Palm Springs International Film Festival - Jan. 5, 2010

The 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival began with its black-tie Awards Gala hosted by Mary Hart (her seventh year) as she welcomed an elite roster of awardees, including Morgan Freeman who received The Lifetime Achievement Award. An after-party at The Parker was fun for all. Filming will begin on January 7-18, featuring 188 films from about 60 countries. Many of the films will be screened more than once. A number of advance tickets are sold out with only rush tickets available. Festival theatres: Camelot Theatres, Regal Cinemas Palm Springs Stadium 9, Palm Springs High School, Annenberg Theatre, Cranberry Raisinets Palm Canyon Theatre. Box office opens one hour before the first show first show is scheduled until one-half hour after the last show. Festival Will Call Center is at The Courtyard Plaza, 777 E. Tahquitz McCallum Way, Suite 113.

Get your tickets as soon as possible for this great choice of outstanding films. For more information, call 1-760-322-2930, 1-800-898-7256, or visit www.psfilmfest.org. The Festival web site contains many details.

The opening night film, a collaboration of UK, Germany, and Russian filmmakers, The Last Station, a Golden Globe Nominee, a riveting overview of the later years of Leo Tolstoy, starring Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren (both Golden Globe nominees), and Paul Giamatti was a forecast of the great films to come in this 21st Annual highly acclaimed Palm Springs International Film Festival. One of today’s screenings is the World Premiere of The Art of the Steal, a thrilling documentary about The famed Barnes Foundation’s Collection of impressionist art and its battle with the city of Philadelphia. Art lovers, don’t miss I today at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m., both at the Annenberg Auditorium.

Please note that the screening of the World Premiere of Shoot the Hero has been changed from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Palm Canyon Theatre. Presented by a local film company, Blue Moxie Entertainment, written and directed by Christian Sesma and produced by Denise Dubarry Hay, a shining example of the talent that abounds in the desert area.

Of note is the withdrawal of two Chinese films — City of Life and Death and
Quick, Quick, Slow in response to the screening of the documentary The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom about the Dalai Lama and Tibet. Festival Director Darryl Macdonald has respectively declined to cancel the screening of this documentary scheduled to show on Sunday, January 10 at 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday January 12 at 4 p.m.
Macdonald stated “Freedom of expression is a concept that is integral both to the validity of artistic events, and indeed, to the ethos of this country.” City of Life and Death was replaced by an Austrian/French film For a Moment of Freedom this morning and from Canada/France/Spain will be screened Sunday, January 10 at 5:30 p.m. at Regal Cinemas.
Bravo.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival is halfway through and what an exciting first week it has been. From the Awards Gala. the premieres, the documentaries, and the interaction with filmmakers from all over the world, plus the unfortunate political scene created by the Chinese government in withdrawing their two films because of the Tibetan documentary and requesting that the Tibetan entry be cancelled. Festival Director Darryl Macdonald rightly refused to do this and the festival replaced the Chinese entries with other films last week and also offered refunds to ticket holders. As a gracious gesture to the Tibetan filmmakers, the festival invited them to be here for the screening of their documentary, "The Sun behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom" and to be interviewed. They came and this whole event was widely covered and brought more positive acclaim to the festival and the director's stand. The replacement screening for the other Chinese film, "Quick, Quick, Slow" will be a Bulgarian film, "The World is Big and Salvation is Around the Corner" on Friday, January 15 at 1 p.m. at Cranberry Raisinets Palm Canyon Theatre.

The Down Under tribute to the new talent emerging from Australia was another highlight from week one and we will surely see mor Australian films in the future and there is an Oscar buzz about "Samson & Delilah."

A fun evening at Hotel Zozo on January 9 was the reception for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" that was attended by many celebrities and festival guests. Sighted in the crown was ling-time festival fan singer and song writer Carol Connors, who stayed in town for five nights to see more films.

More premieres, galas, documentaries, Q&As with actors, directors, and producers will make week two as exciting as week one. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. at the Annenberg Theatre the world premiere of the American film "Shoot the Hero" will screen again.
don't miss it.

For schedule changes or to buy tickets, go to www.psfilmfest.org.

The ending of the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is leaving everyone with the hope that it will just keep on going, but they can only look forward to 2011. The audiences, filmmakers, the festival staff, and even the weather came together to make this an awesome 14 days of cinema pleasures. Tonight's closing night screening "The Lightkeepers" is a sellout. Starring Richard Dreyfus, Blythe Danner, Bruce Dern, and Mamie Gummer, directed by Daniel Adams is a film to remember. The after-party at the Spa Resort Casino will be a bittersweet gathering of the lucky attendees. But it's not over until Monday when The Best of the Fest takes place at the Camelot Theatres and Regal Cinemas, featuring favorites among international films and including five USA entries and the Bulgarian film "The World is Big and Salvation is Around the Corner," that was chosen to replace the Chinese film "Quick, Quick, Slow," one of two films withdrawn by the Chinese government in objection to the Tibetan documentary "The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom." Tickets are $10.00 for for screenings beginning before 3 p.m. and $11.00 for screenings starting 3 p.m. or after. For information and tickets, visit www.psfilmfest.org or call 1-800-898-7256. Walk-up ticket are available in person now at all festival box offices. On Monday, in person ticketing will only be available at Regal and Camelot box offices.

Two weeks have passed and there is still a buzz about the great success of the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. There is much interest in which of the foreign films showcased here will get Oscar recognition and which of the stars honored here will have their films up for awards. The upcoming talents from Australia were well received and the tribute to their industry made all film goers aware of good things to come from the filmmakers from down under. The international cinemas meshed with American entries brought smiles, tears, controversy and thought-provoking moments to the sophisticated audiences that filled our five venues.
This festival was a success artistically and financially and has come a long way in 21 years and will continue to prosper and bring more positive vibes to Palm Springs. Kudos goes to the City of Palm Springs for embracing the value of this event and to all the sponsors who contribute year after year. Chairman Harold Matzner, Jackie Lee Houston and the Board of Directors work tirelessly all year to promote the festival and are a happy presence at all events. Jackie Lee Houston has been honored with a well-deserved plaza in her name at the Convention Center. Helen du Toit, Director of Programming and her staff of programmers, who love their jobs, presented an outstanding selection of films after viewing hundreds of entries from around the world.
A special kudo to Festival Director Darryl Macdonald for his dynamic leadership and steadfast determination not to let politics interfere with the artistic significance of this festival by refusing to bow to the Chinese government's request to withdraw the India/UK/USA/Austria documentary on the Dalai Lama's struggle for Tibet's freedom. The Chinese withdrew their two submissions in retaliation, which was quite sad for their filmmakers. Darryl Macdonald has been a part of this festival since its inception, as well as other festivals, and, Darryl, Sonny Bono is smiling down on you!