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TICKETING AND FESTIVAL INFORMATION Ticket Purchases & Voucher Exchange The box office will be open to the general public beginning on December 22. Early Bird Access for Palm Springs Film Society Members runs December 19 – 21. Go to www.psfilmfest.org to order tickets online, or call 800-898-PALM to order by phone Monday through Friday 9 am – 6 pm. In-person purchases and voucher exchanges may be completed at box office locations during operating hours.
Box Office Hours BEFORE THE FESTIVAL Festival Ticket & Information Center at the Regal 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 20 Palm Springs Film Society members with Early Bird Access December 19 – 21: 9 am – 5 pm General Public December 22 – 23: 9 am – 5 pm December 26 – 30: 9 am – 5 pm January 2 – 6: 9 am – 5 pm We will be closed on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1 DURING THE FESTIVAL Theater box office locations are open on January 6 – 17 one hour before the first show is scheduled until one half hour after the last show is scheduled to start. Theater box offices are not open on days without screenings at that theater.
Festival Merchandise Merchandise is available online, at the Festival Store located in the Regal Cinemas complex at 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 23, and at Destination PSP at 170 N. Palm Canyon Dr. A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Ticketing & Event Pricing GENERAL ADMISSION........................................... $13 6-PACK........................................................................ $69 12-PACK...................................................................$138 OPENING NIGHT SCREENING AND RECEPTION..................................................... $75 OPENING NIGHT SCREENING ONLY ................ $15 CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING ONLY.................. $15 TALKING PICTURES PROGRAMS............ $15 – $25 PASS OPTIONS BENEFACTOR PASS........................................... $3,500 CONCIERGE PASS.............................................. $2,750 AMERICAN EXPRESS® PASS........................... $2,500 PLATINUM PASS.................................................. $500* 5-DAY “A” PASS..................................................... $350* 5-DAY “B” PASS..................................................... $350* *advance reservations required PICKING UP TICKETS Tickets may be picked up at our Festival Ticket and Information Center or at any box office location during operating hours. PRINT-AT-HOME & MOBILE TICKETS Avoid the box office and print your tickets at home. Tickets are attached to your order confirmation email in PDF form. Simply open the PDF, print and present your tickets at the screening upon entry. You may also present the PDF on your mobile device.
Picking Up Passes Benefactor, Concierge, Platinum, 5-Day A and 5-Day B Passes must be picked up at the Festival Ticket & Information Center at the Regal Courtyard. Festival Ticket & Information Center at the Regal Courtyard 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 20 January 3 – 6: 9 am – 5 pm January 7 – 17: 9 am – 7 pm American Express® passes must be picked up at the American Express® Passholder Lounge. American Express® Passholder Lounge 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 16 January 3 – 6: 9 am – 5 pm January 7 – 17: 8:30 am – 8:30 pm
Vaccination Checkpoints All patrons must provide proof of full vaccination in person and receive a wristband to attend Festival screenings and events. See p. 4 for more information. 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 23 January 3 – 6: 9 am – 5 pm January 7 – 17: 8:30 am – 8:30 pm Mary Pickford is D'Place January 7 – 17: 1 hour before first screening – 8:30 pm
CONTENTS 05................ Festival Map 06................ Sponsors 11................ Letter from the Chairman 13................ Letter from the Artistic Director 15................ Opening and Closing Night 16................ Film Awards 18................ Community Screening Day 19................ Talking Pictures
22................ Gayla! 23................ Big Screen and Sound Track 24................ Local Spotlight 25................ Complete Film Program 27................ Film Schedule 54................ Films by Title 55................ Festival Staff
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FESTIVAL INFORMATION Festival Policies TERMS AND CONDITIONS: By attending the festival, you agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions, which can be found at www.psfilmfest.org/about/terms-and-conditions. SCHEDULE CHANGES: Sometimes, for reasons beyond our control, programs must be changed, rescheduled or cancelled. A daily update on schedule changes may be obtained at www.psfilmfest.org or at the Festival Ticket & Information Center. Changes will also be posted at each venue. Please check for updates periodically. REFUND POLICY: Refunds will be issued to anyone who cannot attend because they are sick, or have a known exposure to COVID-19. Refunds should be requested via email at boxofficemgr@psfilmfest.org. Refunds will only be issued prior to a screening; after a screening has passed, no refunds will be issued. REFUSAL OF SERVICE: PSIFF reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. We enforce this policy to ensure a secure, professional and convenient environment for all of our patrons. SCANNING: All tickets and passes will be scanned upon entering each screening. They are individually barcoded, allowing only one scan per use. Attempts to duplicate, alter or sell any copies of print-athome tickets or passes will result in admittance being refused to the event. Tickets and/or vouchers purchased through a third party will not be accepted. RE-ENTRY PASSES: Anyone (including pass holders) exiting an auditorium with plans to return to that particular screening MUST obtain a Re-Entry Pass in order to be readmitted to a screening. A festival pass or ticket stub and re-entry pass is required for re-entry. STANDBY TICKETS: When a film screening or event is on Standby, it means that the ticket allotment has been reached. Any empty seats are released for sale 10 minutes prior to a screening. Patrons can join the standby line for a chance to purchase these seats. Standby tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and may or may not be sold for some programs. Passes, cash, credit and vouchers are accepted. 4 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
Festival Etiquette
◦ Saving space in line, or seats for other patrons is not permitted. ◦ Late seating is not permitted. Festival will not sell tickets or allow seating once the program has begun. Any exception to the late-seating policy is at the discretion of the Festival Venue Manager. ◦ If you need to leave the auditorium for any reason, take your pass or ticket stub and pick up a Re-Entry Card before you leave. ◦ No one will be re-admitted without their pass or ticket stub and the Re-Entry Card. ◦ No recording equipment is permitted in the theater auditorium. ◦ No large bags are permitted inside venues; all bags are subject to search. ◦ Please turn off all mobile devices during the film presentation. No talking or texting permitted during the film presentation. ◦ Smoking is strictly prohibited at all Festival locations, including e-cigarettes and vaping products. ◦ Please complete and return your Audience Award ballot immediately following each screening. ◦ To expedite theater cleaning and seating, please discard your waste in the appropriate containers and exit promptly after your screening. ◦ All theater auditoriums are cleared between show times. Any items left in the auditoriums will be removed and placed in Lost and Found. ◦ Many lines are outside of the theaters. Please dress appropriately for comfort, as it can get warm during the day and cold in the evenings. Theaters may also get chilly.
Safety Protocols To increase everyone's safety and comfort, we must institute the following protocols for this year’s Festival: Valid proof of full vaccination with photo ID is required to enter Festival venues and events. This applies to all Festival and Film Awards patrons, pass holders, volunteers, staff, guests, sponsors, media and vendors. Visit one of our vaccination checkpoints to receive your wristband indicating vaccination. Full vaccination is defined as 10 days following the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Governmentapproved vaccines from other countries (e.g., Astrazeneca) will be approved with official documentation. Acceptable documentation of vaccination includes: original or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card, or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction; original documentation from a health care provider that details your vaccination record; or a personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record. For information on approved digital vaccine record providers, visit www.psfilmfest.org/safety. A negative COVID test or proof of antibodies will NOT be accepted in lieu of proof of vaccination. To keep our patrons safe, no exceptions will be made to this policy. Each patron will be required to sign a waiver agreeing to the Attendee Promise & Health Acknowledgement found in the FAQ at www.psfilmfest.org/safety. A wristband will be placed on the patron, which will need to be worn for the duration of the festival visit. If the band is removed or lost, they will need to go through the process again. Film Awards attendees will be asked to sign a separate waiver prior to the event. All patrons, staff, volunteers, etc. will be required to wear masks inside at all venues and events. Masks may be removed by patrons briefly while seated in theater seats to enjoy concessions. Theater capacities will be reduced to no more than 75%. Refunds will not be issued to those unable to provide proof of vaccination. However, if you are sick or have a known exposure to COVID-19, please do not come to the Festival. Refunds may be requested through email at boxofficemgr@psfilmfest.org. Depending on current conditions, additional measures may be taken. For full, up-to-date information on our safety policies visit www.psfilmfest.org/safety.
Festival Map N
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(ANN) Annenberg Theater at Palm Springs Art Museum (Downstairs)
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101 N. Museum Dr, Palm Springs
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(CAM) Palm Springs Cultural Center at Camelot Theatres (MP) Mary Pickford is D’Place
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(PALM) Palm Canyon Theatre
36850 Pickfair St., Cathedral City
538 N. Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs
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(REG) Regal Cinemas Palm Springs Stadium 9
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(PSHS) Richards Center for the Performing Arts at Palm Springs High School 2248 Ramon Rd, Palm Springs
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Palm Springs International Film Festival
Administrative Offices 1700 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 3, Palm Springs
Hilton Palm Springs (Official Host Hotel) 400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
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789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs
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789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 23, Palm Springs
789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 20, Palm Springs
Free parking is available near or at all venues
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TITLE SPONSOR
PRESENTING SPONSORS
PRODUCING SPONSORS
6 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
FILM AWARDS PRESENTING SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSOR OF FILM AWARDS & FESTIVAL
PLATINUM SPONSORS
SUPPORTING FOUNDATIONS
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OFFICIAL PURVEYORS
OFFICIAL WINE
OFFICIAL HOST HOTEL
OFFICIAL WORLDWIDE PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO PARTNERS
OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE PARTNER
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
8 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
INTERNATIONAL SPONSORS
CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
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PLATINUM HOTEL SPONSORS
PREMIER HOTEL SPONSORS
HOSPITALITY SPONSORS
10 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL 2021-2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS I take great pleasure in welcoming you to this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival. Gathering with our audiences in front of the big screen to collectively share the best new films the world has to offer takes on a renewed significance this year. At a time when many of us are still limited in our ability to travel, the 130 films curated for this year’s program by artistic director Lili Rodriguez and her talented staff of programmers allow us to journey to 70 countries from every region of the world without ever leaving the Coachella Valley. Our festival offers something to suit every filmgoer’s taste — from escapist comedies and edge-of-your-seat thrillers to deeply moving dramas and eye-opening documentaries. The HAROLD MATZNER, CHAIRMAN festival is widely regarded throughout the industry as the festival that screens almost all of the submissions to the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards®. This year we’re bringing you nearly 40 of those films in our Awards Buzz program. No festival would be complete without a taste of glamour of Hollywood, so we invite you to don your finest attire and celebrate with us in person at this year’s Film Awards, which opens the festival on Thursday, January 6 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. We’ll kick off this year’s awards season by honoring some of the biggest A-list movie stars and filmmakers in the world. It’s the only event in the valley where you can celebrate among Hollywood’s best and brightest, see the glitz and glamour of the red carpet with stars like Will Smith, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Hudson and more Oscar® hopefuls, and enjoy a fabulous dinner in our elegantly decorated ballroom. And it’s all for a good cause, raising more than $2.5 million for the Palm Springs International Film Society’s year-round mission. I want to thank our presenting sponsor and proud partner, American Express; our title sponsor, City of Palm Springs; and our Film Awards host Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight for helping to make this one of the most exciting events in Palm Springs. Mary will once again emcee the Film Awards ceremony and interview stars for Entertainment Tonight to provide immediate national news coverage that no other festival can get. Our major sponsors are assisted by our wonderful team of individual underwriters, including Helene Galen, JoAnn McGrath, Patti Grundhofer and Jordan Schnitzer, and myself. Our entire board of directors donates more than $1 million annually to this benefit for the Palm Springs International Film Society. It’s our pleasure to continue the legacy of our late friends and supporters such as our founder, Sonny Bono, our former chairman, Earl Greenburg, and our past major donors, James and Jackie Lee Houston. We hope you join us in ringing in a very happy new year at the festival!
Harold Matzner Chairman of the Board
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Harold Matzner VICE CHAIRS David Baron Aftab Dada Helene Galen JoAnn McGrath Scott White BOARD OF DIRECTORS Stephen Breimer James Bruner Michael Childers Sidney Craig Bob Deville Robert Dickey Michele Finney Jaci Fitzsimonds Eric Garner Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns Patti Grundhofer Gary D. Hall Wendy Hope-Heckmann Carol Kaplan Terri Ketover Garry Kief Geoff Kors Michelle Krans Mary Ann LaBahn Kevin McGuire Donna MacMillan Peter Mahler Katherine Malkin Tristan Milanovich Lee Morcus Patrick Mundt Marie E. Pinizzotto M.D., MBA John Pinkney David Ready, Esq., Ph.D Catharine Reed Jan Salta Aubrey Serfling Linda Shirvanian Dominique Shwe Ellen Sneider
Emeritus Members:
Mark Adams Tim Hanlon Cydney Osterman Jack Grundhofer, in memoriam Madeline Redstone Lois Schlecht, in memoriam Jim Houston, in memoriam Fritz Frauchiger, in memoriam Executive Board Members are noted in bold.
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PSFILMFEST.ORG 11
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LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
It feels so good to say hello again. It’s hard to believe that it has been two whole years since we last met here. Strangely, it feels as if PSIFF 2020 was both just yesterday and an eternity ago. The team here at the Palm Springs Film Society has kept busy with year-round member screenings and ShortFest, but we sure missed mounting this festival in 2021, and we’re endlessly grateful that we have you as an audience to return to. So much has changed since January 2020. As such, this year’s festival looks different from previous editions. At the top of our priorities has been our commitment to mounting the truest form of the festival that we’ve all come to know and love while maintaining the safest environment possible. For us, that meant bypassing virtual screenings and figuring out a way to celebrate the movies together — appropriately — in front of the big screen. LILI RODRIGUEZ, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
In PSIFF tradition, our programmers have dedicated over a year to exploring the world and bringing you a vibrant selection of today’s international and local cinema. As always, you’ll find films that run the gamut — from feel-good fun to urgent, socially driven work. The world is everevolving and filmmakers are there to capture it all. Although we’ve yet to put the pandemic behind us and continue to face new challenges, we’re grateful to have this moment together with you and want to make PSIFF 2022 a celebration of art and life. What better way to do so than with music and film? In the lineup you’ll find two sidebars that do just that: SOUND TRACK, featuring films to get you moving and humming along, and THE BIG SCREEN, featuring films that explore our favorite artform — the movies. And of course, there’s this year’s poster, with its happy and welcoming message. I hope you can sense this celebratory feeling through the films we’ve selected this year and the festival we’ve planned for you. On behalf of the PSIFF team, welcome back.
Lili Rodriguez Artistic Director
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WE’RE ALL ABOUT D I S C O V E R I N G S TA R S .
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PA L M D E S E R T, C A L I F O R N I A
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OPENING NIGHT Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over USA, 2021, 95 minutes
Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • ANN Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • CAM Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • PSHS
From humble roots singing in New Jersey church choirs to international super stardom, this sparkling portrait of incomparable recording artist Dionne Warwick traces her six (and counting!) decades in the business as trailblazer, activist and true living legend. Directors: Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner With: Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Clive Davis, Gloria Estefan, Cissy Houston
CLOSING NIGHT The Duke
UK, 2020, 96 minutes Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • PSHS
Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren star in this 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. Director: Roger Michell
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode, Anna Maxwell Martin, Jack Bandeira
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VANGUARD AWARD
BELFAST
FOCUS FEATURES WRITER AND DIRECTOR KENNETH BRANAGH CAST INCLUDES CAITRÍONA BALFE, JAMIE DORNAN, CIARÁN HINDS AND JUDE HILL
Film Awards Celebrate the Brightest Stars of the Year at the 33RD Annual Film Awards
SPOTLIGHT AWARD, ACTRESS
KRISTEN STEWART SPENCER
NEON/TOPIC STUDIOS
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INTERNATIONAL STAR AWARD, ACTRESS
DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTRESS
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
PARALLEL MOTHERS
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
THE POWER OF THE DOG
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
NETFLIX
PENÉLOPE CRUZ
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
JESSICA CHASTAIN
JANE CAMPION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 6 AT THE PALM SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER
Toast the year’s top talents at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s star-studded Film Awards Toast the year’s top talents atannual the Palm Springscelebration. International Film Festival’s Film Awards celebration. he Palm Springs International star-studded Film Festival’s annualannual Film Awards A trio of today’s top actresses have made career highlights with their incredible,
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returns live on Thursday, January 6 at the Palm Springs Convention Center for another unforgettable celebration of the year’s greatest achievements in filmmaking. For more than 30 years this can’t-miss kickoff to awards season has brought the world’s biggest actors, filmmakers and industry heavyweights to Palm Springs for the hottest event on the city’s cultural calendar. With the support of our presenting sponsor and proud partner, American Express; our title sponsor, the City of Palm Springs; our host Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight; and our enthusiastic attendees, the Film Awards marks the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Palm Springs International Film Society. This year’s honorees include some of the world’s most admired actors and filmmakers working at the height of their craft. Jane Campion has once again amazed audiences with her first feature film in more than a decade, the family psychodrama wrapped in a Western, The Power of the Dog, earning her Director of the Year honors. Kenneth Branagh and the marvelous, threegeneration ensemble cast of Belfast receive the Vanguard Award for the versatile filmmaker’s intimate coming-of-age story set amid the outbreak of sectarian violence in 1960s Northern Ireland.
complex takes on three hugely iconic women: Desert Palm Achievement Award winner Jessica Chastain gets under the surface of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye; Spotlight Award winner Kristen Stewart embodies an embattled Princess Diana in Spencer; and Chairman’s Award recipient Jennifer Hudson mines the darkness that shaped Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect. In one of the most poignant performances of her career, International Star Award honoree Penélope Cruz navigates the dramatic twists and turns a woman’s life takes following an unexpected pregnancy in longtime collaborator Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers. Andrew Garfield earns the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his inspired turn as influential Rent playwright Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick... Boom! And Will Smith, as the coach and father of future tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams (played by magnetic newcomers Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney), leads the Ensemble Performance Awardwinning cast of the rousing true story, King Richard. A reliably star-studded roster of surprise presenters adds to the excitement of the first event of the awards season. For tickets visit www.psfilmfest.org.
MORE HONOREES TO BE ANNOUNCED
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
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ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE AWARD WARNER BROS. PICTURES
RESPECT
TICK, TICK… BOOM! NETFLIX
CAST INCLUDES WILL SMITH, AUNJANUE ELLIS, SANIYYA SIDNEY, DEMI SINGLETON, JON BERNTHAL AND TONY GOLDWYN
JENNIFER HUDSON METRO GOLDWYN MAYER PICTURES / UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING
ANDREW GARFIELD
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KING RICHARD
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COMMUNITY SCREENING DAY
Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times USA, 2021, 90 minutes Saturday, January 15 • 3:00 pm • Annenberg Theater
Capturing the wisdom and warmth of two of the world’s most inspiring spiritual leaders, this documentary presents a historic meeting between old friends, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as they discuss seeking happiness in the face of life’s many challenges. Directors: Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan With: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Thupten Jinpa Langri, Mpho Tutu Van Furth, Doug Abrams, Sonja Lyubomirsky Presented by
18 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
TALKING PICTURES
In-depth discussions with the creators of the year’s top titles
Spencer
UK, 2021, 116 minutes Thursday, January 6 • 10:00 am • ANN
In conversation with: Actor Kristen Stewart The latest poetic and haunting unconventional biopic from director Pablo Larraín (Jackie) centers on Princess Diana (PSIFF 2022 honoree Kristen Stewart) as she toils through a particularly grueling Christmas holiday at the Queen’s estate. As Diana, Stewart transforms, giving a virtuosic, crowning performance that’s kindling Oscar® buzz. Director: Pablo Larraín Cast: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins, Jack Farthing
Talking Pictures presented by
Respect
USA, 2021, 145 minutes Thursday, January 6 • 10:00 am • PSHS
In conversation with: Actor Jennifer Hudson Oscar® winner and PSIFF 2022 honoree Jennifer Hudson takes center stage in this sumptuous biopic of Aretha Franklin, tracing the first two decades of the Queen of Soul’s life, from singing in church choirs to making music history. Hudson’s monumental performance stands as the definitive tribute to an unforgettable icon. Director: Liesl Tommy Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Saycon Sengbloh
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TALKING PICTURES The Power of the Dog Australia, 2021, 127 minutes
In conversation with: Director Jane Campion Thursday, January 6 • 2:15 pm • PSHS
In 1920s Montana, a charismatic and domineering rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) has his world upended when his brother (Jesse Plemons) brings home a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her teenage son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) in PSIFF Director of the Year recipient Jane Campion’s exquisite masterpiece. Director: Jane Campion Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Tick, Tick… Boom! USA, 2021, 115 minutes
In conversation with: Actor Andrew Garfield Friday, January 7 • 9:00 am • CAM
Based on the autobiographical stage musical by the late composer-lyricist Jonathan Larson (Rent), this directorial debut from Lin-Manuel Miranda showcases PSIFF honoree Andrew Garfield in his most riveting and emotionally complex performance yet. Garfield plays Jon, an aspiring Broadway composer traversing love, friendships and art on the cusp of his 30th birthday. Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda Cast: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter
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In-depth discussions with the creators of this year’s top titles
Space is limited. To purchase tickets visit PSFILMFEST.ORG
Jockey
USA, 2021, 94 minutes Friday, January 14 • 3:00 pm • ANN
In conversation with: Actors Clifton Collins Jr. and Molly Parker Veteran character actor Clifton Collins Jr. gives the performance of a lifetime as an injury-riddled jockey in the twilight of his career who finds new purpose when a young jockey, claiming to be his son, arrives at the Arizona track. This gorgeously shot film explores the hardscrabble world of horse racing with unmatched authenticity and a warm, unsentimental heart. Director: Clint Bentley Cast: Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias
Talking Pictures presented by
The Tender Bar USA, 2021, 104 minutes
Sunday, January 9 • 11:00 am • ANN
In conversation with: Screenwriter William Monahan BOOK TO SCREEN Pulitzer Prize-winning author J.R. Moehringer’s 2005 memoir about growing up in Long Island among a motley crew of father figures who frequent the local pub owned by his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck in an exceptional, mature performance) is brought to vivid life by director George Clooney and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed). Director: George Clooney Cast: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe
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GAYLA! presentations Boulevard! A Hollywood Story USA, 2021, 85 minutes
Thursday, January 13 • 7:30 pm • PSHS In this astonishing and long-buried story, Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young songwriters (and closeted lovers), were hired by screen icon Gloria Swanson to write a musical version of Sunset Boulevard. When Gloria fell for the handsome Stapley, life began to imitate art, with disastrous and far-reaching repercussions. Director: Jeffrey Schwarz
With: Robert Osborne, Brooke Anderson, Cari Beauchamp, David Del Valle, Stephen Michael Shearer, Stephen Bock
Sweetheart
UK, 2021, 103 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:00 pm • CAM Convinced she’s about to have the worst week of her life while on holiday with her gratingly upbeat and “normal” family, socially awkward misfit teen AJ (Nell Barlow) unexpectedly falls head over heels for a dreamy, flirtatious lifeguard named Isla. Director: Marley Morrison
Cast: Nell Barlow, Ella Rae-Smith, Jo Hartley, Sophia Di Martino, Samuel Anderson, Tabitha Byron
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Big screen movies celebrating movies
Alien on Stage p. 25
Claydream p. 32
Exposing Muybridge p. 34
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen p. 35
Last Film Show p. 41
The Story of Film: A New Generation p. 49
Sound track
Bernstein’s Wall p. 26
Music on Film
Born in Chicago p. 31
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music p.40
FILMS NOT TO MISS
Jazz Fest p. 40 A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Oscar Peterson: Black + White p. 440
BUY TICKETS PSFILMFEST.ORG PSFILMFEST.ORG 23
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
This selection of fascinating documentaries highlights a diverse range of topics related to life in the Coachella Valley.
Desert X 2021 – The Film
Invisible Valley
This awe-inspiring documentary grants audiences an all-access pass to the Coachella Valley’s recent Desert X exhibition, which features dazzling and surreal large-scale works by various artists intended to confront and challenge historical and societal truths. Director: Dylan Robertson With: Neville Wakefield, César García-Alvarez, Zahrah Alghamdi, Ghada Amer, Felipe Baeza, Serge Attukwei Clottey
This vivid documentary spotlights the Coachella Valley’s diverse population and reveals a place that is far more than just the home of the Salton Sea, the eponymous annual music festival and the agricultural bounty it produces. Director: Aaron Maurer With: Maricela Daisy, Yaqueline, Gloria Gomez, Claudia Castorena, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad
My Name Is Lopez
Pepe Serna: Life is Art
With a treasure trove of rich archival footage and lively interviews, directors P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes present a colorful, touching portrait of legendary performer and cultural groundbreaker Trini Lopez, who rose from humble Texan origins to become an unforgettable international superstar. Director: P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes With: Trini Lopez, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Jim Brown, Dave Grohl, Joan Gand
World Premiere Groundbreaking Mexican-American character actor Pepe Serna finally takes the spotlight in Luis Reyes’ joyous ode to Serna’s life and the hundred-plus charismatic scene-stealing roles that paved the way for generations of Chicanx actors in Hollywood and beyond. Director: Luis Reyes With: Pepe Serna, Edward James Olmos, Eva Longoria, Richard “Cheech” Marin, Robert Beltran
USA, 2021, 56 minutes Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 3:00 pm • REG
Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea USA, 2020, 78 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 11:00 am • ANN Wednesday, January 12 • 2:45 pm • MP
Once a resort destination for water skiers and bird watchers, the Salton Sea is now a desolate area triggering far-reaching environmental and public health concerns. This informative and poignant documentary outlines what happened to the “sportsman’s paradise,” and what can be done to save it. Director: Greg Bassenian With: Ben Beal, Linda Beal, Michael J. Cohen, Michelle Dugan, Art Gertz, Lana Hall 24 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
USA, 2021, 98 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 2:30 pm • PSHS Sunday, January 16 • 1:30 pm • CAM
USA, 2021, 87 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 11:30 am • PSHS
USA, 2022, 60 minutes Friday, January 7 • 1:30 pm • PSHS Saturday, January 15 • 2:00 pm • CAM
COMPLETE FILM GUIDE Foreign-language films are shown with English subtitles. All programs are subject to change.
THEATER KEY
REG Regal Palm Springs CAM Camelot Theatres MP Mary Pickford is D’Place ANN Annenberg Theater PALM Palm Canyon Theater PSHS R ichards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
7 Lives, 7 Lakes
Alien on Stage
TRUE STORIES U.S. Premiere In this touching and life-affirming road documentary, Dabiz Riaño, a Spanish researcher diagnosed with ALS, sets out in an outfitted van with his two lively caretakers to fulfill his dream of swimming in the scenic lakes of Eastern Europe. Director: Víctor Escribano With: Dabiz Riaño, Serigne Mbacke Ndiaye, Rubén Fuentes
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES Against all odds, an amateur theater troupe of British bus drivers puts on an adaptation of the sci-fi horror film Alien. After a disappointing turnout in their hometown in Dorset, they are invited to mount the show in London, where it becomes a cult hit. Directors: Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey Cast: David Mitchell, Lydia Hayward, Luc Hayward, Mike Rustici, John Elliot, Carolyn White
Spain, 2021, 105 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 11:00 am • ANN Saturday, January 15 • 9:45 am • MP
UK, 2020, 86 minutes Monday, January 10 • 10:30 am • MP Saturday, January 15 • 7:00 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 10:00 am • PALM
Anaïs in Love
Any Day Now
WORLD CINEMA NOW North American Premiere Thirty, broke and boundless with romantic energy, Anaïs hurtles through life and lovers with abandon. After she has a brief affair with a much older book publisher and then falls for his live-in partner Emilie, a brilliant and luminescent novelist, things get especially messy. Director: Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet Cast: Anaïs Demoustier, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Denis Podalydès, Jean-Charles Clichet
WORLD CINEMA NOW This endearing coming-of-age dramedy centers on an Iranian tween whose family is seeking asylum in Finland and expects news “any day now.” Even though it deals with hard realities, it is abuzz with summery energy and the happiness of childhood memories. Director: Hamy Ramezan Cast: Aran-Sina Keshvari, Shahab Hosseini, Shabnam Ghorbani, Kimiya Eskandari
France, 2021, 98 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 3:00 pm • MP Thursday, January 13 • 8:30 pm • MP
Finland, 2020, 82 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 7:00 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 2:00 pm • PALM
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The Automat
Back Then
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
WORLD CINEMA NOW The “back then” of this delightfully performed, laughout-loud-funny family dramedy is the mid-1980s in the People’s Republic of Poland. Based on the writerdirector’s own life and quirky family, this is a true audience pleaser. Director: Kinga Debska Cast: Alina Falana
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM A school teacher’s life flips upside down after her homemade sex tape leaks onto the internet, and causes pandemonium among her students’ parents, in rascally auteur Radu Jude’s latest biting social comedy of errors. Director: Radu Jude Cast: Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai, Nicodim Ungureanu
Ballad of a White Cow
Benediction
Bernstein’s Wall
WORLD CINEMA NOW Mina is slowly adjusting to her new life as a widow and single mother when she learns that her husband was executed for a crime he did not commit. So begins her quest for justice in a system in which the odds are inherently stacked against her. Directors: Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam Cast: Maryam Moghaddam, Alireza Sani Far, Pouria Rahimi Sam
MODERN MASTERS U.S. Premiere Master director Terence Davies’ heartbreaking chronicle of the life of the great anti-war poet Siegfried Sassoon — brilliantly played by both Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi — is an intimate, deeply personal epic about a conflicted gay man at war with society and himself. Director: Terence Davies Cast: Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi, Gemma Jones
SOUND TRACK – MUSIC ON FILM Drawing on a treasure trove of archival materials, this eye-opening documentary provides a nuanced look at the monumental achievements, complicated personal life and committed activism of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated cultural figures: superstar conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Director: Douglas Tirola
USA, 2021, 79 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 11:00 am • ANN Sunday, January 9 • 2:00 pm • CAM
TRUE STORIES Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Carl Reiner are among the diners singing the praises of the Horn & Hardart Automats, the art deco cafeterias whose rich 100-year history is celebrated in this nostalgic and historically illuminating documentary. Director: Lisa Hurwitz With: Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Carl Reiner
Iran, 2020, 105 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 2:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 2:00 pm • REG
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Poland, 2021, 94 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 10:30 am • REG Monday, January 10 • 2:45 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 10:30 am • REG
UK, 2021, 137 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 3:00 pm • ANN Saturday, January 15 • 4:15 pm • REG
Romania, 2021, 106 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 8:30 pm • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 9:15 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 3:00 pm • MP
USA, 2021, 105 minutes Monday, January 10 • 8:30 pm • REG Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 11:00 am • ANN
FILM SCHEDULE THE
33RD ANNUAL
P ALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
KEY
Opening/Closing Awards Buzz
Respect
Spencer
The Power of the Dog
10:00 am Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School
10:00 am Annenberg Theater
2:15 pm Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Queer Cinema Today Talking Pictures
Documentaries
THEATER KEY
REG Regal Palm Springs CAM Camelot Theatres MP Mary Pickford is D’Place ANN Annenberg Theater
PALM P alm Canyon Theater PSHS R ichards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School
PSFILMFEST.ORG 27
28 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
PSFILMFEST.ORG 29
30 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
The Best Families
Peru, 2020, 99 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 2:00 pm • MP Sunday, January 9 • 7:00 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 8:00 pm • CAM
CINE LATINO A big family birthday bash hosted by two gossipy aristocratic sisters erupts into farcical mayhem and open class warfare when ancient betrayals, amorous entanglements and long-buried secrets rise to the surface. This boisterous and barbed social comedy is a party not to be missed. Director: Javier Fuentes-León Cast: Tatiana Astengo, Gabriela Velázquez, Gracia Olayo
Blind Ambition
Australia, 2021, 96 minutes Friday, January 7 • 11:15 am • REG Monday, January 10 • 3:00 pm • ANN
TRUE STORIES In this inspiring documentary, four Zimbabwean refugees find purpose training as sommeliers in South Africa. When the opportunity arises to compete at the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships in France, their next challenging journey begins. Directors: Rob Coe, Warwick Ross With: Denis Garret, Jean Vincent Ridon, Joseph Dhafana
Born in Chicago
USA, 2020, 77 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 7:00 pm • ANN Wednesday, January 12 • 9:00 am • MP Thursday, January 13 • 11:15 am • REG
SOUND TRACK – MUSIC ON FILM This joyous musical celebration of the Chicago blues hones in on the moment in the early 1960s when blues-besotted white teenagers Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield and Barry Goldberg learned at the feet of their idols Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King and Buddy Guy, and helped ignite a blues explosion that changed the face of popular music. Director: Bob Sarles, John Anderson With: Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
The Box
Brighton 4th
GAYLA! In this astonishing and long-buried story, Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young songwriters (and closeted lovers), were hired by screen icon Gloria Swanson to write a musical version of Sunset Boulevard. When Gloria fell for the handsome Stapley, life began to imitate art, with disastrous and farreaching repercussions. Director: Jeffrey Schwarz With: Robert Osborne, Brooke Anderson
CINE LATINO U.S. Premiere While retrieving his father’s remains, teenager Hatzín latches onto a violent labor recruiter whom he believes to be his real father, and becomes his righthand man in this absorbing thriller. Director: Lorenzo Vigas Cast: Elián Gonzalez, Hernán Mendoza, Hatzín Navarrete
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM From the director of Blind Dates (PSIFF 2014), this charming and bittersweet prize-winning drama about a father’s unyielding devotion to his son unfolds mostly in the former Soviet émigré enclave of Brighton Beach, New York, where the film’s cockamamie antics take place. Director: Levan Koguashvili Cast: Levan Tediashvili, Nadezhda Mikhalkova, Giorgi Tabidze
USA, 2021, 85 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 7:30 pm • PSHS Friday, January 14 • 2:00 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 1:00 pm • ANN
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
USA, 2021, 92 minutes Friday, January 7 • 8:30 pm • REG Sunday, January 9 • 2:45 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 3:00 pm • MP
Georgia, 2021, 95 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 10:00 am • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • REG
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Brother’s Keeper
Casablanca Beats
WORLD CINEMA NOW To save his mysteriously sick classmate, a young Kurdish boy is forced to navigate the chilly hallways of his Turkish boarding school and the oppressive, inept bureaucratic administration that runs them. Director: Ferit Karahan Cast: Samet Yildiz, Ekin Koç, Mahir Ipek
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Anas is the new hip-hop teacher at an arts center in one of the poorest suburbs of Casablanca. By showing his students how to channel their frustrations through rap, he will build their self-confidence and empower them to overcome their adversities. Director: Nabil Ayouch Cast: Meryem Nekkach, Anas Basbousi, Nouhaila Arif
Clara Sola
Claydream
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In this mystical feature debut, a sheltered 40-year-old woman attempts to unshackle herself from the social and religious customs that have held her back while living with her strict mother in a remote Costa Rican village. Director: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén Cast: Wendy Chinchilla Araya, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Ana Julia Porras Espinonza
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES Heralded in his day as the next Walt Disney, eccentric claymation pioneer Will Vinton created dozens of award-winning films and advertisements, including the Motown-singing California Raisins, until legal troubles threatened to end it all. Director: Marq Evans With: Will Vinton, Bill Plympton, Bob Gardiner
Turkey, 2021, 85 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 2:00 pm • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 11:15 am • REG
Costa Rica, 2021, 106 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 7:00 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 9:45 am • REG Saturday, January 15 • 6:00 pm • PALM
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Morocco, 2021, 101 minutes Friday, January 7 • 3:00 pm • MP Thursday, January 13 • 9:15 pm • REG
USA, 2021, 96 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 9:45 am • MP Friday, January 14 • 4:15 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 11:15 am • REG
The Caviar Connection
France, 2021, 104 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 11:15 am • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 8:00 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 3:30 pm • REG
TRUE STORIES A band of fearless investigative journalists, including imprisoned and targeted Khadija Ismayilova, exposes the intricacies of corruption and power in the highest government offices of nations such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan in this eye-opening documentary that unravels like a nail-biting thriller. Director: Benoît Bringer
Compartment No. 6
Finland, 2021, 107 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 4:15 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 11:00 am • ANN
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Two strangers share a train journey from Moscow to Murmansk that will ultimately change their perspective on life in the beguiling new film from the director of The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (PSIFF 2017). Director: Juho Kuosmanen Cast: Seidi Haarla, Yuriy Borisov, Dinara Drukarova
Costa Brava, Lebanon
The Crossing
Daughter of a Lost Bird
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Up in the Lebanese mountains, the Badris live secluded from society. But the Eden they have built for their family becomes threatened when the government seizes the neighboring land and starts disturbing their idyllic lifestyle. Director: Mounia Akl Cast: Nadine Labaki, Saleh Bakri, Nadia Charbel
WORLD CINEMA NOW In this powerful animated work about the rewards of perseverance and unbreakable bonds, a family flees when their small village riven by hate is looted, and the two older children become separated from their parents. Director: Florence Miailhe Cast: Emilie Lan Dürr, Maxime Gemin, Arthur Pereira
TRUE STORIES Kendra was adopted and raised by a loving white family, not knowing of her Native parentage. Reconnecting with her birth mother and discovering her Lummi culture, she struggles to reconcile her white privilege with her growing Native anger in this moving and complex documentary. Director: Brooke Pepion Swaney With: Kendra Mylnechuk Potter, April Kowalski
Desert X 2021 – The Film
Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over
Drive My Car
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT This awe-inspiring documentary grants audiences an all-access pass to the Coachella Valley’s recent Desert X exhibition, which features dazzling and surreal large-scale works by various artists intended to confront and challenge historical and societal truths. Director: Dylan Robertson With: Neville Wakefield, César García-Alvarez, Zahrah Alghamdi, Ghada Amer, Felipe Baeza
OPENING NIGHT From humble roots singing in New Jersey church choirs to international super stardom, this sparkling portrait of incomparable recording artist Dionne Warwick traces her six (and counting!) decades in the business as trailblazer, activist and true living legend. Directors: Dave Wooley, David Heilbroner With: Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Jerry Blavat
Lebanon, 2021, 106 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 3:30 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 9:45 am • MP Saturday, January 15 • 10:30 am • MP
USA, 2021, 56 minutes Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 3:00 pm • REG
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
France, 2021, 84 minutes Monday, January 10 • 2:00 pm • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 9:45 am • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 2:00 pm • REG
USA, 2021, 95 minutes Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • ANN Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • CAM Friday, January 7 • 6:30 pm • PSHS
USA, 2021, 66 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 7:45 pm • MP Thursday, January 13 • 9:00 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 5:00 pm • PALM
Japan, 2021, 179 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 9:45 am • MP Thursday, January 13 • 10:30 am • REG
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Adapted from a short story by Haruki Murakami, the new film from director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Asako I & II PSIFF 2019) follows a depressed stage director as he launches a new production of Uncle Vanya while grieving the death of his wife. Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada
PSFILMFEST.ORG 33
The Drover’s Wife – The Legend of Molly Johnson Australia, 2021, 109 minutes Friday, January 7 • 8:30 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 9:00 am • MP Sunday, January 16 • 4:15 pm • REG
Drunken Birds
Canada, 2021, 104 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:00 pm • MP Monday, January 10 • 4:15 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 9:00 am • REG
The Duke
UK, 2020, 96 minutes
Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 6:30 pm • PSHS
WORLD CINEMA NOW Set on an isolated farm in the Australian Outback in 1893, this compelling tale of one woman’s fight to protect her children against the evils of racism, sexism and colonialism is part thriller, part western, all shown from a feminist and Indigenous perspective. Director: Leah Purcell Cast: Sam Reid, Leah Purcell, Jessica De Gouw
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In this engrossing and unconventional tale of star-crossed romance, a Mexican laborer travels to Montreal to reconnect with his long-lost love after having helped her flee Central America several years earlier. Director: Ivan Grbovic Cast: Jorge Antonio Guerrero, Hélène Florent, Claude Legault, Marine Johnson
CLOSING NIGHT Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren star in this 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. Director: Roger Michell Cast: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin, Matthew Goode, Jack Bandeira
Escape from Mogadishu
Exposing Muybridge
The Falls
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In this pulse-pounding political thriller based on real events, North and South Korean officials stationed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu are forced to put their differences aside in a last-ditch effort for survival when bloody civil war engulfs the city. Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Zo In-sung, Huh Joon-ho
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES Eadweard Muybridge’s revolutionary 19th-century photographs of a galloping horse foreshadowed the birth of cinema. But the life of this groundbreaking but duplicitous man was a movie in itself: a tale of murder, art, betrayal and ambitions rewarded and crushed. Director: Marc Shaffer With: Gary Oldman, Marta Braun, Philip Brookman
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM U.S. Premiere The COVID-19 quarantine is only the beginning of a series of upheavals in the lives of a mother and her teenage daughter in this gripping and complex family drama set against a backdrop of urban alienation. Director: Chung Mong-hong Cast: Alyssa Chia, Gingle Wang, Chen Yi-wen, Lee Lee-zen, Waa Wei
South Korea, 2021, 121 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 8:00 pm • CAM Tuesday, January 11 • 8:30 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 9:45 am • REG
34 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
USA, 2021, 88 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 3:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 9 • 7:45 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 9:45 am • MP
Taiwan, 2021, 129 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 8:30 pm • MP Thursday, January 13 • 3:00 pm • MP Sunday, January 16 • 3:00 pm • MP
Farha
Fear
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS U.S. Premiere Inspired by true events, this powerful vision of survival and lost innocence in 1948 Palestine follows 14-year-old Farha, whose dreams of leaving her village to study in the city are obliterated when tragedy ravages her home, which she witnesses while hiding in a locked pantry. Director: Darin J. Sallam Cast: Karam Taher, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Xenophobia and bitter jealousy in a small Eastern European town lurches into overdrive after a widowed former school teacher takes in a Malian refugee making his way to Germany in this ironic and blackly comic fable about intolerance. Director: Ivaylo Hristov Cast: Svetlana Yancheva, Michael Flemming, Kristina Yaneva, Ivan Savov
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES World Premiere A richly detailed examination of the nuts and bolts of moviemaking, this 50th anniversary celebration of Norman Jewison’s Fiddler on the Roof, narrated by Jeff Goldblum, shows us how the beloved musical made its triumphant, hazardous journey to the screen. Director: Daniel Raim With: Jeff Goldblum, John Williams, Topol, Norman Jewison, Michele Marsh
Jordan, 2021, 92 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 2:45 pm • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 9:00 am • REG Thursday, January 13 • 2:00 pm • MP
Bulgaria, 2020, 100 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 3:00 pm • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 10:30 am • MP Sunday, January 16 • 8:30 pm • REG
USA, 2021, 86 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 9 • 9:45 am • REG Sunday, January 16 • 9:00 am • MP
WHEN YOUR BUTT NEEDS A BREAK We hope you are enjoying the film festival but when you get tired of sitting, stretch your legs at our two downtown locations! Get schedule and location info at psmuseum.org.
Duane Hanson (American, 1925-1996), Old Couple on a Bench, 1995, polychromed bronze and mixed media with accessories, edition 2/2, 50 x 60 x 40 © inches. Museum purchase with funds provided by Muriel and Bernard Myerson, 2-1998 a-c.
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
PSFILMFEST.ORG 35
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM SOCIETY
Film Society members are invited to see hotly anticipated films and more at exclusive screenings. 2021 sneak preview screenings include: Belfast, Bergman Island, Blue Bayou, C’mon, C’mon, Dear Evan Hanson, Dune, The French Dispatch, House of Gucci, King Richard, Last Night in Soho, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Titane Become a Film Society member to begin using your benefits today! Visit www.psfilmfest.org/membership 36 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
The First 54 Years
Flee
Gemmel & Tim
TRUE STORIES Using the 54-year Israeli occupation of Palestine as an example, this sobering and vital treatise from influential provocateur Avi Mograbi compiles testimonies of Israeli soldiers gathered under the Breaking the Silence Project to dissect how a military sustains its control. Director: Avi Mograbi With: Zvi Barel, Schlomo Gazit, Avi Mograbi
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Animation proves an ideal medium to tell the true story of a gay man who escaped Afghanistan and reinvented himself in this innovative and poignant tearjerker. Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen Cast: Riz Ahmed, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alex Lehman, Daniel Karimyar
TRUE STORIES Both hard-hitting exposé and impassioned memorial, this moving documentary sets out to reclaim the humanity of Timothy Dean and Gemmel Moore, two of the three gay black men who died at the hands of the twisted, well-connected white political donor Ed Buck. Director: Michiel Thomas With: Gia Banks, Mark Chambers, Jeffrey Drew
The Good Boss
The Gravedigger’s Wife
Great Freedom
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Caught in a web of intrigue, infidelity and the mutiny of a vociferous ex-employee, kindly scale manufacturer Julio Blanco’s (Javier Bardem) true self comes to the fore in this razor-sharp dark comedy. Director: Fernando León de Aranoa Cast: Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Guled’s wife is in desperate need of a kidney transplant, but the cost of the medical procedure equals his entire salary as a gravedigger. Now facing a race against time, Guled must find a way to save the love of his life. Director: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed Cast: Yasmin Warsame, Omar Abdi, Khadar AbdoulAziz Ibrahim
Israel, 2021, 110 minutes Monday, January 10 • 11:15 am • REG Thursday, January 13 • 8:30 pm • REG
Spain, 2021, 120 minutes Friday, January 7 • 1:30 pm • CAM Saturday, January 8 • 7:45 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 10:30 am • REG
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Denmark, 2021, 89 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 2:45 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 9:00 am • CAM Friday, January 14 • 11:00 am • ANN
Somalia, 2020, 82 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 6:00 pm • PALM Monday, January 10 • 2:45 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 10:00 am • CAM
USA, 2021, 91 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 2:45 pm • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 3:00 pm • ANN Wednesday, January 12 • 9:00 am • CAM
Austria, 2021, 116 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 2:00 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 7:00 pm • REG
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Franz Rogowski (Transit PSIFF 2019) gives a superlative performance in this tender, sensuous and empathetically told story of a gay man repeatedly incarcerated under postwar Germany’s infamous Paragraph 175 law. Director: Sebastian Meise Cast: Franz Rogowski, Georg Friedrich, Anton von Lucke, Thomas Prenn
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The Great Indian Kitchen
Greener Pastures
WORLD CINEMA NOW U.S. Premiere An unnamed new wife faces a life of never-ending drudgery and joyless sex in writer-director Jeo Baby’s riveting, perceptive evisceration of a patriarchal Hindu marriage. Director: Jeo Baby Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Ajitha V.M.
WORLD CINEMA NOW International Premiere In this clever humanist comedy, a pensionless widower trapped in a care facility against his will reinvents himself as a cannabis entrepreneur in an inspired attempt to buy back his family home. Directors: Matan Guggenheim, Assaf Abiri Cast: Shlomo Baraba, Joy Reiger, Dov Glickman, Alon Noyman, Gadi Yagil
Happening
Haute Couture
A Hero
WORLD CINEMA NOW On the precipice of retirement as Head Seamstress at the Dior Avenue Montaigne workshop, Esther (legendary French icon Nathalie Baye) is robbed by a young woman. But rather than turn her in to the police, Esther enlists the petty thief as her dressmaking protégé. Director: Sylvie Ohayon Cast: Nathalie Baye, Lyna Khoudri, Pascale Arbillot
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Two-time Academy Award®-winning director Asghar Farhadi returns with a tantalizing cinematic web of morality about an imprisoned Iranian man who becomes a national hero after a seemingly selfless act garners him fame, arousing suspicion. Director: Asghar Farhadi Cast: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Fereshteh Sadrorafaii, Sahar Goldoust, Sarina Farhadi, Saleh Karimai
India, 2021, 103 minutes Monday, January 10 • 3:30 pm • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 9:00 am • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 7:45 pm • REG
France, 2021, 100 minutes Friday, January 7 • 3:30 pm • REG Saturday, January 8 • 9:45 am • REG
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, director Audrey Diwan’s powerful sophomore feature charts the harrowing journey of a gifted young literature student’s struggle to get an abortion in the 1960s, when it was still illegal in France. Director: Audrey Diwan Cast: Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquero
38 38 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
Israel, 2020, 90 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 7:30 pm • PSHS Wednesday, January 12 • 2:00 pm • CAM
France, 2021, 101 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 11:15 am • REG Saturday, January 15 • 9:15 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 1:30 pm • PSHS
The Hand of God
Italy, 2021, 130 minutes Friday, January 7 • 2:45 pm • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 4:15 pm • REG Thursday, January 13 • 7:00 pm • ANN
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Morality and beauty intertwine in this handsome, sunbaked, semi-autobiographical snapshot of turbulent youth from director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty PSIFF 2014), which follows Fabietto Schisa, a young man obsessed with two things: women and soccer player Diego Maradona. Director: Paolo Sorrentino Cast: Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo
Iran, 2021, 127 minutes Monday, January 10 • 7:00 pm • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 7:30 pm • PSHS Friday, January 14 • 3:00 pm • REG
Hinterland
Austria, 2021, 99 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • ANN Thursday, January 13 • 2:00 pm • CAM Friday, January 14 • 2:00 pm • MP
Hive
Hold Your Fire
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM A historic triple award winner at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, this stunning portrait of women’s empowerment follows Fahrije, one of many whose husbands went missing after the Kosovo War, as she defies oppressive misogyny in her village and claims independence as an entrepreneur selling homemade preserves. Director: Blerta Basholli Cast: Yilka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Kumrije Hoxha
TRUE STORIES This gripping documentary recreates the longest hostage siege in New York history, a showdown in Brooklyn in 1973 that resulted in the first use of hostage negotiation techniques. The survivors tell the tale of the bungled robbery and fraught standoff with Rashomon-like complexity. Director: Stefan Forbes With: Rosemary Catalano, Harvey Schlossberg
Kosovo, 2021, 84 minutes Monday, January 10 • 3:00 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 9:00 am • REG
WORLD CINEMA NOW North American Premiere Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival, this boldly expressionist drama from the director of The Counterfeiters (PSIFF 2008) finds a former police inspector in 1920s Vienna called upon to solve the sadistic murders of his fellow comrades in arms. Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky Cast: Murathan Muslu, Max von der Groeben
USA, 2021, 93 minutes Friday, January 7 • 6:00 pm • PALM Saturday, January 8 • 9:00 am • REG Saturday, January 15 • 8:30 pm • MP
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PSFILMFEST.ORG 39
I’m Your Man
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Programmed to perfectly suit the emotional needs of anthropologist Alma (Maren Eggert), a charming and handsome android Tom (Dan Stevens) finds himself perplexed by the messiness of emotion in this fresh and unconventional high-concept rom-com. Director: Maria Schrader Cast: Dan Stevens, Maren Eggert, Sandra Hüller, Hans Löw, Wolfgang Hübsch, Annika Meier
SOUND TRACK – MUSIC ON FILM Featuring appearances by music icons Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Chely Wright, this illuminating documentary showcases the inspiring, untold stories of a group of lesbian and trans songwriters within the male-dominated, conservative-leaning country music industry. Director: T.J. Parsell With: Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell
Jazz Fest
The Judgement
The Jump
SOUND TRACK – MUSIC ON FILM World Premiere This deep-fried celebration of over 50 years of the funky and fabulous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival invites you to bliss out on the music of Al Green, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, Aaron Neville, Earth Wind and Fire, Katy Perry among many others. Directors: Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern
WORLD CINEMA NOW Based on real events, this Dutch crime thriller follows a TV investigative journalist as he challenges the judicial system, media and public opinion in an attempt to uncover the truth surrounding a controversial high-profile murder case. Director: Sander Burger Cast: Fedja van Huêt, Yorick van Wageningen, Lies Visschedijk
TRUE STORIES Recounting his daring leap off of a Soviet ship and onto a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in 1970, Lithuanian sailor Simas Kudirka tells of his struggle for freedom and dignity in this thrilling testament to resilience and the power of community. Directors: Giedre Žickytė With: Walter Cronkite, Richard Nixon, Simas Kudirka
Germany, 2021, 102 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 7:45 pm • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 11:00 am • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 9:15 pm • REG
USA, 2021, 95 minutes Friday, January 7 • 7:45 pm • REG Saturday, January 8 • 4:15 pm • REG
40 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
USA, 2021, 106 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 7:00 pm • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 2:45 pm • REG Thursday, January 13 • 9:45 am • REG
Netherlands, 2021, 130 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • CAM Thursday, January 13 • 4:15 pm • REG
Invisible Valley
USA, 2021, 87 minutes Wednesday, January 12 • 7:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 15 • 11:30 am • PSHS
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT This vivid documentary spotlights the Coachella Valley’s diverse population and reveals a place that is far more than just the home of the Salton Sea, the eponymous annual music festival and the agricultural bounty it produces. Director: Aaron Maurer With: Maricela Daisy, Yaqueline, Gloria Gomez, Claudia Castorena, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad
Lithuania, 2020, 85 minutes Friday, January 7 • 9:45 am • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 3:30 pm • REG Friday, January 14 • 9:15 pm • REG
Juniper
Lamb
Last Film Show
WORLD CINEMA NOW U.S. Premiere A troubled teen and his ailing, wickedly acerbic and alcoholic grandmother (a tremendous, scene-stealing Charlotte Rampling) meet for the first time, and the weeks they spend together result in some unexpected outcomes. Director: Matthew J. Saville Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Márton Csókás, George Ferrier, Edith Poor
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In this darkly enchanting magical realist fable, a childless couple living in near isolation high in the mountains of rural Iceland encounter an unusual newborn in their sheep barn and decide to raise her as their own. Director: Vladimar Jóhannsson Cast: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Gudnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES Director Pan Nalin’s delightful tribute to the imaginative power of film follows mischievous, movie-mad nine-year-old Samay, whose friendship with a cynical projectionist inspires him — despite his father’s objections — to generate his own movie magic. Director: Pan Nalin Cast: Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval, Alpesh Tank, Paresh Mehta
Leave No Traces
Let It Be Morning
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds
New Zealand, 2021, 94 minutes Monday, January 10 • 2:00 pm • CAM Tuesday, January 11 • 9:45 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 10:30 am • REG
Poland, 2021, 160 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 9:00 am • REG Monday, January 10 • 7:45 pm • MP
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Based on a real-life national scandal triggered by a tyrannical system in 1980s Poland, this gripping drama depicts how militia brutality sparks a chain of systematic corruption that destroys numerous lives. Director: Jan P. Matuszyński Cast: Tomasz Ziętek, Sandra Korzeniak, Jacek Braciak, Agnieszka Grochowska, Mateusz Górski
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Iceland, 2021, 107 minutes Friday, January 7 • 2:45 pm • MP Sunday, January 9 • 3:00 pm • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 8:30 pm • MP
Israel, 2021, 101 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 10:00 am • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 10:00 am • PALM Sunday, January 16 • 2:45 pm • MP
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM This wry satire about a man forced to spend an unexpected layover at his parents’ home with his wife and son offers a microcosm through which to examine the social and political status of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Director: Eran Kolirin Cast: Alex Bakri, Ehab Elias Salami, Izabel Ramadan, Juna Suleiman, Khalifa Natour, Salim Daw
India, 2021, 110 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 9:00 am • CAM Friday, January 14 • 9:00 am • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 7:00 pm • ANN
Chad, 2021, 87 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 3:00 pm • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 10:00 am • CAM
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Single mother Amina works hard to provide a better future for her teenage daughter. But her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy, and intention to have an abortion, will test her faith and threaten the life she has built within the Chadian patriarchal society. Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Cast: Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, Rihane Khalil Alio, Youssouf Djaoro, Briya Gomdigue
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Love, Spells and All That
Medusa
QUEER CINEMA Two women who were teenage lovers separated by their parents reunite after 20 years. The cosmopolitan Eren returns to her childhood island in Turkey determined to rekindle her great passion for workingclass, superstitious Reyhan in this one-of-a-kind love story that casts a magical spell. Director: Ümit Ünal Cast: Selen Uçer, Ece Dizdar, Aysenil Samlioglu
Brazil, 2021, 127 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 7:45 pm • MP Thursday, January 13 • 7:45 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 7:45 pm • MP
Colombia, 2021, 135 minutes Friday, January 7 • 9:45 am • MP Monday, January 10 • 10:30 am • REG Thursday, January 13 • 2:45 pm • REG
CINE LATINO Fanatically religious Mariana leads a masked street gang that attacks any woman she deems promiscuous. But as her church grows increasingly authoritarian and Mariana secretly indulges her desires, her longsuppressed rage explodes. Director: Anita Rocha da Silveira Cast: Mari Oliveira, Lara Tremouroux, Joana Medeiros
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Shaken by the recurring sound of a loud, jarring thud only she can hear, orchidologist Jessica Holland (Tilda Swinton) becomes immersed in the ancient mysteries of sound in this gloriously sensuous meditation on time, space and memory. Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Cast: Tilda Swinton, Elkin Díaz, Jeanne Balibar
Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea
Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT Once a resort destination for water skiers and bird watchers, the Salton Sea is now a desolate area triggering far-reaching environmental and public health concerns. This informative and poignant documentary outlines what happened to the “sportsman’s paradise,” and what can be done to save it. Director: Greg Bassenian With: Ben Beal, Linda Beal, Michael J. Cohen
TRUE STORIES Capturing the wisdom and warmth of two of the world’s most inspiring spiritual leaders, this documentary presents a historic meeting between old friends, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as they discuss seeking happiness in the face of life’s many challenges. Directors: Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan With: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
Turkey, 2019, 96 minutes Friday, January 7 • 8:00 pm • CAM Friday, January 14 • 9:00 am • MP
Messwood
USA, 2021, 95 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 2:45 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 10:00 am • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 9:00 am • REG
TRUE STORIES Two Milwaukee high schools — one suburban and white, the other urban and Black — must team up to field a football team. This intimately observant documentary follows the boys as they navigate the hazards of the game and the obstacles of race, class and economic disparity. Directors: Emily Kuester, Brad Lichtenstein
42 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
USA, 2020, 78 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 11:00 am • ANN Wednesday, January 12 • 2:45 pm • MP
Memoria
USA, 2021, 90 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 4:15 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 3:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 9:00 am • PSHS
Moneyboys
Mothering Sunday
My Brothers Dream Awake
QUEER CINEMA In this tale of love, identity and the pursuit of happiness, a city-dwelling sex worker returns home to the family he supports, only to be met with homophobic disdain, and encounters a young local he reluctantly welcomes into the business. Director: C.B. Yi Cast: Kai Ko, Chloe Maayan, JC Lin, Yufan Bai
WORLD CINEMA NOW Set in the lush English countryside on Mother’s Day 1924, a young housekeeper (Odessa Young) keeps one last intimate assignation with her secret upperclass lover (Josh O’Connor) before he departs to marry another woman. Director: Eva Husson Cast: Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Emma D’Arcy, Glenda Jackson
CINE LATINO Stuck in a harsh Chilean juvenile reformatory, teen brothers Angel and Flea struggle to hold onto their youth and dreams while raging against an unjust system in this unforgettable, award-winning drama. Director: Claudia Huaiquimilla Cast: Iván Cáceres, César Herrera, Paulina García, Andrew Bargsted, Julia Lübbert, Sebastián Ayala
My Name Is Lopez
My Sunny Maad
Neighbours
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT With a treasure trove of rich archival footage and lively interviews, directors P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes present a colorful, touching portrait of legendary performer and cultural groundbreaker Trini Lopez, who rose from humble Texan origins to become an unforgettable international superstar. Directors: P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes With: Trini Lopez, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Jim Brown, Dave Grohl, Joan Gand
WORLD CINEMA NOW North American Premiere In this lavishly illustrated romantic drama, Czech student Herra falls for Nazir immediately. Desperate to feel a sense of belonging, she agrees to begin their marriage in his native city of Kabul. But life in postTaliban Afghanistan is more complex than she could have imagined. Director: Michaela Pavlátová Cast: Zuzana Stivínová, Shahid Maqsoodi, Shamla Maqsoodi
WORLD CINEMA NOW In a Syrian border village in the early 1980s, six-yearold Sero’s world is turned upside down when a cruel new school teacher arrives. Confronted with the dark realities of nationalism and antisemitism, Sero finds himself forced to grow up quickly. Director: Mano Khalil Cast: Jay Abdo, Sherzad Abdullah, Jalal Al Tawil, Abdeslam Suleiman Abed
Taiwan, 2021, 118 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 10:00 am • PALM Tuesday, January 11 • 5:00 pm • PALM Sunday, January 16 • 7:45 pm • REG
USA, 2021, 98 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 2:30 pm • PSHS Sunday, January 16 • 1:30 pm • CAM
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UK, 2021, 104 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 10:00 am • CAM Sunday, January 16 • 7:00 pm • MP
Czech Republic, 2021, 85 minutes Friday, January 7 • 2:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 8 • 2:00 pm • REG
Chile, 2021, 85 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 3:30 pm • REG Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • REG
Switzerland, 2021, 124 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 7:00 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 2:30 pm • PSHS Sunday, January 16 • 9:00 am • ANN
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No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics USA, 2021, 79 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 8:30 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 9:00 am • MP Sunday, January 16 • 2:00 pm • PALM
Nowhere Special UK, 2020, 96 minutes
Friday, January 7 • 4:15 pm • REG Saturday, January 8 • 7:45 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 3:00 pm • CAM
Olga
Switzerland, 2021, 86 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 5:00 pm • PALM Friday, January 14 • 7:00 pm • MP
QUEER CINEMA Vivian Kleiman’s award-winning and lighthearted documentary looks back on the birth and evolution of queer comics, reflecting on the impact of representation in the art form, from the early days of subversive works to the mainstream success of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. Director: Vivian Kleiman
WORLD CINEMA NOW U.S. Premiere In this quietly devastating tale, James Norton plays a 34-year-old window cleaner and single dad in Glasgow with a terminal illness. Before he dies he must find a new home for his adored four-year-old son Michael. But what if he makes the wrong choice? Director: Uberto Pasolini Cast: James Norton, Daniel Lamont, Eileen O’Higgins
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM After her mother’s investigative reporting makes it unsafe to remain in her home country, impassioned 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast Olga is sent to Switzerland to continue her Olympic training, leaving her mother behind to report on the 2013 Euromaidan protests. Director: Elie Grappe Cast: Nastya Budiashkina, Sabrina Rubtsova, Jérôme Martin
On the Water
One Second
Oscar Peterson: Black + White
Estonia, 2020, 107 minutes Friday, January 7 • 3:00 pm • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 2:45 pm • MP Sunday, January 16 • 7:45 pm • MP
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM International Premiere This coming-of-age dramedy captures a pivotal year in the life of a shy teen in rural Soviet Estonia who slowly discovers his potential. A poignant script, attractive production design and appealing performances bring something fresh to the genre. Director: Peeter Simm Cast: Rasmus Ermel, Aarne Soro, Marko Matvere, Maria Klenskaja, Kalju Orro 44 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
China, 2020, 104 minutes Friday, January 7 • 10:00 am • CAM Thursday, January 13 • 3:00 pm • CAM
MODERN MASTERS Legendary auteur Zhang Yimou (Shadow PSIFF 2019) returns with this rapturous love letter to cinema that follows a prison escapee (Zhang Yi) on a desperate quest to hunt down a newsreel that might feature his lost daughter. Director: Zhang Yimou Cast: Zhang Yi, Liu Haocun, Fan Wei, Yu Ailei, Zhang Shaobo
Canada, 2021, 81 minutes Friday, January 7 • 7:00 pm • REG Saturday, January 8 • 2:30 pm • PALM Wednesday, January 12 • 3:00 pm • CAM
SOUND TRACK – MUSIC ON FILM U.S. Premiere Oscar Peterson was one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time. This enthusiastic and affectionately crafted documentary offers an indispensable primer on the Canadian jazz pianist and his extraordinary life. Director: Barry Avrich With: Billy Joel, Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock
The Other Tom
Out of Sync
The Pact
CINE LATINO Scratching out a living in a Texas trailer park, workingclass single mom Elena must find a way to treat her son for ADHD while protecting them both from a callous, profit-driven social services industry in this powerful tale of resilience and hope. Directors: Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo Cast: Julia Chávez, Israel Rodríguez Bertorelli
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS U.S. Premiere When time, space and sound fall hopelessly out of sync for foley artist C, she discovers her mysterious curse might actually be a gift in this unique psychological thriller. Director: Juanjo Giménez Cast: Marta Nieto, Miki Esparbé, Fran Lareu
MODERN MASTERS Now in her twilight years, devastated by syphilis and mourning her lost love, the charismatic and manipulative author Karen Blixen offers a Faustian bargain to a young poet: obey her unconditionally (to the point of renouncing his family) and achieve literary stardom. Director: Bille August Cast: Birthe Neumann, Simon Bennebjerg, Nanna Skaarup Voss
Paka (River of Blood)
Parallel Mothers
Pepe Serna: Life is Art
MODERN MASTERS Pedro Almodóvar reunites with Penélope Cruz for this story of two women whose lives become inextricable after sharing a hospital room while in labor, resulting in one of the most surprising and deeply moving works of Almodóvar’s career. Director: Pedro Almodóvar Cast: Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Rossy de Palma, Julieta Serrano
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT World Premiere Groundbreaking Mexican-American character actor Pepe Serna finally takes the spotlight in Luis Reyes’ joyous ode to Serna’s life and the hundred-plus charismatic scene-stealing roles that paved the way for generations of Chicanx actors in Hollywood and beyond. Director: Luis Reyes With: Pepe Serna, Edward James Olmos, Eva Longoria, Richard “Cheech” Marin, Robert Beltran
Mexico, 2021, 111 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 9:45 am • MP Saturday, January 15 • 7:45 pm • MP Sunday, January 16 • 3:00 pm • CAM
India, 2021, 101 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 7:00 pm • CAM Monday, January 10 • 7:45 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 3:00 pm • CAM
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS U.S. Premiere In patriarchal rural India, star-crossed lovers Johnny and Anna are caught in the middle of a war between their respective families. When Johnny’s uncle returns home from jail for killing Anna’s father, the feud is reignited, and as blood spills in the name of vengeance, the couple’s future hangs in the balance. Director: Nithin Lukose Cast: Basil Poulose, Vinitha Koshy, Nithin George A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Spain, 2021, 104 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:00 pm • REG Sunday, January 9 • 7:00 pm • MP Monday, January 10 • 5:00 pm • PALM
Spain, 2021, 123 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 9:00 am • CAM Friday, January 14 • 7:30 pm • PSHS
Denmark, 2021, 115 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 8:00 pm • CAM Friday, January 14 • 8:30 pm • REG
USA, 2022, 60 minutes Friday, January 7 • 1:30 pm • PSHS Saturday, January 15 • 2:00 pm • CAM
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Petite Maman
The Phantom of the Open
MODERN MASTERS In director Céline Sciamma’s enchanting follow-up to Portrait of a Lady on Fire, she explores the bonds between mother and daughter through the eyes of eight-year-old Nelly, who befriends a mysterious girl in the forest who seems to be her mirror image. Director: Céline Sciamma Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse
WORLD CINEMA NOW U.S. Premiere Teeming with ambition, heart and terrible swings in every sense of the word, this wildly charming biopic of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), otherwise known as “the world’s worst golfer,” is an underdog story like no other. Director: Craig Roberts Cast: Mark Rylance, Rhys Ifans, Sally Hawkins
Prayers For the Stolen
Queen of Glory
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In their small rural village in the mountains of Jalisco, teens Ana, Maria and Paula navigate growing up amid a landscape torn apart by drug cartels and the military in this lyrical debut narrative from acclaimed documentarian Tatiana Huezo. Director: Tatiana Huezo Cast: Mayra Batalla, Marya Membreño, Ana Cristina Ordóñez González
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS While making plans to follow her married boyfriend to Ohio, Sarah is informed of her mother’s untimely death. Forced to organize a traditional Ghanaian funeral and handle her mother’s estate in the Bronx, Sarah finds herself reconnecting with the world she’d long rejected. Director: Nana Mensah Cast: Nana Mensah, Meeko Gattuso, Oberon K.A. Adjepong, Adam Leon
France, 2021, 72 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 3:00 pm • MP Friday, January 14 • 11:15 am • REG Saturday, January 15 • 11:15 am • REG
Mexico, 2021, 111 minutes Friday, January 7 • 7:45 pm • MP Sunday, January 9 • 8:00 pm • CAM Thursday, January 13 • 8:00 pm • CAM
46 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
UK, 2021, 102 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 3:00 pm • ANN Sunday, January 16 • 9:00 am • CAM
USA, 2021, 78 minutes Friday, January 7 • 2:00 pm • REG Sunday, January 9 • 9:45 am • MP Sunday, January 16 • 6:00 pm • PALM
Playground
Belgium, 2021, 72 minutes Monday, January 10 • 2:00 pm • MP Tuesday, January 11 • 9:00 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 10:30 am • MP
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM U.S. Premiere Set in a French primary school, this indelible, naturalistic portrait of the cruelty of children and the obliviousness of adults hits like a blow to the stomach. New talent Laura Wandel directs like the spiritual heir to the Dardenne brothers. Director: Laura Wandel Cast: Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Karim Leklou
Radiograph of a Family
Iran, 2020, 80 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 10:30 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 3:30 pm • REG
TRUE STORIES A strikingly original and poetic portrait of marriage that encapsulates the turbulent history of 20thcentury Iran, this artful, award-winning personal memoir documents the fraught union between the filmmaker’s secular Iranian father and increasingly devout Islamic mother. Director: Firouzeh Khosrovani With: Soheila Golestani, Christophe Rezai, Farahnaz Sharifi
The Rapist
Redemption of a Rogue
Rehana Maryam Noor
WORLD CINEMA NOW North American Premiere In the wake of an assault that sends ripples through her community, a criminology professor embarks on a dark and unpredictable journey as she attempts to understand how a human can evolve into a monster capable of such heinous acts. Director: Aparna Sen Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Arjun Rampal, Tanmay Dhanania
WORLD CINEMA NOW Reminiscent of the work of director Martin McDonagh, this is a Bible-inspired, pitch-black comedy about a prodigal son returning to his hometown to seek salvation for his sins. And it’s a musical. Director: Philip Doherty Cast: Aaron Monaghan, Aisling O’Mara, Kieran Roche
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM U.S. Premiere In this thrilling psychological drama, an assistant medical professor becomes embroiled in a scandal after witnessing an incident between a colleague and one of her students. With her reputation and career on the line, she is forced to make one impossible decision after another. Director: Abdullah Mohammad Saad Cast: Azmeri Haque Badhon, Farzana Bithi
Run Woman Run
Scarecrow
Secret Name
WORLD CINEMA NOW After a medical crisis leaves single mom Beck (Dakota Ray Hebert) in a sedentary state, it takes the impossible appearance of a legendary Mohawk longdistance runner from a century ago to challenge the acerbic, back-talking single mom into turning her life around. Director: Zoe Leigh Hopkins Cast: Dakota Ray Hebert, Asivak Koostachin, Jayli Wolf
WORLD CINEMA NOW North American Premiere In this haunting and unforgettable drama, a healer named Scarecrow lives deep in the vast, snowy expanse of Russia’s Sakha Republic. Both a pariah and a savior, she continues to help those who ask, even if using her power puts her at risk of destroying herself. Director: Dmitrii Davydov Cast: Valentina Romanova-Chyskyyray, Anatoly Struchkov
WORLD CINEMA NOW At the onset of World War I, an ambitious young sex worker ventures to advance her social standing by assuming the identity of an affluent woman who perishes in front of her. Director: Aurélia Georges Cast: Lyna Khoudry, Sabine Azéma, Laurent Poitrenaux, Maud Wyler
India, 2021, 132 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 8:30 pm • MP Monday, January 10 • 9:15 pm • REG Thursday, January 13 • 10:00 am • CAM
Canada, 2021, 100 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 7:00 pm • ANN Monday, January 10 • 7:30 pm • PSHS Saturday, January 15 • 7:00 pm • CAM
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Ireland, 2020, 93 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 10:30 am • MP Tuesday, January 11 • 7:45 pm • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 8:30 pm • REG
Russia, 2020, 72 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 9:15 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 8:30 pm • REG
Bangladesh, 2021, 107 minutes Friday, January 7 • 9:15 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 10:00 am • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 3:30 pm • REG
France, 2021, 112 minutes Friday, January 7 • 10:30 am • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 9:15 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 2:00 pm • MP
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48 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
Shambala
Shankar’s Fairies
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM Isolated in the beautiful Tian Shan mountains, spirited seven-year-old Shambala lives a life colored by the imaginative folklore told to him by his grandfather. But as the dark realities of the adult world close in, life for Shambala is not as idyllic as his surroundings. Director: Artykpai Suyundukov Cast: Artur Amanaliev, Nasredin Dubashev, Talant Apyev, Djamilia Sydykbaeva, Taalaykan Abazova
WORLD CINEMA NOW Against the backdrop of a newly liberated India in 1962, this autobiographical family drama follows a young girl as she slowly comes to realize the power dynamic between her wealthy, privileged family and the man who serves them. Director: Irfana Majumdar Cast: Jaihind Kumar, Shreeja Mishra, Adwik Mathur, Ghulam Pir Muhammad, Ramchondra Santosh
The Story of Film: A New Generation
The Story of My Wife
BIG SCREEN – MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES The brilliant, provocative and encyclopedic cineaste Mark Cousins looks at how 21st-century filmmakers, using new technologies and new visions, have expanded cinema’s horizons. From Hollywood blockbusters to Chinese art films, this stimulating celebration will make you look at films of all kinds with fresh eyes. Director: Mark Cousins
MODERN MASTERS U.S. Premiere Hungarian master Ildikó Enyedi follows up her Oscar®-nominated On Body and Soul (PSIFF 2018) with this expansive literary period piece chronicling a marriage between a sea captain (Gijs Naber) and Lizzy (Léa Seydoux), who agrees to be his wife within only 10 minutes of their meeting. Director: Ildikó Enyedi Cast: Léa Seydoux, Gijs Naber, Louis Garrel
Kyrgyzstan, 2021, 98 minutes Monday, January 10 • 3:00 pm • CAM Wednesday, January 12 • 3:30 pm • REG Thursday, January 13 • 9:00 am • CAM
UK, 2021, 167 minutes Friday, January 7 • 10:30 am • MP Saturday, January 8 • 10:00 am • PALM Sunday, January 16 • 10:30 am • MP
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
India, 2021, 93 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 3:00 pm • CAM Monday, January 10 • 8:00 pm • CAM Friday, January 14 • 9:45 am • MP
Hungary, 2021, 169 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 10:00 am • PSHS Tuesday, January 11 • 9:00 am • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 5:00 pm • PALM
Small Body
Italy, 2021, 89 minutes Friday, January 7 • 9:00 am • MP Tuesday, January 11 • 2:00 pm • REG
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS U.S. Premiere In this striking period drama, a young grieving mother travels with her stillborn daughter seeking a sanctuary in the Italian mountains where it is said such babies can be brought back to life for one short breath, just long enough to be baptized. Director: Laura Samani Cast: Ondina Quadri, Celeste Cescutti
Sundown
Mexico, 2021, 83 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 2:00 pm • REG Friday, January 14 • 2:45 pm • MP
CINE LATINO Staying behind in Acapulco as his family tends to an emergency in London, wealthy scion Neil Bennett (Tim Roth) quietly begins another life, struggling not to buckle under the pressure of expectation while harboring a devastating secret. Director: Michel Franco Cast: Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios, Henry Goodman
PSFILMFEST.ORG 49
The Survivor
Sweetheart
The Swimmer
MODERN MASTERS U.S. Premiere In this searing film based on an incredible true story from illustrious director Barry Levinson, Ben Foster gives a powerhouse performance as Harry Haft, an Auschwitz survivor, who was forced to fight in gladiatorial matches for the entertainment of the Nazis. Director: Barry Levinson Cast: Ben Foster, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen
GAYLA! Convinced she’s about to have the worst week of her life while on holiday with her gratingly upbeat and “normal” family, socially awkward misfit teen AJ (Nell Barlow) unexpectedly falls head over heels for a dreamy, flirtatious lifeguard named Isla. Director: Marley Morrison Cast: Nell Barlow, Ella Rae-Smith, Jo Hartley, Sophia Di Martino, Samuel Anderson, Tabitha Byron
QUEER CINEMA TODAY U.S. Premiere Erez is a gay swimmer competing for a spot in the Israeli Olympics at a desert training camp where he must deal with the homophobia of the athletic world and his hidden desire for his rival. But showing his true feelings could prove dangerous. Director: Adam Kalderon Cast: Omer Perelman, Asaf Jonas, Ofek Cohen, Roy Reshef, Gal Reznik
Three Minutes - A Lengthening
Tigers
Titane
TRUE STORIES Rare home-movie footage shot in Poland in 1938 becomes a priceless historical artifact, documenting people and places lost to the Holocaust in this haunting and provocative documentary essay. Director: Bianca Stigter With: Helena Bonham Carter
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM North American Premiere Screenwriter Ronnie Sandahl (Borg vs. McEnroe PSIFF 2018) tells the true story of 16-year-old Swedish soccer prodigy Martin Bengtsson in this coming-ofage drama about a young man’s burning obsession in a world where everything, and everyone, has a price tag. Director: Ronnie Sandahl Cast: Alfred Enoch, Frida Gustavsson, Liv Mjönes
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM While on the run, a dancer with a peculiar attraction to metal finds unlikely refuge in the care of a grieving fire captain who believes her to be his long-lost son in filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s outrageous, audacious Palme d’Or-winning masterpiece. Director: Julia Ducournau Cast: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh
USA, 2021, 129 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:30 pm • PSHS Sunday, January 9 • 3:00 pm • ANN Saturday, January 15 • 9:00 am • CAM
Netherlands, 2021, 69 minutes Tuesday, January 11 • 10:30 am • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 10:30 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 7:45 pm • REG
50 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
UK, 2021, 103 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 7:00 pm • CAM Sunday, January 9 • 2:00 pm • MP Monday, January 10 • 9:00 am • REG
Sweden, 2020, 116 minutes Friday, January 7 • 9:00 am • REG Tuesday, January 11 • 7:00 pm • MP Sunday, January 16 • 2:00 pm • REG
Israel, 2021, 90 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 2:00 pm • PALM Thursday, January 13 • 9:00 am • MP
France, 2021, 108 minutes Friday, January 7 • 1:15 pm • ANN Friday, January 14 • 2:00 pm • REG Sunday, January 16 • 8:00 pm • CAM
BUY TICKETS PSFILMFEST.ORG The Fallout
USA, 2021, 92 minutes Friday, January 7 • 2:00 pm • PALM Saturday, January 8 • 9:00 am • MP
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS Bolstered by new friendships forged under sudden, tragic circumstances, high schooler Vada begins to reinvent herself, re-evaluating her relationships and her view of the world. Through shared experiences, living in the now, and inexplicable resiliency, hope emerges out of loss. Director: Megan Park Cast: Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, Niles Fitch, Will Ropp, Lumi Pollack, John Ortiz
True Things
UK, 2021, 102 minutes Friday, January 7 • 7:00 pm • MP Saturday, January 8 • 9:15 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 8:30 pm • MP
WORLD CINEMA NOW U.S. Premiere Ruth Wilson plays a bored single woman whose life takes a thrilling and dangerous turn when a seductive ex-con (Tom Burke) bursts into her life. A gritty, redhot study of romantic and sexual addiction, it will speak to anyone who has ever fallen for Mr. or Ms. Wrong. Director: Harry Wootliff Cast: Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke, Hayley Squires
Tug of War
Unclenching the Fists
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS U.S. Premiere A forbidden romance plays out against a backdrop of intense political upheaval in this ravishing period drama about a freedom fighter and a woman fleeing an unhappy marriage whose paths cross in 1950s Zanzibar as it stands on the brink of anti-colonial revolution. Director: Amil Shivji Cast: Gudrun Columbus Mwanyika, Ikhlas Gafur Vora
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM This potent, slow-burning coming-of-age drama about a young woman’s desperate attempt to escape the small mining town where she and the domineering men in her life reside took the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Director: Kira Kovalenko Cast: Milana Aguzarova, Alik Karaev, Soslan Khugaev, Khetag Bibilov, Arsen Khetagurov, Milana Pagieva
Tanzania, 2021, 93 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 11:15 am • REG Saturday, January 15 • 7:45 pm • REG
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
Russia, 2021, 97 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 3:30 pm • REG Wednesday, January 12 • 3:00 pm • MP
PRINT AT HOME
Utica: The Last Refuge
USA, 2021, 120 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 6:00 pm • PALM Sunday, January 9 • 9:00 am • MP Monday, January 10 • 7:00 pm • REG
TRUE STORIES World Premiere An inspiring and humane look at how a dying industrial city opened its arms to refugees and helped transform it into a thriving community. But when Trump’s anti-Muslim ban shuts down immigration, Utica’s progress — and its future — is threatened. Director: Loch Phillipps With: Nasradin Azein, Shelly Callahan, Hassan Abbas PSFILMFEST.ORG PSFILMFEST.ORG 51 51
Valentina
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Wildhood
TRUE STORIES When veteran criminal defense lawyer Jeffery Robinson found himself raising his 13-year-old nephew, he realized they would soon need to have The Talk. Ten years later, Robinson has turned that conversation about racism into a multifaceted exploration of racial inequities foundational to the American way. Directors: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS Fleeing from their abusive father, Link and his younger half-brother set off in search of Link’s Mi’kmaw mother, whom they had been told was dead. Along the way, Link discovers community, identity and self-acceptance. Director: Bretten Hannam Cast: Phillip Lewitski, Joshua Odjick, Avery WintersAnthony, Michael Greyeyes
The Worst Person in the World
Yuni
Zátopek
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM From acclaimed director Joachim Trier, this fresh, funny and audacious take on a young woman’s search for love and meaning in the modern world nabbed the Best Actress prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival for its luminous lead Renate Reinsve. Director: Joachim Trier Cast: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum, Maria Garzia Di Meo
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM In this poetic and effervescent coming-of-age tale, teenager Yuni is caught between forging her own path ahead and relenting to her village’s rigid expectations to accept one of many marriage proposals from men she barely knows. Director: Kamila Andini Cast: Arawinda Kirana, Kevin Ardilova, Dimas Aditya, Marissa Anita, Asmara Abigail
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM North American Premiere The perils and perks of being an elite athlete in socialist Czechoslovakia provide the backdrop to this engaging biopic of Emil Zátopek (1922 – 2000), perhaps his country’s greatest Olympian. It also traces one of the great love stories in sports. Director: David Ondříček Cast: Václav Neuzil, Martha Issová, James Frecheville
Brazil, 2020, 95 minutes Thursday, January 13 • 7:45 pm • REG Saturday, January 15 • 7:00 pm • MP
QUEER CINEMA When trans teen Valentina moves from the city to a small, conservative town, the community quickly sets up roadblocks to her happiness, forcing the shy teen to stand her ground in this inspiring and hopeful story of gender expression and solidarity. Director: Cássio Pereira dos Santos Cast: Thiessa Woinbackk, Guta Stresser, Rômulo Braga, Ronaldo Bonafro, Letícia Franco
Norway, 2021, 128 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 2:30 pm • PSHS Monday, January 10 • 9:45 am • REG Thursday, January 13 • 7:00 pm • CAM
52 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
USA, 2021, 118 minutes Monday, January 10 • 7:00 pm • ANN Tuesday, January 11 • 2:45 pm • REG
Indonesia, 2021, 95 minutes Saturday, January 8 • 2:45 pm • MP Wednesday, January 12 • 9:45 am • REG Friday, January 14 • 8:00 pm • CAM
Canada, 2021, 108 minutes Sunday, January 9 • 2:00 pm • REG Monday, January 10 • 7:00 pm • MP Sunday, January 16 • 9:45 am • REG
Czech Republic, 2021, 130 minutes Friday, January 7 • 10:00 am • PALM Saturday, January 8 • 2:00 pm • CAM Saturday, January 15 • 3:00 pm • REG
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM SOCIETY The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. Film Society membership brings you admission to sneak preview screenings and special events, early box office access to the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortFest, and discounts on festival tickets, passes, merchandise, and more. Membership also supports our year-round work to provide educational programs that serve thousands of youth and adults of diverse means and backgrounds in the Coachella Valley, as well as college students from across the Southern California region and visiting filmmakers from around the world. Become a Film Society member to begin using your benefits today! Visit www.psfilmfest.org/membership.
The Film Society extends our gratitude to all our members with an extra special thank you to the following: CHAIRMAN LEVEL MEMBERS: Heather Burek, Clement Chan, Mark Coleman & Terence Kissack, Clara DiFelice, Linda Friedman, Rob Moon & Bob Hammack, Peter M Hirsch & Michael Bakish, Bobbi Lampros, Athalie & Adnan LaPamuk, Mary Clare Lynch & Dr Carlos J Ledezma, David Liggett & Mark Hawk, Don Lorack, Mary Lynch, Harold Matzner & Shellie Reade, Donald S. Metzner, Edward Monie, Mark Prior & Luc Bernard, Laurence Rickels, Stephanie Stroughter, John Wendell & Mark Okun PREMIERE LEVEL MEMBERS: Michael Amara & Les Young, Bipin B. Bharatwal, Gene S. Brandt, Tom Carlock & Rich Schirrmacher, Susan Chalfen & Daniel Silvers, Marman Cordova, John & Soheila Crane, Liza Ivins & Rick Moran, Stephen Lind & Patrick Mundt, Joseph Palacios, Marie E. Pinizzotto MD MBA, Gail A. Pischak, Deb Schwarz, Lori & Aubrey Serfling, Dr. Barry Johnson & Dr.Tulika Singh, Marilyn Taketa PRODUCER LEVEL MEMBERS Ken & Vicki Alterwitz, Dara & Erika Altobelli, Sherrie Auen & Catharine Reed, Adrian Bernotti & Ralph Vicero, Mario Bertucci, Clifford Campbell, Andre Caraco, Karen & Nate Cheney, Anita & Goerge Cooks, Garret Demarest & Tim Murphy, Robert Dobier, Lee Elster, Seth Evans, Expedia Cruises, Harlan Eyre, Donna & Garrett Falzone, Susan & Barry Fisher, Glenn Flood, Linda Friedman, Joseph Giarrusso, Carol Goldwasser, Sally Goodman, Susan Goodman, Jeanette Gray, Rhonda & Brett Hartzell, Denise Haslam, Ralph and Natalie Hirshorn, Cynthia Hutchinson, Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad, Nancy Italia, Chris Jara & Don Taffurelli, Marcia Jones, Kurt Kaltschmidt, Carol & Bill Kaplan, Jim Bochnski & Don Kasper, Laurie Krueger, Mary Ann LaBahn, Pat & Gary Leach, Mindy Levy Peckar, Brenda Lonsbury-Martin & Glen Martin, Dr. & Mrs. Michael Lovy, Susan & Rod Lubeznik, JoAnn McGrath, Jennie L. Mingolelli, J Michael Naughton, Phong Nguyen, Tom O’Brien, Marsha & Bill Pachter, Alex Parker, Cole Parker, Stephen Polacheck, Dr Lara Ramdin, Leslie Roth, Marcella Ruble, Esme Ryan, Marvin Salles & Geoffrey Ballah, Glenn Saxby, Arlene & Arthur Schwimmer, Gloria Scoby, Julie Spira, Mary Kay Stolz, Thomas Swedenburg, Andra Tackacs, Victoria Till, V Ferris Todd, PSFILMFEST.ORG A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT Mac SUN Van Wielingen, Richard G. Wilkinson, Ken Williams, James Zachman, Anthony Zarrillo, Mike & Sally Traidman, George & Carla Van Hoomissen, Dr. Les ZendlePSFILMFEST.ORG & Jerry Hanson 53 53
FILMS BY TITLE #
7 Lives, 7 Lakes............................... 25
A
Alien on Stage.................................. 25 Anaïs in Love.................................... 25 Any Day Now................................... 25 The Automat.................................... 26
B
Back Then......................................... 26 Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn.................................. 26 Ballad of a White Cow.................. 26 Benediction...................................... 26 Bernstein’s Wall............................... 26 The Best Families............................ 31 Blind Ambition................................. 31 Born in Chicago............................... 31 Boulevard! A Hollywood Story............. 22, 31 The Box............................................. 31 Brighton 4th..................................... 31 Brother’s Keeper............................. 32
C
Casablanca Beats............................ 32 The Caviar Connection................. 32 Clara Sola.......................................... 32 Claydream......................................... 32 Compartment No. 6....................... 32 Costa Brava, Lebanon................... 33 The Crossing.................................... 33
D
Daughter of a Lost Bird................. 33 Desert X 2021 – The Film.... 24, 33 Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over........ 15, 33 Drive My Car.................................... 33 The Drover’s Wife – The Legend of Molly Johnson............................ 34 Drunken Birds.................................. 34 The Duke.................................... 15, 34
E
Escape from Mogadishu............... 34 Exposing Muybridge...................... 34
F
The Fallout........................................ 51 The Falls............................................. 34 Farha................................................... 35 Fear..................................................... 35 Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen....................... 35 The First 54 Years........................... 37 Flee..................................................... 37
G
Gemmel & Tim................................ 37 The Good Boss................................ 37 The Gravedigger’s Wife................ 37 Great Freedom................................ 37 The Great Indian Kitchen............. 38 Greener Pastures............................ 38
H
The Hand of God............................ 38 Happening........................................ 38 Haute Couture................................. 38 A Hero................................................ 38 Hinterland......................................... 39 Hive.................................................... 39 Hold Your Fire.................................. 39
I
I’m Your Man.................................... 40 Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music..................... 40 Invisible Valley.......................... 24, 40
J
Jazz Fest............................................ 40 Jockey................................................ 21 The Judgement................................ 40 The Jump........................................... 40 Juniper............................................... 41
54 PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2022
L
Lamb................................................... 41 Last Film Show................................ 41 Leave No Traces.............................. 41 Let It Be Morning............................ 41 Lingui, the Sacred Bonds.............. 41 Love, Spells and All That............... 42
M
Medusa.............................................. 42 Memoria............................................ 42 Messwood........................................ 42 Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea................ 24, 42 Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times.. 18, 42 Moneyboys....................................... 43 Mothering Sunday.......................... 43 My Brothers Dream Awake......... 43 My Name Is Lopez................... 24, 43 My Sunny Maad.............................. 43
N
Neighbours....................................... 43 No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics...... 44 Nowhere Special............................. 44
O
Olga.................................................... 44 On the Water................................... 44 One Second...................................... 44 Oscar Peterson: Black + White............................. 44 The Other Tom................................ 45 Out of Sync....................................... 45
P
The Pact............................................ 45 Paka (River of Blood)..................... 45 Parallel Mothers.............................. 45 Pepe Serna: Life is Art............ 24, 45 Petite Maman.................................. 46 The Phantom of the Open........... 46 Playground........................................ 46 The Power of the Dog................... 20 Prayers For the Stolen................... 46
Q
Queen of Glory................................ 46
R
Radiograph of a Family.................. 46 The Rapist......................................... 47 Redemption of a Rogue................ 47 Rehana Maryam Noor................... 47 Respect.............................................. 19 Run Woman Run............................. 47
S
Scarecrow......................................... 47 Secret Name.................................... 47 Shambala........................................... 49 Shankar’s Fairies.............................. 49 Small Body........................................ 49 Spencer.............................................. 19 The Story of Film: A New Generation.................... 49 The Story of My Wife.................... 49 Sundown........................................... 49 The Survivor..................................... 50 Sweetheart................................ 22, 50 The Swimmer................................... 50
T
The Tender Bar................................ 21 Three Minutes – A Lengthening............................ 50 Tick, Tick… Boom!.......................... 20 Tigers.................................................. 50 Titane................................................. 50 True Things....................................... 51 Tug of War........................................ 51
U
Unclenching the Fists.................... 51 Utica: The Last Refuge.................. 51
V
Valentina........................................... 52
W
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America................ 52 Wildhood.......................................... 52 The Worst Person in the World................................ 52
Y
Yuni..................................................... 52
Z
Zátopek............................................. 52
2022 FESTIVAL STAFF EXECUTIVE
BOX OFFICE
Liliana Rodriguez, Artistic Director Rhea Woodson, Managing Director
ADMINISTRATION Lauren Turletsky, Operations Manager Brynn Hinnant, Office Coordinator Felicia Alford, Accountant Jose Padilla, Accounting Assistant Debbie Ray-Scanlon, Volunteer Manager Jim Gazan, Assistant Volunteer Manager
DEVELOPMENT | MARKETING Kristin Bloomer, Sponsorship & Development Manager Zack Solomon, Membership & Education Manager Caroline Polly, Marketing & Social Media Coordinator Marissa Aguayo, Development Associate Grant Yoshino, Marketing Assistant Ashley Mejia, Social Media Intern Kayla Robles, Marketing & Social Media Intern William Polly, Marketing Intern
CREATIVE Martin Foster, Designer & Creative Services Manager Joel Hoglund, Publications Coordinator Jesse Knight, Publications Editor Esmé Ryan, Assistant Editor Nathan Cox, Photographer
Matt Wigglesworth, Box Office Co-Manager Stephanie Towner, Box Office Co-Manager Edward Thayer, Concierge Manager John Skrabec, Concierge Assistant Tara Dupuis, Credentials Manager Gwen Kibbe, Box Office Supervisor Veronica Aranda, Box Office Supervisor Lorna Schanzenbach, Box Office Supervisor Mark Bowes, Box Office Supervisor
FESTIVAL OPERATIONS
Aaron Ridenour, Technical Director Jody Cole, Theater Operations Manager Phil Del Costello, Theater Operations Assistant Manager Clayton Martin, Print Traffic Manager Max Holm, Print Traffic Coordinator Angelica Ramos Fonseca, Production Manager Debbie Wright, Health Checkpoint Coordinator
PROGRAMMING
Alissa Simon, Lead Programmer David Ansen, Lead Programmer Jane Schoettle, Programmer & Producer, Filmmaker Retreats Hebe Tabachnik, Senior Programmer Therese Hayes, Senior Programmer Céline Roustan, Programmer Jessica Eskelin, Program Manager Jennifer Van Camp, Programming Coordinator Stephanie Pineda, Programming Intern
FILM AWARDS Christina Sasse, Film Awards Director of Operations & Sales Jessica Jazayeri, Film Awards Manager Scarlett Wilmsen, Film Awards Operations Coordinator Simon Ryder, Film Awards Coordinator Marissa Aguayo, Benefits Coordinator Adrenia Kemp, Film Awards Coordinator Joel Hoglund, Film Awards Program Writer
PUBLICITY Scenario Communications: Steven Wilson, Co-Founder/President Lauren Peteroy Kelly, Vice-President Lindsay Shapiro, Account Executive Grace Hagan, Senior Account Executive Austin Good, Account Administrator
GUEST RELATIONS Alyssa Lopez, Guest Relations Manager Katie Gilligan, Guest Relations Coordinator Mijoe Sahiouni, Guest Relations Coordinator Jasiri Jenkins-Glenn, Ground Transportation Manager Faten Alshimmary, Guest Relations Assistant Jeffrey Stone, Ground Transportation Assistant
SPECIAL EVENTS Deena Murray, Special Events Manager
SPECIAL THANKS 2022 Screening Team Holly Copeland, Margo Handelsman, Suzanne Hogsett, Donna Lawton, Joan Matthias, James Munn, Craig Parish, Shelley Rodriguez, Ed Thayer, Dominique Wulfekuhle
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE DESERT SUN
2022 Contributing Writers Joe Bowman, Elliott Breeden, Richelle Charkot, Chris Feil, Pam Grady, Greta Hagen-Richardson, Alex Heeney, Stephanie Hough, Ella Kemp, Jesse Knight, Phillip Segal, Cedar Sherbert, Trey Shields, Travis Trew
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