Nicole Kidman is to be honoured with a coveted acting award for her performance in Lion.

The Hollywood actress will be given the International Star award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, it has been announced.

She will be presented with the gong at the event in January, reports trade mag Variety.

Lion is based on Saroo Brierley’s memoir, A Long Way Home, about his quest to find his family after he fell asleep in a train carriage in India as a child and ended up hundreds of miles away, where he was adopted by an Australian couple.

Dev Patel plays the adult Saroo, who is haunted by memories of his past and uses Google Earth to find his original home, while Nicole plays his adopted mother.

Festival chair Harold Matzner said in a statement: “One of the world’s most luminous and versatile actresses, Nicole Kidman has filled so many unforgettable roles including her performances in The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, Cold Mountain, Rabbit Hole and dozens more.

“In her latest film, Lion, she gives yet another award-worthy performance as Sue Brierley, an Australian woman who adopts two young boys from India.”