The 33rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will open with the screening of Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner, on Friday, January 7, with both directors and Dionne Warwick in attendance. The festival will close with The Duke, directed by the late filmmaker Roger Michell on Sunday, January 16. The festival will screen 129 films from 70 countries, including 32 premieres (4 World, 7 North American, 2 International and 19 U.S.) from January 6-17, 2022. The line-up includes Talking Pictures, International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.
PSIFF will open with the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over on Friday, January 7. In this sparkling portrait of incomparable recording artist Dionne Warwick, the film follows her humble roots singing in New Jersey church choirs to international super stardom tracing her six decades in the business as a trailblazer, activist and true living legend. IHG Hotels and Resorts is the Opening Night sponsor.
The festival will close with The Duke on Sunday, January 16. The Sony Pictures Classics film stars Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode and Anna Maxwell Martin. The film is a warm and witty telling of taxi driver and working-class hero Kempton Bunton, who robbed the National Gallery in London in 1961 (and remains the only person to ever do so) in a brazen effort to advocate for elderly care.
“We are thrilled to be back in-theatres with an amazing line-up of films this year,” said PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “It’s an especially crucial moment to celebrate international cinema and the shared experience of watching films together. We have such an incredible line-up this year from major studio films, brilliant international titles and local favorites. We hope the films this year will make you laugh, cry and rejoice for the return of the festival. “
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Romania), Director Radu Jude
Brighton 4th (Georgia), Director Levan Koguashvili
Casablanca Beats (Morocco), Director Nabil Ayouch
Clara Sola (Costa Rica), Director Nathalie Alvárez Mesén
Compartment No. 6 (Finland), Director Juho Kuosmanen
Costa Brava, Lebanon (Lebanon), Director Mounia Akl
Drive My Car (Japan), Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Drunken Birds (Canada), Director Ivan Grbovic
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea), Director Ryoo Seung-wan
The Falls (Taiwan), Director Chung Mong-hong (U.S. Premiere)
Fear (Bulgaria), Director Ivaylo Hristov
Flee (Denmark), Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen
The Good Boss (Spain), Director Fernando León de Aranoa
The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia), Director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Great Freedom (Austria), Director Sebastian Meise
The Hand of God (Italy), Director Paolo Sorrentino
A Hero (Iran), Director Asghar Farhadi
Hive (Kosovo), Director Blerta Basholli
I’m Your Man (Germany), Director Maria Schrader
Lamb (Iceland) Director Vladimar Jóhannsson
Leave No Traces (Poland), Director Jan P. Matuszyński
Let It Be Morning (Israel), Director Eran Kolirin
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds (Chad), Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Memoria (Colombia), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Olga (Switzerland), Director Elie Grappe
On the Water (Estonia), Director Peeter Simm (International Premiere)
Playground (Belgium), Director Laura Wandel (U.S. Premiere)
Prayers for the Stolen (Mexico), Director Tatiana Huezo
Rehana Maryam Noor (Bangladesh), Director Abdullah Mohammad Saad (U.S. Premiere)
Shambala (Kyrgyzstan), Director Artykpai Suyundukov
Tigers (Sweden), Director Ronnie Sandahl (North American Premiere)
Titane (France), Director Julia Ducournau
Unclenching the Fists (Russia), Director Kira Kovalenko
The Worst Person in the World (Norway), Director Joachim Trier
Yuni (Indonesia), Director Kamila Andini
Zátopek (Czech Republic), Director David Ondříček (North American Premiere)
TALKING PICTURES & BOOK TO SCREEN
The Talking Pictures program includes in-depth discussions with directors, writers and actors from the year’s top titles. The following films selected for this year’s program with guests attending are:
Jockey (USA)with actor Clifton Collins, Jr. and Molly Parker
The Power of the Dog (Australia/New Zealand/UK/USA/Canada) with director Jane Campion
Respect (USA) with actress Jennifer Hudson
Spencer (UK/Germany) with actress Kristen Stewart
The Tender Bar (USA)with screenwriter William Monahan
Tick, Tick…Boom! (USA)with actor Andrew Garfield
MODERN MASTERS
New films, classic auteurs.
Benediction (UK/USA), Director Terence Davies (U.S. Premiere)
One Second (China), Director Zhang Yimou
The Pact (Denmark), Director Bille August
Parallel Mothers (Spain), Director Pedro Almodóvar
Petite Maman (France), Director Céline Sciamma
The Story of My Wife (Hungary/Germany/Italy/France), Director Ildikó Enyedi (U.S. Premiere)
The Survivor (USA/Canada/Hungary), Director Barry Levinson (U.S. Premiere)
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS
Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors.
The Fallout (USA), Director Megan Park
Farha (Jordan/Sweden, Saudi Arabia), Director Darin J. Sallam (U.S. Premiere)
Happening (France), Director Audrey Diwan
Out of Sync (Spain/Lithuania/France), Director Juanjo Giménez (U.S. Premiere)
Paka (River of Blood) (India), Director Nithin Lukose (U.S. Premiere)
Queen of Glory (USA), Director Nana Mensah
Small Body (Italy/France/Slovenia), Director Laura Samani (U.S. Premiere)
Tug of War (Tanzania/South Africa/Germany/Qatar), Director Amil Shivji (U.S. Premiere)
Wildhood (Canada/Germany), Director Bretten Hannam
TRUE STORIES
7 Lives, 7 Lakes (Spain), Director Víctor Escribano (U.S. Premiere)
The Automat (USA), Director Lisa Hurwitz
Blind Ambition (Australia/Zimbabwe), Director Robert Coe, Warwick Ross
The Caviar Connection (France), Director Benoît Bringer
Daughter of a Lost Bird (USA), Director Brooke Pepion Swaney
The First 54 Years (Israel/France/Finland/Germany), Director Avi Mograbi
Gemmel & Tim (USA), Director Michiel Thomas
Hold Your Fire (USA), Director Stefan Forbes
The Jump (Lithuania/Latvia/France/Germany/USA), Director Giedrė Žickytė
Messwood (USA), Director Emily Kuester, Brad Lichtenstein
Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times (USA), Director Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan
Radiograph of a Family (Iran/Switzerland/Norway), Director Firouzeh Khosrovani
Three Minutes – A Lengthening (Netherlands/UK), Director Bianca Stigter
Utica: The Last Refuge (USA), Director Loch Phillipps (World Premiere)
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (USA),Director Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
CINE LATINO
The Best Families (Peru/Colombia), Director Javier Fuentes-León
The Box (USA/Mexico), Director Lorenzo Vigas (U.S. Premiere/unconfirmed)
Medusa (Brazil/USA), Director Anita Rocha da Silveria
My Brothers Dream Awake (Chile), Director Claudia Huaiquimilla
The Other Tom (Mexico/USA), Director Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo
Sundown (Mexico/France/Sweden), Director Michel Franco
QUEER CINEMA TODAY & THE GAYLA
Gayla! screening – Boulevard! A Hollywood Story (USA), Director Jeffrey Schwarz
Love, Spells and All That (Turkey/Germany), Director Ümit Ünal
Moneyboys (Austria/Taiwan/France/Belgium), Director C.B. Yi
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (USA), Director Vivian Kleiman
The Swimmer (Israel), Director Adam Kalderon (U.S. Premiere)
Gayla! screening – Sweetheart (UK), Director Marley Morrison
Valentina (Brazil), Director Cássio Pereira dos Santos
SOUNDTRACK – MUSIC ON FILM
Bernstein’s Wall (USA), Director Douglas Tirola
Born in Chicago (USA), Director Bob Sarles, John Anderson
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music (USA), Director T.J. Parsell
Jazz Fest (USA), Director Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern (World Premiere)
Oscar Peterson: Black + White (Canada), Director Barry Avrich (U.S. Premiere)
THE BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES
Alien on Stage (UK), Director Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey
Claydream (USA), Director Marq Evans
Exposing Muybridge (USA/UK), Director Marc Shaffer
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen (USA), Director Daniel Raim (World Premiere)
Last Film Show (India/France/USA), Director Pan Nalin
The Story of Film: A New Generation (UK), Director Mark Cousins
WORLD CINEMA NOW
Anaïs In Love (France), Director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet (North American Premiere)
Any Day Now (Finland), Director Hamy Ramezan
Back Then (Poland), Director Kinga Debska
Ballad of a White Cow (Iran/France), Director Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam
Brother’s Keeper (Turkey/Romania), Director Ferit Karahan
The Crossing (France/Czech Republic/Germany), Director Florence Miailhe
The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson (Australia)
The Great Indian Kitchen (India), Director Jeo Baby (U.S. Premiere)
Greener Pastures (Israel), Director Matan Guggenheim, Assaf Abiri (International Premiere)
Haute Couture (France), Director Sylvie Ohayon
Hinterland (Austria/Luxembourg), Director Stefan Ruzowitzky (North American Premiere)
Juniper (New Zealand), Director Matthew J. Saville (U.S. Premiere)
The Judgement (Netherlands), Director Sander Burger
Mothering Sunday (UK), Director Eva Husson
My Sunny Maad (Czech Republic/France/Slovakia), Director Michaela Pavlátová (North American Premiere)
Neighbours (Switzerland/France), Director Mano Khalil
Nowhere Special (UK/Italy/Romania), Director Uberto Pasolini (U.S. Premiere)
The Phantom of the Open (UK), Director Craig Roberts (U.S. Premiere)
The Rapist (India), Director Aparna Sen (North American Premiere)
Redemption of a Rogue (Ireland), Director Philip Doherty
Run Woman Run (Canada), Director Zoe Leigh Hopkins (The festival will host a free community screening.)
Scarecrow (Russia/UK), Director Dmitrii Davydov (North American Premiere)
Secret Name (France), Director Aurélia Georges
Shankar’s Fairies (India/Hong Kong), Director Irfana Majumdar
True Things (UK), Director Harry Wootliff (U.S. Premiere)
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
These films have been selected as part of the Local Spotlight program highlighting films from the Coachella Valley.
Desert X 2021 – The Film (USA/Ghana/Germany/Mexico/Saudi Arabia/Colombia/UK/Guatemala), Director Dylan Robertson
Invisible Valley (USA), Director Aaron Maurer
Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea (USA), Director Greg Bassenian
My Name Is Lopez (USA), Director P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes
Pepe Serna: Life is Art (USA), Director Luis Reyes (World Premiere)