Behind the curtain at Desert Rose Playhouse in Cathedral City, Jim Strait and Paul Taylor offer a gay positive, gay-friendly venue.
10 Best Animated Films to Watch at the Inaugural Palm Springs International Animation Festival
With more than 250 selections to see from a total 2,700 submissions, these 10 are the must-see films to put on your list.
After watching nearly 3,000 film submissions, you would think Brian Neil Hoff would be seeing double. But the director of the inaugural Palm Springs International Animation Festival is nothing short of impressed and excited by the depth of talent he has viewed. “I like them all,” he says. “Animation is powerful. It has the ability to educate, inform, and inspire.
Animated Expression
After nine years of planning, the inaugural Palm Springs International Animation Festival has gone from its founder’s backyard to the big screen.
Brian Neil Hoff’s idea took root in his own backyard. In 2008, the Palm Springs resident held the first Backyard Film Festival behind his house complete with pop-up screen and projector. “When I launched [the Backyard Film Festival] in November 2008, I initially received 10 submissions, most of which were from animation directors I had kept in contact with over
Defying Gravity
Desert Serenity’s float pods let your mind escape and your body heal.
Cell phone off, body cleansed, I dip a toe into Desert Serenity Float’s pod, a one-person, egg-shaped pool. The water is warm, dense, and inviting. As I ease in, buoyancy takes over and my body naturally reclines into effortless suspension. The result is nearly instantaneous — pure, untethered relaxation. Soft music plays a few more moments, but I kill the