Letter from the Artistic Director

Dear Film Lover,

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve already seen or will see our festival trailer. Creating the trailer with our partners at Stampede is always a fun project for us – the trailer is an element that helps set the tone for the kind of festival we want to mount, it helps set the mood. Our trailer song this year is called “It’s the Little Things” by Tim Garland and it proposes that happiness is simply made of just that – the little things. As the world opens up and we begin to enjoy those activities we took for granted in our pre-Covid world, I can’t help but think about all the little things we missed since we last mounted this festival in 2020. More than that, though, I am thrilled to experience all the little things that make this festival so special again.

There are many big and little things that go into making PSIFF happen. For us, it starts with the movies. Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the 130+ films that make up this edition. This is our most thematically diverse year yet and I don’t believe you’ll find two movies that are alike. From light entertainment for casual nights out to urgent commentaries that beg for post-screening conversation and beyond, the cinema is there to capture it all.

In planning this edition, we were also inspired to look inward and around us and decided to bring on local designer, Tom Dolle, for the poster artwork that decorates this book and all of our marketing materials. Tom wanted to reflect Palm Springs. His design “uses angled planes to play on the idea of screens, with icons for film, sun, and of course palm trees. The interaction, overlap, multiple directions, and hard angles reflect the diversity and connections that a film festival brings together.” Those are just some of the things that make this event what it is.

As we head off into the 34th edition, I ask that as you navigate your way through the festival, that you please take note of and enjoy those “little things “ that feel inconsequential but are actually beautiful small moments that make it all so special. What are yours? Perhaps it’ll be reuniting with a festival friend you haven’t seen since PSIFF 2020. Maybe it’ll be making a new friend while waiting in line, bonding over a film you loved (or didn't!). Maybe it’s the smell of newsprint and coffee as you pour over the Desert Sun guide highlighting the film schedule. And, of course, may we all sink into that glorious “little” moment where cinema comes to life on the big screen and everything else fades away.

Welcome back, we missed you.

LILI RODRIGUEZ, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Lili Rodriguez Artistic Director