BRAD PITT AND KATE WINSLET AT PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Kate Winslet

Brad Pitt and Kate Winslet were among the actors honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2007 Gala Awards on Saturday. Pitt's desert-based drama 'Babel' and the critically acclaimed 'Little Children', which stars Winslet, received multiple gongs at the ceremony,which is widely considered to be a good indicator for the upcoming Oscar nominations.

The 'Babel' cast - which, apart from Pitt, includes Cate Blanchett, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi - took home the Ensemble Performance Award.Pitt said about the movie: "I love the under current of this film, and that is the inability, sometimes, to understand where the other side is coming from."Blanchett also accepted the festival's Career Achievement Award.Winslet won the Desert Palm Achievement for Acting award for her performance in 'Little Children'. She said: "What's fantastic about the nominations is that hopefully people will go and see the movie."'Little Children' director Todd Field won the Sonny Bono Visionary Award -named after the late mayor of Palm Springs, who founded the festival in 1989. Jessica Biel was honoured with the Rising Star Award for her performance in turn-on\f-the century romance 'The Illusionist'. After being presented with the accolade by actress Sienna Miller, Biel said:"I was nothing but pleased, even though I've been working for a long time."Among the other winners was comedy 'Little Miss Sunshine', which took the Chairman's Vanguard Award, while Jennifer Hudson was recognised for her breakthrough performance in 'Dreamgirls'.The festival runs until January 15.