A slew of former Oscar winners and nominees headed to the desert for the annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards gala Saturday evening.  The reason for the 2 hour plus ride from Los Angeles? Well, almost all of the famous faces on hand are hoping to earn Academy Award nominations later this month or assist a specific film in landing a best picture nod.  It’s become a staple on the awards season circuit and one reason stars from “American Hustle,” “12 Years A Slave,” “August: Osage County” and “Gravity” were on hand.

HitFix’s Kristopher Tapley will have more details from the actual awards ceremony later tonight, but in the meantime check out some images from the red carpet and inside the show itself in the story gallery below.