stanley Kramer's It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World will be screened on September 29th in honor of the legendary director's birthday, for which the PSICF award was named after.

Before the evening's close, Cruz presented a special Hall of Fame Award to Ahmed Ahmed, a true surprise for the comedian. PSICF will present the special live performance 'Ahmed Ahmed and Friends,' on Saturday, October 5th at 8pm, as well as the premiere of his new comedy special It Only Takes One Of Us on Sunday, September 29 at 8:45 pm, both at the Mary Pickford Theatre.

The Palm Springs International Comedy Festivalis a premier annual event celebrating the art of comedy in all its forms. Featuring a diverse array of performances, films, stand-up, sketch comedy, and improv, PSICF attracts top-tier comedic talent and filmmakers from around the globe. This year's films include Brandon Tamburri's Plan B, starring John Heder, Jamie Lee, Shannon Elizabeth, and Tom Berenger; Caden Douglas' Mother Father Sister Brother Frank with Mindy Cohn and Enrico Colantoni; Jeremy Warner's Villains Inc. starring Colin Mochrie and Jeff Davis of Whose Line Is It Anyway?; Michael Schlesinger's Rock & Doris (Try to) Write A Movie with Marilu Henner (Man On The Moon, Taxi) and actor/director Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown, Veronica's Closet); and pilots starring cast members from The Daily Show, Orange Is The New Black, RuPaul's Drag Race, NYPD Blue, and more!

The festival is committed to nurturing new talent while honoring comedy legends, making it a significant influencer in the comedy world.

PSICF runs through October 6, 2024. The Palm Springs International Comedy Festival Awards will be held on September 21st at Hotel Zoso (150 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262). (red carpet arrivals begin at 4pm, followed by cocktail reception at 5 pm, award ceremony to begin at 6 pm, followed by after party.) Screenings and live comedy events will be held at The Mary Pickford Theater (36850 Pickfair Street Cathedral City, CA 92234). For more information about the festival, including tickets and program details, please visit www.psicf.org.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/palm-springs-international-comedy-festival-tickets-1003328060237

Photos Courtesy of PSICF/Gregg Felsen

To post a comment, you must register and login.