Kieran Culkin to Receive Breakthrough Performance Award From Palm Springs International Film Festival (Exclusive)

A Real Pain star Kieran Culkin will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award for an actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The Film Awards will take place on Jan. 3, with the festival itself running from Jan. 2 to Jan. 13.

“Kieran Culkin delivers an extraordinary performance in his latest role as Benji in A Real Pain. The film follows two cousins who, after the death of their grandmother, embark on a tour of Polish Holocaust history, stirring a mix of emotions as they confront their shared past,” says festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “Culkin brings remarkable depth to his character — a free spirit whose charm captivates a small tour group, yet who wrestles with the emotions of family loss and a sense of an unfulfilled life. For this complex performance, we present Kieran Culkin with this year’s Breakthrough Performance Award.”

Culkin joins previously announced honorees Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Conclave (Ensemble Performance Award), Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor), Angelina Jolie (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress), Nicole Kidman (International Star Award), Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award) and Emilia Pérez (Vanguard Award).

Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Mahershala Ali, Austin Butler, Rami Malek, David Oyelowo and Jeremy Renner. Ali and Malek went on to receive Academy Award nominations in the year they were honored.

Culkin’s previous credits include Succession, for which he won an Emmy, Critics Choice Award and Golden Globe last year for its final season. His other credits include Igby Goes Down, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, No Sudden Move, Weiner Dog, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The Mighty, Paper Man and Margaret. He will next be seen in the revival of David Mamet’s play Glengarry Glen Ross, which will open on Broadway in 2025.

A Real Pain is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and also stars Eisenberg, Will Sharpe and Jennifer Grey.