The 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced that the festival’s opening night will be the World Premiere of 80 For Brady directed by Kyle Marvin, on Friday, January 6. The festival will close with The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears on Sunday, January 15.
The festival will screen 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres (2 World, 12 North American, 1 International and 13 U.S.) from January 5-16, 2023. The line-up includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions along with Talking Pictures, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.
The City of Cathedral City is once again a sponsor of the Palm Springs International Film Festival and screenings will be taking place throughout the event at Mary Pickford Theater in Downtown.
OPENING AND CLOSING SCREENINGS
PSIFF will open with the Paramount Pictures film 80 For Brady on Friday, January 6 at the Richards Center for the Arts. The film’s stars are expected to attend Opening Night including Academy Award® nominee Lily Tomlin, Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda, Academy Award® winner Rita Moreno and Academy Award® winner Sally Field, along with additional cast members. The film is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their hero Tom Brady play. 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady is a producer and will appear in the film. 80 For Brady is in-theaters February 3, 2023.
The festival will close with The Lost King on Sunday, January 15. The Warner Bros. Pictures film stars Sally Hawkins, Shonagh Price, Helen Katamba and Lewis Macleod. The film follows an ambitious writer and amateur historian guided by instinct and spectral visions, who defies the academic establishment to unearth Richard III’s long-missing remains in a Leicester car park.
Highlights for this year includes the World Premiere of documentary Shot in the Arm with director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and subject Neil deGrasse Tyson scheduled to attend. Other films with guests include Alice, Darling with Anna Kendrick; The Banshees of Inisherin with Colin Farrell; Chevalier with director Stephen Williams; Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy with director Nancy Buirski and Michael Childers; the North American Premiere of Hilma with director Lasse Hallström and actress Lena Olin; Linoleum with director Colin West and actors Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn; the US Premiere of Moving On with director Paul Weitz; the North American Premiere of My Neighbor Adolf with Udo Kier; the North American Premiere of Racist Trees with directors Sara Newens and Mina T. Son; and Somewhere in Queens with Ray Romano which he stars in and directs.
“We are beyond excited to welcome back our beloved audience and filmmakers in Palm Springs. We’re especially thrilled to be joined by all four leads of 80 For Brady. The film is brimming with joy and heart, and it’s a perfect film to kick off our 34th edition,” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the films that make up this edition. It is our most thematically diverse year yet and I don’t believe you’ll find two movies that are alike. From light entertainment for casual nights out to urgent commentaries that beg for post-screening conversation and beyond, the cinema is there to capture it all.”
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.
- Ajoomma (Singapore) Director He Shuming
- Alcarràs (Spain) Director Carla Simón
- All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) Director Edward Berger
- Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) Director Santiago Mitre
- Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico) Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Beautiful Beings (Iceland) Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
- Blanquita (Chile) Director Fernando Guzzoni
- The Blue Caftan (Morocco) Director Maryam Touzani
- Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden) Director Tarik Saleh
- Cinema Sabaya (Israel) Director Orit Fouks Rotem
- Close (Belgium) Director Lukas Dhont
- Corsage (Austria) Director Marie Kreutzer
- Darkling (Serbia) Director Dušan Milić (U.S. Premiere)
- Decision to Leave (South Korea) Director Park Chan-wook
- EO (Poland) Director Jerzy Skolimowski
- Eternal Spring (Canada) Director Jason Loftus
- The Happiest Man in the World (North Macedonia) Director Teona Strugar Mitevska (U.S. Premiere)
- Holy Spider (Denmark) Director Ali Abbasi
- Il Boemo (Czech Republic) Director Petr Václav (U.S. Premiere)
- Joyland (Pakistan) Director Saim Sadiq
- Kalev (Estonia) Director Ove Musting
- Klondike (Ukraine) Director Maryna Er Gorbach
- Last Film Show (India) Director Pan Nalin
- Mars One (Brazil) Director Gabriel Martins
- Mediterranean Fever (Palestine) Director Maha Haj
- Nostalgia (Italy) Director Mario Martone
- The Quiet Girl (Ireland) Director Colm Bairéad
- Return to Seoul (Cambodia) Director Davy Chou
- Saint Omer (France) Director Alice Diop
- Under the Fig Trees (Tunisia) Director Erige Sehiri
- Utama (Bolivia) Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi
- Victim (Slovakia) Director Michal Blaško
- War Sailor (Norway) Director Gunnar Vikene (U.S. Premiere)
- World War III (Iran) Director Houman Seyyedi
- You Won’t Be Alone (Australia) Director Goran Stolevski
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:
- Alice, Darling (Canada/USA) with actress Anna Kendrick
- Chevalier (USA) with director Stephen Williams
- The Banshees of Inisherin (Ireland/UK/USA) with actor Colin Farrell
- Moving On (USA) with director Paul Weitz and producer Andrew Miano
MODERN MASTERS
New films, classic auteurs.
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (USA) Director Laura Poitras
- Broker (South Korea) Director Hirokazu Koreeda
- A Compassionate Spy (USA/UK) Director Steve James
- Hilma (Sweden) Director Lasse Hallström (North American Premiere)
- No Bears (Iran) Director Jafar Panahi
- One Fine Morning (France/UK/Germany) Director Mia Hansen-Løve
- R.M.N (Romania/France/Belgium/Sweden) Director Cristian Mungiu
- Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (Italy) Director Luca Guadagnino
- Tori and Lokita (Belgium/France) Director Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS
Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors.
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (USA) Director Aitch Alberto (U.S. Premiere)
- Butterfly Vision (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Croatia/Sweden) Director Maksim Nakonechnyi (U.S. Premiere)
- The Damned Don’t Cry (France/Belgium/Morocco) Director Fyzal Boulifa (North American Premiere)
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline (USA) Director Daniel Goldhaber
- Love According to Dalva (Belgium/France) Director Emmanuelle Nicot
- Our Father, the Devil (USA) Director Ellie Foumbi
- Riceboy Sleeps (Canada) Director Anthony Shim
- Snow and the Bear (Turkey/Germany/Serbia) Director Selcen Ergun (U.S. Premiere)
- Susie Searches (USA/UK) Director Sophie Kargman (U.S. Premiere)
TRUE STORIES
Non-fiction filmmaking at its most urgent and illuminating.
- 1341 Frames of Love and War (Israel) Director Ran Tal
- All That Breathes (India/UK) Director Shaunak Sen
- Anxious Nation (USA) Director Vanessa Roth, Laura Morton
- The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher (USA) Director Gregory M. Bezat
- Bella (USA) Director Bridget Murnane
- Body Parts (USA) Filmmakers Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Helen Hood Scheer
- Born in Chicago (USA) Director Bob Sarles, John Anderson
- Butterfly in the Sky (USA) Director Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb
- The Caviar Connection (France) Director Benoît Bringer
- Crows Are White (Japan/Ireland/USA) Director Ahsen Nadeem
- Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (USA) Director Nancy Buirski
- The Grab (USA) Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- I Like It Here (USA) Director Ralph Arlyck
- Lakota Nation vs. United States (USA) Director Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli
- Lift (USA) Director David Petersen
- Liquor Store Dreams (USA) Director So Yun Um
- Of Medicine and Miracles (USA) Director Ross Kauffman
- Roberta (USA) Director Antonino D’Ambrosio
- Shot in the Arm (USA) Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (World Premiere)
- Split at the Root (USA) Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton
- Subject (USA) Director Camilla Hall, Jennifer Tiexiera
- The Thief Collector (USA) Director Allison Otto
- To Kill a Tiger (Canada) Director Nisha Pahuja (International Premiere)
- Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb (USA) Director Lizzie Gottlieb
CINE LATINO
Latin American/Latinx Stories
- Chile ’76 (Chile/USA) Director Manuela Martelli
- Huesera (Mexico/Peru) Director Michelle Garza Cervera
- I Have Electric Dreams (Belgium/France/Costa Rica) Director Valentina Maurel (North American Premiere)
- Sublime (Argentina) Director Mariano Biasin
- The Substitute (Argentina/Italy/France/Spain/Mexico) Director Diego Lerman
QUEER CINEMA TODAY & THE GAYLA
Poignant, heartfelt and insightful stories from the LGBTQ community.
- 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture (USA/Canada) Director Sharon “Rocky” Roggio
- Casa Susanna (USA) Director Sebastien Lifshitz
- Eismayer (Austria) Director David Wagner (North American Premiere)
- Esther Newton Made Me Gay (USA) Director Jean Carlomusto
- Gayla! Screening – God Save the Queens (USA) Director Jordan Danger
- Gayla! Screening – Mama Bears (USA) Director Daresha Kyi
- My Emptiness and I (Spain) Director Adrián Silvestre
- Nelly & Nadine (Sweden/Belgium/Norway) Director Magnus Gertten
- Punch (New Zealand/USA) Director Welby Ings (North American Premiere)
- Winter Boy (France) Director Christophe Honoré
- You Can Live Forever (Canada) Director Mark Slutsky, Sarah Watts
WORLD CINEMA NOW
Travel the world without leaving your seat.
- Back Then (Poland) Director Kinga Dębska
- The Beasts (Spain/France) Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen
- Before, Now & Then (Indonesia) Director Kamila Andini
- Burning Days (Turkey/France/Germany/Netherlands/Greece/Croatia) Director Emin Alper
- Concerned Citizen (Israel/USA) Director Idan Haguel
- Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous (France/Italy/Lebanon/Saudi Arabia/Qatar) Director Wissam Charaf (North American Premiere)
- Driving Madeleine (France) Director Christian Carion (U.S. Premiere)
- Emily (UK) Director Frances O’Connor (U.S. Premiere)
- Freaks Out (Italy/Belgium) Director Gabriele Mainetti
- Golden Years (Switzerland) Director Barbara Kulcsar (North American Premiere)
- Greener Pastures (Israel) Director Matan Guggenheim, Assaf Abiri (North American Premiere)
- Gyeong-ah’s Daughter (South Korea) Director Kim Jung-eun
- Haute Couture (France) Director Sylvia Ohayon
- The Judgement (Netherlands/Germany) Director Sander Burger
- Juniper (New Zealand) Director Matthew J. Saville
- Linoleum (USA) Director Colin West
- Lullaby (Spain) Director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
- Max, Min & Meowzaki (India) Director N Padmakumar (U.S. Premiere)
- Melchior the Apothecary (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania/Germany) Director Elmo Nüganen
- My Neighbor Adolf (Israel/Colombia/Poland) Director Leonid Prudovsky (North American Premiere)
- My Sailor, My Love (Finland/Ireland) Director Klaus Härö
- Next Sohee (South Korea) Director July Jung
- The Origin of Evil (France/Canada) Director Sébastien Marnier
- Revoir Paris (France) Director Alice Winocour
- Simone: Woman of the Century (France) Director Olivier Dahan (U.S. Premiere)
- Somewhere in Queens (USA) Director Ray Romano
- Stonewalling (Japan/China) Director Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka
- The Storyteller (India) Director Anant Narayan Mahadevan (North American Premiere)
- Talia’s Journey (Belgium/Senegal/Luxembourg) Director Christophe Rolin
- Viking (Canada) Director Stéphane Lafleur
- Where Life Begins (Italy) Director Stéphane Freiss
- Without Her (Iran/Germany) Director Arian Vazirdaftari (North American Premiere)
- The Word (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland) Director Beata Parkanová (U.S. Premiere)
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
These films have been selected as part of the Local Spotlight program highlighting films from the Coachella Valley.
- Don’t Worry Darling (USA) Director Olivia Wilde
- Racist Trees (USA) Director Sara Newens, Mina T. Son (North American Premiere)
Juried awards for films in-competition will be announced Sunday, January 15 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; 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 Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award for a film that is successful in bringing the people of our world closer together.
The complete line-up is available online at www.psfilmfest.org. Above is a complete list of films selected for the festival. General tickets are also on sale.
About the Palm Springs International Film Society
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.
