Lupita Nyong’o and Thomas Newman will be honored during the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.

Nyong’o, who has made her big film debut in “12 Years A Slave,” will be given the Breakthrough Performance Award for her role.

“Lupita Nyong’o is outstanding as the exploited slave whose beauty attracts the attention of Michael Fassbender’s vicious slave master. She delivers a raw and deeply moving performance that serves as the fulcrum for the film’s message of the inhumanity of slavery,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “For her American film debut in ’12 Years a Slave,’ it is a great honor for the Palm Springs International Film Festival to present her with the 2014 Breakthrough Performance Award.”

Newman will be given the Frederick Loewe Award fr Film Composing for “Saving Mr. Banks.” This will be Newman’s second win in this category. “Thomas Newman is a master at creating memorable film scores. In Saving Mr. Banks, he pays tribute to Mary Poppins composers Richard and Robert Sherman through an indelible original score,” said Matzner. “The Festival is delighted to once again present Thomas Newman with the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing.”

The awards gala, presented by Cartier and hosted by Mary Hart, will be held Jan. 4 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. the festival will run from Jan. 3 through Jan. 13.

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By Monique Jones

Monique Jones blogs about race and culture in entertainment, particularly movies and television. You can read her articles at Racialicious, and her new site, COLOR . You can also listen to her new podcast, What would Monique Say.

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