Martin McDonagh's awards season is picking up speed. The Oscar-winning writer-director will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award for Wild Horse Nine at the 2027 Palm Springs International Film Awards, festival organizers announced Thursday, Nov. 5, City News Service reported via MyNewsLA.
Festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi called McDonagh one of cinema's most distinctive and original voices and described Wild Horse Nine as another testament to his singular vision.
A CIA Comedy Set on the Eve of Chile's 1973 Coup
Wild Horse Nine follows two CIA agents, played by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, on a mission from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island just before the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat. Searchlight Pictures opens the R-rated film in about 1,100 theaters this weekend, according to Deadline. Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for best actor when the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and McDonagh and Malkovich are both nominated at the Gotham Awards.
Previous recipients of the Palm Springs directing award include Jane Campion, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Greta Gerwig, Steve McQueen, Sarah Polley, David O. Russell, Quentin Tarantino and Chloé Zhao.
McDonagh's films include In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin. He has won three Golden Globes and six BAFTA Awards, and he won the Academy Award for best live action short film for Six Shooter.
The Palm Springs International Film Awards take place Jan. 7 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running Jan. 7-18. Inde Navarrette was previously named this year's Rising Star honoree.
Catch up on Cup of Soul's coverage: our Wild Horse Nine review, a look at Sam Rockwell's career and the 2026 Gotham Awards nominations.
