NAME OF FESTIVAL: Palm Springs International Film Festival
SINCE: 1990
WHERE: Palm Springs, California, U.S.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF has come to be known as the first stop on the road to the Academy Awards® The Palm Springs International Film Festival has a well-established reputation as one of the most prestigious and well-attended film festivals in the country. The Festival has long secured its place on the world stage as the portal for the very best in world cinema, welcoming more than 136,000 enthusiastic filmgoers to Palm Springs every January.
Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present two-time Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt with the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life. “Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances. He has the rare ability to interpret and capture the most complicated facets of human nature, infusing his roles with strength and emotion,” […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Octavia Spencer with the Breakthrough Performance Award. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius and Michelle Williams. The Festival runs January 5-16. “Octavia Spencer is a consummate actress who seamlessly blends her […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award at its Awards Gala. The Festival runs January 5-16. “Glenn Close has the gift of mesmerizing an audience whenever she performs,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Since her film debut in 1982, Close’s ability to capture the essence of a character is unparalleled, be it a femme fatale, a notorious stalker […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award. “Director Michel Hazanavicius boldly takes us back in time and reacquaints modern-day audiences with the magical power of black and white silent cinema to capture our hearts and our imaginations in The Artist,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The film opened to rave reviews at its premiere in Cannes and […]
Michelle Williams will be honored at the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs January 5-16, 2012, with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award. “Every generation, the cinema has a few performers who mesmerize audiences with an exceptional blend of talent, versatility and grace,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Michelle Williams epitomizes these qualities as she continues to accept challenging role after challenging role. In her latest work, My Week with Marilyn, […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Academy Award® winner George Clooney with its prestigious Chairman’s Award for The Descendants and The Ides of March. “George Clooney brings new definition to the word ‘star,’” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “A consummate actor, director, producer and screenwriter, he’s demonstrated that no discipline within the film industry is beyond his reach. In The Ides of March as an actor, director, producer and […]
The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival held from January 6-17, 2011 announced this year’s award winners after screening 205 films from 69 countries, including 41 of the 65 foreign language entries for this year’s Academy Awards®. This year’s Festival attendees selected The Whistleblower (Canada) directed by Larysa Kondracki, as the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Based on a true story, this tough-minded and unsparing conspiracy thriller follows an American cop to […]
The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs runs January 6-17, 2011, will present Academy Award winner Michael Douglas with the Icon Award. The Icon Award honors a creative talent who, through the course of his or her career, has created a body of work which symbolizes the highest level of achievement in the motion picture art form. Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Michael […]
The 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced its Galas, Premieres and Special Presentation programs. The Festival launches on Thursday, January 6 with the French farce Potiche and wraps on Sunday, January 16 with The First Grader. 193 films from 68 countries, including 59 premieres (9 world, 17 North American and 33 U.S.), will unspool at the Festival, running from January 6-17 in Palm Springs, California. Commenting on the selection of films Festival […]
The 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival announced today a new program highlighting African Cinema as well as films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award, New Voices/New Visions Award and John Schlesinger Awards. The Festival will screen 40 of the 65 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. The Festival will announce its complete line-up of films next week. “Our African films showcase reflects our […]
The 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present David O. Russell with the Director of the Year Award at its Awards Gala. Past Director of the Year honorees include Alexander Payne, Jason Reitman, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Anthony Minghella, Sean Penn and Ang Lee. Russell earned critical acclaim early in his career when he wrote and directed his first feature film, Spanking the Monkey. This film premiered at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, […]
The Palm Springs International Awards Gala and Film Festival has issued a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder of Ronni Chasen, who was shot and killed in the early hours on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. The festival was reportedly a client of Ronni Chasen. According to the NY Times, “Early Tuesday, Ms. Chasen, 64, was shot repeatedly in the chest while driving on […]