36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Festival Lineup

Palm Springs, CA (November 26, 2024) – The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced that the Festival’s Opening Night film will be Better Man directed by Michael Gracey on Thursday, January 2, and will close with The Penguin Lessons directed by Peter Cattaneo on Sunday, January 12. The Festival will screen 158 films from 71 countries, including 68 premieres (3 World, 3 International, 15 North American, 15 U.S., and 32 California) from January 2-13, 2025.  The line-up includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar® ​​Submissions along with Talking Pictures, a  focus on Spanish films with a spotlight on Pedro Almodóvar, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.

OPENING AND CLOSING SCREENINGS

The festival will open with Paramount Pictures’ Better Man, based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. The film is uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.  It was co-written, co-produced and directed by Michael Gracey. The film will have a limited release on December 25 and open wide on January 10.

The festival will close with The Penguin Lessons with director Peter Cattaneo in attendance. In The Penguin Lessons, a deliciously wry Steve Coogan teams up with the director of The Full Monty in this irresistible dramedy about a disaffected English schoolteacher in militaristic Argentina, whose life – and those of his spoiled pupils – is transformed when he rescues and adopts an adorable penguin.

Highlights for this year with guests expected to attend include the local spotlight feature Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion with fashion designer Bob Mackie; Drive Back Home with actor Alan Cumming; Group Therapy with comedian London Hughes; Lilly with actress Patricia Clarkson; Millers in Marriage with actor Edward Burns; Reading Lolita in Tehran with actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi and a Family Day screening of Flow with director Gints Zilbalodis. The festival will have three world premiere titles: Bun Tikki with director Faraz Arif Ansari; The Stamp Thief with director Dan Sturman; and You’re No Indian with director Ryan Flynn.

Talking Pictures screenings will feature several of the Palm Springs International Film Awards honorees. These will include Sing Sing with actor Colman Domingo and Emilia Pérez with director Jacques Audiard and actors Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez. The Festival’s “Dinner and a Movie series” will return, each feature paired alongside a world-class tasting, including the international premiere of Trifole with director Gabriele Fabbro; the California premiere of Shelf Life with director Ian Cheney; and Rioja, The Land of a Thousand Wines with director José Luis López-Linares. Additionally, the Festival will feature a focus on Spanish cinema including films from the festival circuit and a selection of revered classics, such as Holy Mother; I Am Nevenka; Marco, The Invented Truth; Rioja, The Land of A Thousand Wines; The Exiles; The Wailing and more. A spotlight selection of celebrated filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar, will feature The Room Next Door, All About My Mother, Matador, and Talk to Her.

“Our lineup this year is truly something special. In true PSIFF fashion, it spans genres and crosses borders to bring an exciting mix of films to the Coachella Valley,” shared Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “Over the past year, our Palm Springs International Film Festival team has carefully crafted a program that celebrates the art of storytelling, and promises an array of films– from family-friendly films, to thought-provoking and urgent works. It’s all about fostering that dynamic community of film lovers who gather here in Palm Springs each year to experience transformative stories and forge meaningful connections.”

AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS

This section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race and will screen 35 official submissions from the Best International Feature Film category. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best International Feature Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category. On Monday, January 6, The Hollywood Reporter will also host an in-depth panel discussion with some of the directors that have made the Best International Feature Film short-list.

TALKING PICTURES

The Talking Pictures program includes in-depth discussions with directors, writers and actors from the year’s top titles. The following film selected for this year’s program with guests attending are:

MODERN MASTERS

New films, classic auteurs.

NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS

Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors.

AMERICAN INDIES

Independent films from rising American filmmakers.

TRUE STORIES

Non-fiction filmmaking at its most urgent and illuminating.

SPANISH FOCUS

Stories from Spanish filmmakers.

SPOTLIGHT: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR

As part of the Spanish Focus there will be a spotlight selection featuring films from celebrated filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar.

QUEER CINEMA TODAY & THE GAYLA

Poignant, heartfelt and insightful stories from the LGBTQ community.

FAMILY DAY

Movies to enjoy with the whole family.

WORLD CINEMA NOW

Travel the world without leaving your seat.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Highlighting films from the Coachella Valley.

Juried awards for films in-competition will be announced Sunday, January 12 for seven categories, including the FIPRESCI Prize for films in the International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions program; New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from first and second-time directors; Best Documentary Award for compelling non-fiction filmmaking; Ibero-American Award for the best film from Latin America, Spain or Portugal; Desert Views (Local Jury) Award for a film that promotes understanding and acceptance between people; Young Cineastes Award for a film chosen by our Youth Jury; and the Bridging the Borders Award presented by Cinemas Without Borders for a film that is successful in bringing the people of our world closer together.

The complete line-up will be available online on November 26 at www.psfilmfest.org. Passes are currently on sale. Member-only early bird ticket sales are November 26 – December 1 with general public ticket sales starting on December 2. The Festival’s box office can also be reached at (760) 778-8979.

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards®, and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons.