The Palm Springs International Film Festival

The Palm Springs festival offers an enviable combination of interesting surroundings, balmy weather, and a full agenda of worthwhile films.

Festival Website: http://www.psfilmfest.org/

Timing: Two weeks in early January

2009 Dates: January 6-19

Programming

The Palm Springs fest is blessed with fortuitous timing– just before Oscar nominations are due. Capitalizing on this advantage, it has become the place to see films from nations around the world which have been put forward by their home countries for the five foreign film Academy Award nominee slots. Oscar hopefuls from the United States as well are featured as part of the program.

Special Guests

The convenient location and attractive surroundings of the town lure many Hollywood A-listers to the Festival to raise awareness about their Oscar-worthy projects. In addition, many international filmmakers attend to take advantage of the press coverage the festival generates.

Audience

Press, industry types, and festival tour-goers mingle with the local retirees and gay community. This is a festival that works hard to attract tour groups, so many such groups attend each year.

Screening Venues

Most films screen at the Regal and Camelot Multiplexes. Neither is new, but both are in good condition. Other screenings are held in the Annenberg Auditorium of the Palm Springs Art Museum, a large, plush new theater in the center of town, and at the Palm Canyon Theater, housed in the local community center at the edge of the downtown area.

Screening Schedule

Movies begin at 9am and run until 9:45pm. The schedule allows for up to nine titles to be screened concurrently, so there is considerable choice.

Tickets

Ten dollars each for regular screenings, with various packets and passes available. Many films sell out, so it’s a good idea to purchase tickets on-line as soon as they become available.

Program Notes

The festival puts out a lavish program book with full descriptions of the films.

Getting Around

If you stay in town and confine yourself to screenings at the Regal Multiplex and the Annenberg Theater, you can easily get by without a car. The Camelot Theater complex and the high school, where opening and closing galas take place, are about a two-mile hike from the center of town. The festival runs a shuttle between venues, which runs about every twenty minutes.

Surroundings

With its dramatic desert and mountain backdrop, Palm Springs has long been celebrated as the playground of Hollywood royalty. The past few years have witnessed a renewed appreciation of the city’s many mid-Twentieth Century architectural treasures. Its balmy climate and intimate scale make Palm Springs a great town for walking, and there are numerous small shops and outdoor cafes in which to linger. The sun shines 350 days a year. Many cities offer direct flights during the winter months.

Accommodations

To avoid having to rent a car, stay in the center of town. Following are are few of the places I have stayed at and enjoyed.

• Hilton. Ccomfortable and well located.  400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262  (760) 320-6868 www.palmsprings.hilton.com

• Zoso: A four-star property that has gone through financial crises and ownership changes over the past few years, I have never been bothered by this management turmoil as a guest. The hotel features oversized guest rooms, a spacious lobby, four-acres of grounds, resort-style amenities, and a striking modern design. Hotel Zoso, 150 South Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Spring, CA (760) 325-9676 http://www.hotelzoso.com/

• The Old Ranch Inn. A small, lovingly restored property  in the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood near the museum.  The owners and staff are extraordinarily gracious and helpful.  220 South Patencio Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262-6337   (760) 778-8900 www.oldranchinn.com

Restaurants

Palm Springs has many and varied restaurants. Places worth recommending include

• Le Vallauris. Best in town. An elegant setting in a historic Palm Springs mansion with a charming courtyard. The food measures up. Close to the Annenberg Auditorium. 385 W Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. (760) 325-5059. www.levallauris.com

• The Chop House. Simple, well-prepared food in a civilized setting. Close to the Regal Theaters. 262 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262. (760) 320-4500 www.palmspringschophouse.com

• Pomme Frite. First-class, affordable Belgian cuisine. Close to the Regal Multiplex. 256 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs Ca 92262 – USA  Phone : (760) 778-3727  http://www.pomme-frite.com/default.cfm?source=restaurant-pomme-frite-palm-springs

Excursions

• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

• Indian Canyon Oasis

• Palm Springs Art Gallery

Mood Movies: Films set in Palm Springs you might want to watch before you go.

3 Women. Robert Altman claimed that this mysterious 1977 film was inspired by one of his dreams. The movie’s otherworldly qualities hardly provide a tourist-friendly view of Palm Springs, but it was shot there.

The Festival Year by Year

2005

Best Film I Saw: Nobody Knows. Another haunting study of loss and alienation from Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda (Maborosi).

2006

2006 Festival Program Book

Best Films I Saw:

• Shanghai Dreams More low key than his 2001 arthouse hit Bejing Bicycle, Wang’s Xiaoshuai’s tale traces the viscissitudes suffered by a Shanghai family relocated to the provinces as a result of the father’s adherence to a now-outdated political idealism. In part an homage to Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, with long takes of characters traversing hillside paths and a slow, ambiguous ending.

• My Nikifor. Polish director Krysztof Krause’s portrait of an outsider artist becomes a commentary on art itself. The film features a memorable performance by octogenarian actress Krystyna Feldman (playing a male).

• Barrio Cuba. The venerable principles of imperfect cinema are updated in this warm, multi-stranded tale of life in Havana’s poor neighborhoods from veteran Cuban master Humberto Solas.

• Look Both Ways. An arresting look at the meaning of death to a group ordinary people in Adelaide, Australia, with fanciful animations providing access to the inner lives of its characters. Sarah Watt, who died shortly after the film was released, directed

Festival Review: http://www.facets.org/critics/wexman/palmsprings2006.htm

2007

Best Film I Saw:

The Missing Star. A funny, penetrating examination of cultural divides and unexpected moments of connection from Gianni Amelio (L’America). The story focuses on a quixotic quest undertaken by an Italian engineer which takes him deep into untouristed areas of China.

2010

Best Film I Saw: The White Ribbon. Austrian auteur Michael Haneke’s stark black and white  portrait of a deeply flawed social system in a small village in early 20th Century rural Germany.

Unexpected Pleasures

• Male synchronized swimming in The Swimsuit Issue (Allt flyter), a  diverting piece of fluff from Swedish director Måns Herngren (who co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Magnusson).

• The dignified presence of Malian actor Sotigui Kouyaté in London River, Rachid Bouchareb’s small-scale study of ethnic differences and familial bonds .

• A mesmerizing turn from Noomi Raspace as the title character in the Swedish thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor).

• The oddball antics of the buffoonish band of postal workers in Ken Loach’s comedy Looking for Eric.

• The exquisitely calibrated  vision of redemption in Klaus Härös intimate drama Letters to Father Jacob (Postia pappi Jaakobille).

Shock and Awe: The FIPRESCI award to the Swedish film Involuntary. Will someone please step up and file a review that explains why this film has garnered such an array of accolades. Over half the audience I saw it with walked out, and I came close to doing the same. Radical form in and of itself is not a guarantee of quality.

Review of 2010 Palm Springs Fest:

http://www.offscreen.com/biblio/pages/sections/author/Virginia%20Wright%20Wexman/

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