Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic musical Better Man will open The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) on Thursday, January 2, and will close Sunday January 12 with The Penguin Lessons directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Steve Coogan in the heartwarming story of a teacher who rescues and adopts an adorable penguin. Both films had premieres at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this year, and Better Man first had its World Premiere at Telluride.
As always a hallmark of PSIFF are screenings of numerous entries into the Oscar International Film race, this year with 35 scheduled to screen in the desert.
The Festival has programmed 158 films from 71 countries, including 68 premieres (3 World, 3 International, 15 North American, 15 U.S., and 32 California) from January 2-13, 2025. The lineup also includes sections like Talking Pictures, a focus on Spanish films with a spotlight on Pedro Almodóvar, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.
‘Better Man’
Paramount Pictures
Other highlights for this year, with filmmakers in person, include the local spotlight feature Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion with fashion designer Bob Mackie; Drive Back Home with actor Alan Cumming; Group Therapy with comedian London Hughes; Lilly with actress Patricia Clarkson; another TIFF debut, Millers in Marriage with actor/writer/director Edward Burns; Reading Lolita in Tehran with actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi and a Family Day screening of Flow with director Gints Zilbalodis. The festival will have three world premiere titles: Bun Tikki with director Faraz Arif Ansari; The Stamp Thief with director Dan Sturman; and You’re No Indian with director Ryan Flynn.
‘The Penguin Lessons’
Courtesy of TIFF
“Our lineup this year is truly something special. In true PSIFF fashion, it spans genres and crosses borders to bring an exciting mix of films to the Coachella Valley,” shared Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “Over the past year, our Palm Springs International Film Festival team has carefully crafted a program that celebrates the art of storytelling, and promises an array of films– from family-friendly films, to thought-provoking and urgent works. It’s all about fostering that dynamic community of film lovers who gather here in Palm Springs each year to experience transformative stories and forge meaningful connections.”
The annual PSIFF Gala celebrating numerous previously announced Oscar contenders will take place on January 3, 2025.
Here is the lineup:
AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS
This section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race and will screen 35 official submissions from the Best International Feature Film category. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best International Feature Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category. On Monday, January 6, The Hollywood Reporter will also host an in-depth panel discussion with some of the directors that have made the Best International Feature Film short-list.
Armand (Norway), Director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
Come Closer (Israel), Director Tom Nesher
Dahomey (Senegal), Director Mati Diop
Drowning Dry (Lithuania), Director Laurynas Bareiša (North American Premiere)
Emilia Pérez (France), Director Jacques Audiard
Everybody Loves Touda (Morocco), Director Nabil Ayouch
Flow (Latvia), Director Gints Zibalodis
From Ground Zero (Palestine), Anthology featuring 22 contributing directors, see website for full list (California Premiere)
The Girl with The Needle (Denmark), Director Magnus von Horn
Grand Tour (Portugal), Director Miguel Gomes
How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thailand), Director Pat Boonnitipat
The Hungarian Dressmaker (Slovakia), Director Iveta Grófová
I’m Still Here (Brazil), Director Walter Salles
Julie Keeps Quiet (Belgium), Director Leonardo Van Dijl (California Premiere)
Kill the Jockey (Argentina), Director Luis Ortega (U.S. Premiere)
Kneecap (Ireland), Director Rich Peppiatt
La Suprema (Colombia), Director Felipe Holguín Caro
The Last Journey (Sweden), Director Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson
Life (Turkey), Director Zeki Demirkubuz
Lost Ladies (India), Director Kiran Rao
Meeting With Pol Pot (Cambodia), Director Rithy Panh (North American Premiere)
Memories of a Burning Body (Costa Rica), Director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss (California Premiere)
My Late Summer (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Director Danis Tanović (U.S. Premiere)
Old Fox (Taiwan), Director Hsiao Ya-Chuan
Santosh (United Kingdom), Director Sandhya Suri
Saturn Return (Spain), Director Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Rodríguez
The Seed of The Sacred Fig (Germany), Director Mohammad Rasoulof
Shambhala (Nepal), Director Min Bahadur Bham (U.S. Premiere)
Sujo (Mexico), Director Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Three Kilometers to The End of The World (Romania), Director Emanuel Pârvu (California Premiere)
Touch (Iceland), Director Baltasar Kormákur
Twilight Of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong), Director Soi Cheang
Universal Language (Canada), Director Matthew Rankin
Vermiglio (Italy), Director Maura Delpero
Waves (Czech Republic), Director Jiří Mádl
TALKING PICTURES
The Talking Pictures program includes in-depth discussions with directors, writers and actors from the year’s top titles. The following film selected for this year’s program with guests attending are:
Emilia Pérez (France) with director Jacques Audiard and actors Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez
Sing Sing (United States) with actor Colman Domingo
MODERN MASTERS
New films, classic auteurs.
Hard Truths (United Kingdom/Spain), Director Mike Leigh
Never Alone (Estonia/Finland), Director Klaus Härö (North American Premiere)
Parthenope (Italy), Director Paolo Sorrentino
Presence (United States), Director Steven Soderbergh
A Traveler’s Needs (South Korea), Director Hong Sangsoo
When Fall Is Coming (France), Director François Ozon (U.S. Premiere)
NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS
Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors.
Bob Trevino Likes It (United States), Director Tracie Laymon
Bonjour Tristesse (Canada/Germany), Director Durga Chew-Bose
Color Book (United States), Director David Fortune
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (South Africa), Director Embeth Davidtz (California Premiere)
Hanami (Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde), Director Denise Fernandes
The New Year That Never Came (Romania), Director Bogdan Mureșanu (California Premiere)
To A Land Unknown (United Kingdom/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia), Director Mahdi Fleifel
AMERICAN INDIES
Independent films from rising American filmmakers.
Bad Shabbos (United States), Director Daniel Robbins
The Friend (United States), Directors Scott Mcgehee, David Siegel (California Premiere)
I Don’t Understand You (United States/Italy), Directors Brian Crano, David Craig
Lilly (United States), Director Rachel Feldman (California Premiere)
Love Me (United States), Director Sam Zuchero & Andy Zuchero
Millers In Marriage (United States), Director Edward Burns (U.S. Premiere)
Paper Flowers (United States), Director Mahesh Pailoor
Sacramento (United States), Director Michael Angarano
TRUE STORIES
Non-fiction filmmaking at its most urgent and illuminating.
Adrianne & The Castle (Canada), Director Shannon Walsh
Agent of Happiness (Bhutan/Hungary), Director Arun Bhattarai & Dorottya Zurbó
Apocalypse in the Tropics (Brazil), Director Petra Costa (California Premiere)
Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It (United States), Director Paris Barclay
Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Sinéad O’shea (California Premiere)
Bring Them Home (United States), Directors Ivan Macdonald, Ivy Macdonald, Daniel Glick
Checkpoint Zoo (United States/Ukraine), Director Joshua Zeman
Counted Out (United States), Director Vicki Abeles
Desert Angel (United States), Director Vincent Deluca (California Premiere)
The Diamond King (United States), Director Marq Evans (California Premiere)
Diane Warren: Relentless (United States), Director Bess Kargman
Driver (United States), Director Nesa Azimi (California Premiere)
Every Little Thing (Australia), Director Sally Aitken (California Premiere)
Good Men (United States), Director Bobby Roth
Group Therapy (United States), Director Neil Berkeley
Headhunting To Beatboxing (India), Director Rohit Gupta (North American Premiere)
His Own Way – The Cinema of Avi Nesher (Israel), Director Yair Raveh
Homegrown (United States), Director Michael Premo
Igualada (Colombia/Mexico/United States), Director Juan Mejía
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence (United States), Director Varda Bar-Kar
Jean Cocteau (United States), Director Lisa Immordino Vreeland (California Premiere)
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (United States), Director Bruce David Klein (California Premiere)
Mistress Dispeller (China/United States), Director Elizabeth Lo
My Sweet Land (Jordan/United States/France/Ireland), Director Sareen Hairabedian
Nasty (Romania), Directors Tudor Giurgiu, Tudor D. Popescu, Cristian Pascariu (North American Premiere)
No Other Land (Palestine), Directors Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Paul Anka: His Way (United States), Director John Maggio (California Premiere)
Sabbath Queen (United States), Director Sandi DuBowski
Schindler Space Architect (United States), Director Valentina Ganeva
Shelf Life (United States/Japan/Switzerland/Georgia/England/Egypt/Spain/Wales), Director Ian Cheney (California Premiere)
Space Cowboy (United States), Directors Marah Strauch, Bryce Leavitt
The Stamp Thief (United States/Poland/Germany), Director Dan Sturman (World Premiere)
A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things (United Kingdom), Director Mark Cousins (California Premiere)
Tokito: The 540-Day Journey of A Culinary Maverick (Japan), Director Aki Mizutani (North American Premiere)
Transfers (Argentina/Uruguay), Director Nicolás Gil Lavedra (North American Premiere)
Walk With Me (United States), Director Heidi Levitt
Whatever It Takes (United Kingdom/United States), Director Jenny Carchman
You’re No Indian (United States), Director Ryan Flynn (World Premiere)
Zurawski V. Texas (United States), Directors Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault
SPANISH FOCUS
Stories from Spanish filmmakers.
Afternoons of Solitude (Spain/France/Portugal), Director Albert Serra
The Exiles (Spain/Chile), Director Belén Funes (U.S. Premiere)
Holy Mother (Spain/Belgium), Director Antonio Chavarrías (California Premiere)
I Am Nevenka (Spain/Italy), Director Icíar Bollaín (California Premiere)
Marco, The Invented Truth (Spain), Directors Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño (California Premiere)
Rioja, The Land of a Thousand Wines (Spain), Director José Luis López-Linares
The Wailing (Spain/France/Argentina), Director Pedro Martín-Calero (U.S. Premiere)
SPOTLIGHT: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR
As part of the Spanish Focus there will be a spotlight selection featuring films from celebrated filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar.
All About My Mother (1999)
Matador (1986)
The Room Next Door (2024)
Talk To Her (2002)
QUEER CINEMA TODAY & THE GAYLA
Poignant, heartfelt and insightful stories from the LGBTQ community.
Bun Tikki (India), Director Faraz Arif Ansari (World Premiere)
Desire Lines (United States), Director Jules Rosskam
Drive Back Home (Canada), Director Michael Clowater
Four Mothers (Ireland/United Kingdom), Director Darren Thornton
A House Is Not a Disco (United States), Director Brian J. Smith
I’m Your Venus (United States), Director Kimberly Reed (California Premiere)
Misericordia (France/Spain/Portugal), Director Alain Guiraudie
A Nice Indian Boy (United States/Canada), Director Roshan Sethi (California Premiere, Gayla Spotlight)
Sally! (United States), Director Deborah Craig, Jörg Fockele, Ondine Rarey (Gay!la Spotlight)
FAMILY DAY
Movies to enjoy with the whole family.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (United States), Director Pete Browngardt
Flow (Latvia/France/Belgium), Director Gints Zibalodis
The Mountain (New Zealand), Director Rachel House (U.S. Premiere)
WORLD CINEMA NOW
Travel the world without leaving your seat.
Arcadia (Greece/Bulgaria/United States), Director Yorgos Zois (North American Premiere)
Auction (France), Director Pascal Bonitzer
Audrey (Australia), Director Natalie Bailey (California Premiere)
Black Dog (China), Director Guan Hu
Bushido (Japan), Director Kazuya Shiraishi
The Correspondent (Australia), Kriv Stenders (International Premiere)
From Hilde, With Love (Germany), Director Andreas Dresen (U.S. Premiere)
Ghost Trail (France/Germany/Belgium), Director Jonathan Millet (California Premiere)
Happy Holidays (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Director Scandar Copti (California Premiere)
John Cranko (Germany), Director Joachim Lang (North American Premiere)
Maldoror (Belgium/France), Director Fabrice du Welz
Manas (Brazil/Portugal), Director Marianna Brennand (North American Premiere)
My Favourite Cake (Iran/France/Sweden/Germany), Directors Maryam Moghaddam, BehtashSanaeeha
Odd Fish (Iceland/Finland/Czech Republic), Director Snævar Sölvason (International Premiere)
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Zambia/United Kingdom/Ireland), Director Rungano Nyoni
Pink Lady (Israel/Italy), Director Nir Bergman (California Premiere)
The Quiet Ones (Denmark/United States), Director Frederik Louis Hviid (California Premiere)
Quisling – The Final Days (Norway), Director Erik Poppe (U.S. Premiere)
Sex (Norway/United States), Director Dag Johan Haugerud (California Premiere)
The Shameless (Switzerland/France/Bulgaria/Taiwan/India), Director Konstantin Bojanov (North American Premiere)
Sons (Denmark/Sweden), Director Gustav Möller (North American Premiere)
Souleymane’s Story (France), Director Boris Lojkine
Sunshine (Philippines), Director Antoinette Jadaone (U.S. Premiere)
Superboys Of Malegaon (India/United States), Director Reema Kagti
Tatami (Georgia/Israel/Iran), Directors Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Guy Nattiv (U.S. Premiere)
There’s Still Tomorrow (Italy/United States), Director Paola Cortellesi
Through Rocks and Clouds (Peru/Chile), Director Franco García Becerra (California Premiere)
Tinā (Mother) (New Zealand), Director Miki Magasiva (California Premiere)
To Kill a Mongolian Horse (Malaysia/Hong Kong/South Korea/Japan/SaudiArabia/Thailand/United States), Director Xiaoxuan Jiang (North American Premiere)
Trifole (Italy/South Africa/United States), Director Gabriele Fabbro (International Premiere)
Waltzing With Brando (United States/French Polynesia), Director Bill Fishman
The Way, My Way (Australia), Director Bill Bennett (North American Premiere)
William Tell (United Kingdom), Director Nick Hamm (U.S. Premiere)
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