By Crystal Harrell
Get ready for laughter and a chance to recognize those who bring a sense of humor to everyday life at the Palm Springs International Comedy Festival (PSICF). The PSICF Red Carpet Celebrity Awards Gala & After Party will take place at the Hotel Zoso on Saturday, September 21st, then prepare for a weekend filled with laughter, more celebrities, good vibes, unforgettable stand-up performances, and films at Mary Pickford Theatre on September 27, 28, 29th and October 4th, 5th and 6th. From 100 stand-up comedians to 90 international comedy film projects, comedy theme shows, Q&As, celebrity events, parties, and more, this festival has it all.
Attendees will also have the chance to see some of the funniest comics and content from around the globe, as well as take part in voting for their favorite comics and films in an extravaganza celebrating some of the biggest names in comedy. The red carpet for the PSICF awards begins at 4 p.m., with cocktails & hors d’ouevres at 5 p.m. Awards will take place at 6 p.m. with an After Party at 8:30 p.m.
“When I came out to the desert and actually started living here, I realized that we had so many film festivals, but we didn’t have a comedy festival. It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time. I thought about it for years before I actually went ahead and started it in 2018 officially. I just thought it would be a great way to bring healing and positive energy to so many through laughter, as well as provide entertainment and educational awareness through the art of comedy for people who were interested in pursuing the art form,” explained Paul Cruz, the creator and the president of the Palm Springs International Comedy Festival, as well as a seasoned casting director, actor, writer, producer, and entertainment host.
This year’s PSICF Comedy Hall of Fame Award honorees include Cybill Shepard, who started her career in comedy films directed by acclaimed director Peter Bogdanovich and then followed up with more comedy in TV starring in the hit series Moonlighting with Bruce Willis, and later her own self-titled hit series, Cybill. She also will also receive the ‘PSICF Stanley Kramer Mad World Comedy Award’ for narrating the comedy film documentary Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins, produced by Dolly Parton, and including Shirley MacLaine, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Goldie Hawn.
Actress and comedian Mo Collins is also an honoree this year with an impressive career from her unforgettable characters on the long-running sketch comedy series MAD TV to the hit Parks and Recreation, and more, including a recent dramatic turn on Fear the Walking Dead. Mo has entertained for decades in television and some of the most memorable scene-stealing moments in films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
Actor and comedian Tom Arnold is also an honoree, with a career that spans decades from stand-up to acting in the hit series Roseanne and a slew of feature film box office hits like True Lies opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, Nine Months opposite Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Robin Williams, Jeff Goldblum, Joan Cusack, and the hit cult comedy classic Soul Plane, with Kevin Hart, D.L. Hughely, and Mo’Nique. He later starred in his own series, The Jackie Thomas Show, and many other credits.
Will Sasso will also take the 2024 ‘PSICF Comedy Hall of Fame Award’ this year, with his unforgettable characters on the hit sketch comedy series MAD TV, like Kenny Rogers, Captain Kirk, Steven Segal, James Gandolfini and more, to his pitch-perfect role as “Curly” in the motion picture The Three Stooges. Will currently stars in Apple TV’s Acapulco.
Stand-up Comedian Roz Hernandez is a proud transgender Latina and is the ‘2024 PSICF Diversity in Comedy Award’ honoree. Besides being a gifted stand-up performing shows all around the country, she’s also seen interjecting humor in the Kristen Stewart-produced Hulu Series Living for the Dead and the Netflix hit comedy documentary Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, produced by Wanda Sykes.
Actor and comedian Jonathan Kite will receive the ‘PSICF Best Male Stand-up Comedian Award’. Jonathan is best known for his iconic character ‘Oleg,’ in the hit series 2 Broke Girls, as well as his starring role in the Netflix Jamie Foxx comedy series, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me. He is also an extremely gifted stand-up comedian who does over 120 impressions and is an outstanding live performer.
Actor and comedian Jeff Garlin receives the ‘PSICF Spotlight in Comedy Award’. Garlin is best known for his incredible work on the hit series Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as the hit sitcom The Goldbergs, along with his stand-up career.
Comedian, actress, and voiceover artist Debra Wilson is also being honored with a ‘PSICF Comedy Hall of Fame Award’. She is being recognized not only for being a member of the hit sketch comedy series MAD TV, where she brought so many unforgettable characters to life, but also for her decades of contribution to the art of comedy as a whole—with her enormous body of work in animated comedy films and series as well as countless appearances on sitcoms in the last four decades.
Kathy Griffin, the ‘Original PSICF Comedian of the Year’, also returns once again as a special presenter. “We are overjoyed to have Kathy back, and boy is she back! She’s on a tiny break from her highly successful tour ‘My Life on the PTSD List,’ so we’re lucky to have caught her when we could. She’s having a major resurgence considering what she’s been through since we last honored her and deservedly so. There’s no one like Kathy, never count her out. She’s the Rocky Balboa of comedy!” said Cruz.
Comedian and actress Luenell will receive the ‘PSICF Comedian of the Year Award’. Best known for her breakout role in the blockbuster box office hit comedy film Borat with Sacha Baron Cohen, she’s most recently seen in the Emmy Award-winning hit comedy series Hacks, as well as TV’s Lopez, with George Lopez and many film projects such as A Star is Born and All About Steve, with Bradley Cooper. There will also be a few added surprise guests, so attendees are encouraged to check the official PSICF website for updates.
PSICF provides a showcase for the best stand-up comedians, improv groups, short films, feature films, TV pilots, web series, music videos, animation and documentaries. The emphasis is on discovering great talent with the purpose of promoting it to both the entertainment industry and public, as well as showcasing the works of seasoned professionals and celebrities.
Festival Awards include Best of Fest, Best Feature, Best Foreign Feature, Best Documentary, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Ensemble, and Audience Choice Award.
Films under 30 minutes and other categories include Best of Fest, Best Short, Best Foreign Short, Audience Choice Award, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Ensemble, Best Animated Short, Best Music Video, Best Web Series, Best TV Pilot, and Best Sketch Comedy Show.
“Comedy is different from going to a concert or sporting event. The outcome will always undoubtedly be laughter. You will forget your problems for whatever duration of time that you’re watching this show, or that film, or this comedy event, and it will instantly make you feel better. It’s been scientifically proven. I don’t think people really realize it is actually a form of wellness, but in all actually, it is!” stated Cruz.
To learn more about the Palm Springs International Comedy Festival or to purchase tickets, visit the Eventbrite link here or visit the official PSICF website at www.psicf.org. All tickets are tax deductible and proceeds go towards the non-profit 501C3 organization.
