Arts & Entertainment
2013 Film Fest: 180 Films, 68 Countries Represented as Hollywood Descends on Valley
The 2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival will open on Jan. 3 with a screening at Palm Springs High School of a foreign language Academy Award submission from Spain.
The 24th Palm Springs International Film Festival Thursday announced its full lineup, including 61 premieres and films from dozens of countries.
The festival will open on Jan. 3 with a screening at Palm Springs High School of a foreign language Academy Award submission from Spain, Pablo Berger's "Blancanieves," and a reception at the Palm Springs Art Museum. A total of 180 films from 68 countries will be shown during the festival, which will conclude on Jan. 13 with the U.S. premiere of Paul Andrew Williams' "Unfinished Song," starring Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave.
"We're delighted to once again be offering up such a broad and diverse lineup of exceptional international cinema at the festival," said festival Director Darryl Macdonald. "Best of all, among these 180 accomplished new films are 63 debut features by first-time filmmakers."
Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Featured screenings include the Canadian films "Laurence Anyways," "War Witch" and "Still" and the British film "Goltzius and the Pelican Company." The festival will also include forums with directors, actors and entertainment journalists, a student screening day and a free screening.
The New Voices/New Visions Award will recognize one of 10 films from international directors who are debuting films at the festival. The selected films come from South America, Europe, India and Australia.
Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Many of the films have already enjoyed great critical acclaim, massive box-office success in their home countries, or are simply presenting wildly original new visions," said festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. "And all of the directors included will surely go on to great careers."
Actresses Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren and Naomi Watts, actors Bradley Cooper and Richard Gere, directors Tom Hooper and Robert Zemeckis, composer Mychael Danna and the cast of "Argo" will be honored at the Jan. 5 awards gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
For more information on the festival and to see the full lineup, call (760) 322-2930 or go to www.psfilmfest.org.
