The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced that the festival's opening night will be the screening of All is True directed by Kenneth Branagh on Friday, January 4. The festival will close with Ladies in Black, directed by Bruce Beresford on Sunday, January 13. The Festival will screen 223 films from 78 countries, including 48 premieres (4 World, 13 North American and 31 U.S.) from January 3-14, 2019. The line-up includes a focus on cinema from France, India and Mexico, Premieres, Talking Pictures, Book to Screen, Special Presentations, FLOS: Foreign Language Oscar Submissions, Gay!La, Local Spotlight, Modern Masters, True Stories, World Cinema Now, a 30-film retrospective of selections from past festivals (free screenings sponsored by Desert Care Network and National Endowment for the Arts), and more.
Juried awards for films in-competition will be presented at the Awards Brunch on Saturday, January 12 for five categories, including New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors; Schlesinger Documentary Award for first or second time documentary filmmakers; CV Cine Award for the best Ibero-American film; and the FIPRESCI Prize for films in the Foreign Language Oscar®Submissions program. This year, the festival will also have a new honor, the Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Award, named for actor and magician Ricky Jay and in honor of a film made by a master filmmaker that exemplifies a pioneering spirit in furthering the language of storytelling and the magic of cinema. Like much of the work Ricky was associated with, the films in consideration for this award exemplify this spirit and continue to remind us of the dream that is storytelling on the silver screen.
PSIFF is also pleased to announce that Jane Schoettle has joined the festival team this year as a Programmer. Schoettle has been an international programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival for 15 years. She has also programmed for festivals in Miami and Aspen, in addition to currently producing all talent labs for writers and directors for TIFF and has lectured and served on numerous festival juries in countries around the world.
OPENING AND CLOSING SCREENINGS
PSIFF will open with All is True on Friday, January 4th. Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen star in Branagh's intimate, revelatory portrait of William Shakespeare in the last act of his life. His career over, he returns to his home in Stratford-upon-Avon to encounter old ghosts, old loves, and his resentful family. Branagh is expected to attend.
The festival will close with Ladies in Black on Sunday, January 13th. Set in Sydney in 1959, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Bruce Beresford takes us back to the heyday of glamorous upscale department stores, when a concierge met you at the door and clerks wore gloves. The film from Lumila Films stars Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Shane Jacobson and Alison McGirr. Beresford, Ormond, Taylor and McGirr are expected to attend.
"30 festivals definitely feels like quite an achievement for the organization, so the team, Lili and myself wanted to come out of the gate swinging," said Artistic Director Michael Lerman. "With two new sections highlighting Jewish and LGBTQ content, a new award named for the late Ricky Jay, a brand-new member of THE FAMILY in programmer Jane Schoettle, and a 30-film retrospective of selections from our history, we set out to prove that after all this time, there are still so many things to celebrate."
PREMIERES
World premieres:
Buck Run (USA), Director Nick Frangione
Carlos Almaraz Playing With Fire (USA), Directors Elsa Flores Almaraz, Richard Montoya (Schlesinger Documentary Competition)
The Last Color (India), Director Vikas Khanna
Walk to Vegas (USA), Director Eric Balfour
North American premieres:
Ayka (Kazakhstan/Russia/Germany/Poland/China), Director Sergey Dvortsevoy
Don't Shoot (Belgium/The Netherlands), Director Stijn Coninx
Hamid (India), Director Aijaz Khan
His Lost Name (Japan), Director Nanako Hirose
Ladies in Black (Australia), Director Bruce Beresford
Namdev Bhau IN SEARCH OF Silence (India/Ukraine), Director Dar Gai
The Song of the Tree (Kyrgyzstan/Russia), Director Aibek Daiyrbekov
The Tobacconist (Austria/Germany), Director Nikolaus Leytner
Urgent (Morocco/Switzerland), Director Mohcine Besri
We Are the Heat (Colombia), Director Jorge Navas (CV Cine Competition)
Yuli (Spain/Cuba/UK/Germany), Director Iciar Bollain (CV Cine Competition)
U.S. premieres:
Arctic (USA), Director Joe Penna
Botero (Canada/China/Colombia/France/Italy/Monaco/USA), Director Don Millar (Schlesinger Documentary Competition)
Cities of Last Things (Taiwan/China/USA/France), Director Ho Wi Ding (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Cold Sweat (Iran), Director Soheil Beiraghi
Donbass (Ukraine/Ukraine/France/Netherlands/Romania), Director Sergey Loznitsa
EXT. Night (Egypt/United Arab Emirates), Director Ahmad Abdalla
The Factory (France/Russia/Armenia), Director Yury Bykov
Giant Little Ones (Canada), Director K eith Behrman
Legend of the Demon Cat (China/Japan), Director Kaige Chen
The Little Comrade (Estonia), Director Moonika Siimets
Mademoiselle de Joncquières (France), Director Emmanuel Mouret
The Man Who Feels No Pain (India), Director Vasan Bala
Mouthpiece (Canada), Director Patricia Rozema
One Last Deal (Finland), Director Klaus Härö
Orange Days (Iran), Director Arash Lahooti
Papi Chulo (Ireland), Director J ohn Butler
Perfectos Desconocidos (Perfect Strangers) (Mexico), Director Manolo Caro (CV Cine Competition)
The Purity of Vengeance (Denmark/Germany), Director Christoffer Boe
The Quietude (Argentina), Director Pablo Trapero (CV Cine Competition)
The Resistance Banker (Netherlands), Director Joram Lürsen
Saf (Turkey), Director Ali Vatansever (New Voices New Visions Competition)
Sew the Winter to My Skin (S outh Africa/Germany), Director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka
Shéhérazade (France), Director Jean-Bernard Marlin (New Voices New Visions Competition)
Shut Up and Play the Piano (Germany/France/UK), Director Philipp Jedicke
Vita & Virginia (UK/Ireland), Director C hanya Button
The Wedding Guest (UK), Director Michael Winterbottom (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
TALKING PICTURES & BOOK TO SCREEN
The Talking Pictures program includes in-depth discussions with directors, writers and actors from the year's top titles. The following films selected for this year's program with guests attending are:
BlacKkKlansman (USA) with Author Ron Stallworth (Book to Screen)
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (USA) with Director Morgan Neville
FLOS: FOREIGN LANGUAGE OSCAR SUBMISSIONS
This section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year's Academy Awards®race and will screen 43 of the 87 official submissions in the Best Foreign Language Film category. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor and Best Actress in this category.
The Angel (Argentina), Director Luis Ortega (CV Cine Competition)
Ayka (Kazakhstan), Director Sergey Dvortsevoy
Birds of Passage (Colombia), Directors Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra (CV Cine, Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Border (Sweden) with Director Ali Abbasi
Buffalo Boys (Singapore), Director Mike Wiluan
Burning (South Korea), Director Lee Chang-Dong (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Cake (Pakistan), Director Asim Abbasi
Capernaum (Lebanon), Director Nadine Labaki
Champions (Spain), Director Javier Fesser (CV Cine Competition)
Cold War (Poland), Director Pawel Pawlikowski (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Dogman (Italy), Director Matteo Garrone (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Donbass (Ukraine), Director Sergey Loznitsa
Eldorado (Switzerland), Director Markus Imhoof
Euthanizer (Finland), Director Teemu Nikki
Family First (Canada), Director Sophie Dupuis
Girl (Belgium), Director Lukas Dhont
The Guilty (Denmark), Director Gustav Möller
The Heiresses (Paraguay), Director Marcelo Martinessi (CV Cine Competition)
Hidden Man (China), Director Jiang Wen
I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians (Romania), Director Radu Jude
The Interpreter (Slovak Republic), Director Martin Šulík
Jirga (Australia), Director Benjamin Gilmour
Memoir of War (France), Director Emmanuel Finkiel
Namme (Georgia), Director Zaza Khalvashi
Never Look Away (Germany), Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
The Resistance Banker (Netherlands), Director Joram Lursen
Roma (Mexico) with Director Alfonso Cuarón (CV Cine Competition)
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name (Panama), Director Abner Benaim (CV Cine Competition)
Secret Ingredient (Macedonia), Director Gjorce Stavreski
Sew the Winter to My Skin (S outh Africa), Director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka
Shoplifters (Japan) with Director Hirokazu Koreeda
Sunset (Hungary), Director László Nemes
Supa Modo (Kenya), Director Likarion Wainaina
Take It Or Leave It (Estonia), Director Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo
A Twelve-Year-Night (Uruguay), Director Alvaro Brechner (CV Cine Competition)
Village Rockstars (India), Director Rima Das
The Waldheim Waltz (Austria), Director Ruth Beckermann
The Wedding Ring (Niger), Director Rahmatou Keïta
What Will People Say (Norway), Director Iram Haq
Winter Flies (Czech Republic), Director Olmo Omerzu
Woman at War (Iceland), Director Benedikt Erlingsson
Yellow Is FORBIDDEN(New Zealand), Director Pietra Brettkelly
Yomeddine (Egypt), Director A.B. Shawky
FOCUS ON FRANCE
New treats from the birthplace of cinema.
Knife+Heart (France/Mexico/Switzerland), Director Yann Gonzalez
Mademoiselle de Joncquières (France), Director Emmanuel Mouret
Shéhérazade (France), Director Jean-Bernard Marlin (New Voices New Visions Competition)
Sofia (France/Qatar), Director Meryem Benm'Barek (New Voices New Visions Competition)
Treat Me Like Fire (France), Director Marie Monge
The Trouble With You (France), Director Pierre Salvadori
Wild (France), Director Camille Vidal-Naquet
FOCUS ON INDIA
Peering into the world's largest film industry.
Husband Material (India), Director Anurag Kashyap
The Imposter Prince (India), Director Srijit Mukherji
The Last Color (India), Director Vikas Khanna
The Man Who Feels No Pain (India), Director Vasan Bala
Namdev Bhau IN SEARCH OF Silence (India/Ukraine), Director Dar Gai
FOCUS ON MEXICO
¡Viva el cine!
Buy Me A Gun (Mexico), Director Julio Hernández Cordón (CV Cine Competition)
The Chambermaid (Mexico/USA), Director Lila Avilés (New Voices New Visions, CV Cine Competition)
The GOOD GIRLS(Mexico), Director Alejandra Márquez Abella (CV Cine, Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Museo (Mexico), Director Alonso Ruizpalacios (CV Cine Competition)
Perfectos Desconocidos (Perfect Strangers) (Mexico), Director Manolo Caro (CV Cine Competition)
MODERN MASTERS
New films, classic auteurs.
Ash Is Purest White (China/France), Director Jia Zhangke (Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Competition)
Urgent (Morocco/Switzerland), Director Mohcine Besri
We Are the Heat (Colombia), Director Jorge Navas (CV Cine Competition)
Yuli (Spain/Cuba/UK/Germany), Director Iciar Bollain (CV Cine Competition)
Additional programming for the festival includes:
The festival will screen three of the films selected as part of Variety's 10 Directors to Watch which include Border, directed by Ali Abbasi, The Good Girls, directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella and Museo, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios.
The World Premiere of Walk to Vegas will be part of the Local Spotlight program highlighting films from the Coachella Valley.
The Dinner & A Movie section includes a dinner followed by the film's screening.
Chef Flynn (USA), Director Cameron Yates
Funke (USA), Director Gabriel Taraboulsy
Ramen Shop (Singapore/Japan/France), Director Eric Khoo