Normally when said in the same sentence, the words “winter” and “film festival” bring to mind the word “freezing.” But you won’t need a down parka to get through this winter’s hottest film festival. From January 4-15, The Palm Springs International Film Society will be holding its 18th Annual International Film Festival under the sunny skies of California’s most luxurious desert destination.
In early October, The Film Society held its annual pre-festival event at the historic Beverly Hills home of Patricia Barry, once owned by screen legend Charlie Chaplin. Guests were able to meet and mingle with board members and festival staff while sipping champagne under the illuminated trees of Barry’s lush backyard. The event was held to announce the honorees of the 2007 Film Festival Awards Gala. Festival Chairman Earl Greenberg announced that they will award actor Adam Beach with the prestigious Rising Star Award, an honor previously bestowed on Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard, Scarlett Johansson and Bryce Dallas Howard. Beach, a Native-American actor who achieved fame for his role in “Windtalkers”, will be starring in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming WWII drama “Flags of Our Fathers”.
This event, however, was only a warm-up for the main course. With the magical setting of Palm Springs as its backdrop, the festival will kick-off in January with the Opening Night Gala at Palm Springs High School. Over the course of eleven days the Festival will play host to a fabulous array of movies and movie stars, with a spectacular line-up of more than 230 films from over 65 countries, seminars, special events and Gala receptions. They have over 520 scheduled programs, with 250 filmmaking guests and 14 movie screens. Special Programming Sections include: World Cinema Now, on overview of the best new cinema from around the world, New Voices/New Visions, a diverse juried selection of films from emerging directors, Non-Fiction Features, featuring some of the best new documentaries, Talking Pictures, a riveting series of seminars, panel discussions and on-stage interviews with in-person participation by major film personalities and film critics, and Gala Screenings and Presentations of world and U.S. premieres followed by parties or receptions at some of Palm Springs hottest nightspots.
The Festival’s most magnificent night is The Awards Gala. One of the most star-studded awards shows in America, this fabulous, black tie dinner and awards ceremony features some of the most influential names in the world of film. Past presenters and honorees have included Charlize Theron, Samuel. L. Jackson, Nicole Kidman, Sean Connery, Sophia Loren, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates, Jake Gyllenhaal, Annette Bening, Javier Bardem, Felicity Huffman, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Kevin Costner, Catherine Deneuve, John Travolta, Shirley MacLaine, Pedro Almodovar and many more.
Palm Springs’ crystal clear canopy of sun and stars, nestled amidst breathtaking mountains is the perfect match for the star-power of the Film Festival. No other festival can boast a line-up with more official Oscar submissions for Best Foreign Film. Forty-nine of last year’s official Oscar submissions, including all of the eventual nominees, were shown at the 2006 Festival. With 80 world or U.S. premieres of upcoming major international films, seminars, and intimate on-stage interviews with movie and media personalities like Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Nolan, Kevin Costner, Peter Bart and Leonard Maltin, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is a truly global event, and one not to be missed.
Ticket Information:
Ticket packages are available in a wide range of prices, with individual tickets for special events, like the Opening and Closing Night Galas, the International Galas and The Awards Gala available online and over the phone in advance. Passes and Awards Gala tickets will be available on November 15th. Festival screening information and ticket sales will be available online on December 20th. You can order tickets by phone by calling (760) 322-2930.
Opening Night Gala:
Thursday, January 4, 2007, 6:30 pm, Palm Springs High School, $50.00
Closing Night Gala:
Sunday, January 14, 2007, 5:00 pm, Palm Springs High School, $40.00
Platinum Pass
$375.00 ($350 if ordered by 11/11/2006) – Good for all regular film screenings and panel discussions from January 5-15, 2007.
Silver A Pass
$275.00 ($250 if ordered by 11/11/2006) – Good for all regular film screenings and panel discussions from January 5-9, 2007.
Silver B Pass
$275.00 ($250 if ordered by 11/11/2006) – Good for all regular film screenings and panel discussions from January 10-14, 2007.
Reel Deal Six Packs
$45-six regular program tickets for the price of five.
18th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival
January 4-15, 2007
800-898-7256
