Martin McDonagh will receive Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award for Wild Horse Nine. The ceremony is scheduled for 7 January 2027, the festival’s opening day. The new film follows CIA agents travelling to Easter Island before the Chilean coup, with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in the cast.
Martin McDonagh has been selected for the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award in connection with Wild Horse Nine. He will receive the honour at the Film Awards ceremony on 7 January 2027. The ceremony falls on the opening day of the festival, which is scheduled to run through 18 January 2027.[1], [2]
Wild Horse Nine places its story shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play CIA agents travelling to Easter Island, where their pasts and present conspiracies intrude on the trip. Their encounter with two rebellious students, played by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailin Salas, changes the direction of the visit and the partners’ relationships.[1]
Festival chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi praised McDonagh’s combination of humour and moral complexity and said Wild Horse Nine continued his distinctive approach. McDonagh’s earlier features include In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin. The latter brought him an Oscar directing nomination, while both Three Billboards and The Banshees of Inisherin received best-picture nominations.[1]
