Leonardo DiCaprio misses Palm Springs Film Awards amid journey points

Leonardo DiCaprio was set to be the grand finale of the Palm Springs International Film Awards on Saturday, Jan. 3, however he was unable to attend the occasion amid airport snarls throughout California.

The actor, who was honored with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his work in “One Battle After Another,” couldn’t attend due to “unexpected travel disruptions and restricted airspace,” a Palm Springs International Film Festival spokesman instructed The Desert Sun, a part of the USA TODAY Network. “While we will miss celebrating with him in person, we are honored to recognize his exceptional work and lasting contributions to cinema. His talent and dedication to the craft continue to inspire.”

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Variety first reported that DiCaprio couldn’t leave St. Barts due to Caribbean air restrictions ensuing from the battle in Venezuela.

The actor did, nonetheless, file a video message that was performed after he was launched by his “One Battle After Another” co-stars Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.

“I’m stuck on the East Coast. I wish I was there to celebrate with all of you. I’m truly grateful to be a part of it, even from the distance,” he said.

He talked about protecting the notion of attending movies at a theater.

“My father used to take me to the movies, the Vista Theatre in Los Angeles. I lived four blocks away, and it’s now home to one of the last Vistavision projectors on Earth. It was my neighborhood theater, it was where I first felt the power of cinema, and sitting in that dark room with my father, watching something bigger than myself, I realized how deeply movies can affect all of us.”

“Original films are harder to make and harder to protect, but movies still matter, not content, but cinema. Stories made by people meant to be shared in a dark room, in a communal experience. Thank you for believing in this work, and thank you for believing in the movies.”

Other stars who turned out for the awards ceremony include Timothee Chalamet, who received the Spotlight Actor of the Year Award for his role in the film “Marty Supreme,” and Ethan Hawke, who accepted the Career Achievement Award and delivered a speech with a wide-ranging but powerful message about mental health, AI and more.

“There is so much life to live,” he said. “And I think about my career in the arts. I have had so much fun, and there has been so much wildness. That’s what I aim to do, preserve the wild. Protect the wild.”

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY