Palm Springs International Film Festival Society

Went to the award gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center and then to the Palmer for the after party. I will definitely go again. I would like to see reviews regarding the quality of the food that was served at the gala.

This is our second year at the festival. The selection of movies is amazing — about 170 of them from all over the world. If you like top foreign films and don’t mind sub-​titles, this is the place to be. The festival is very well-​organized and staffed — everything runs very smoothly. The best way to get tickets is to join the society and then buy «six packs» of tickets in advance. Then you can also book the films you are going to see in advance. Most showings of movies are either sold out or close to it. The only downside of the festival is that there is no assigned seating so you need to wait it line for each movie. They recommend you get to each movie 30 minutes in advance. Standing in line isn’t the greatest although you nearly always can have interesting conversations with other attendees regarding the festival movies they have seen.

do u have to be an insider to get info on shortfest? no one returns calls, no info on when box office opens. what happened to this process? it sucks now

We have attended the PSIFF for the last nine years! It’s become a tradition for us (It’s important to have some traditions)! There are so many reasons to love Palm Springs in the NON summer months (although I love PS year round… which means not leaving the pool when it’s super hot)! This event occurs in January each year, right after the New Year.
PSIFF as it’s fondly known… celebrated the 25^th Anniversary two years ago. It’s a festival that includes films from around the world. You have an opportunity to view many premieres or world releases in addition to a broad range of documentaries and foreign films. In addition, you can celebrity watch or attend «Talking Pictures» (these are interviews with stars that are predicted to win an Oscar for a great film during the year). Some highlights over the years include; a brief meet and greet with James Franco and the live talks with Colin Firth and Naomi Watts. I’m not really the starstruck type, but it’s lively to get their insight.
A few of my favorite films involve the OSS Series (French James Bond… almost a parody starring Jean Dujardin… who won Best Actor for «The Artist»), a documentary on the Papparazzi, a film on the Columbian drug wars, and a fascinating documentary on the schools in China. There would be too many more to name, but at the conclusion of each film there is a Q&A session which includes a range of people involved in the production; including actors, actresses, directors, producers, etc. The sessions are so interesting and entertaining.
If you do attend, be prepared to pay more for a hotel or places to stay at this time (sometimes the rates go up), anticipate waiting in line for one hour per film to get a decent seat and whatever you do, don’t over book yourself. I highly recommend purchasing a 6 pack of tickets per person (PSIFF offers a packaged price). My husband and I limit ourselves to this method for now, so we don’t get the plots mixed up. You might confuse the paparazzi visiting a school in China too!
Tips: Bring coffee while you wait in line (concessions at theaters open and sometimes have carts or students from schools raising money to support the arts, incase you didn’t bring something with you).

One of the top 5 or 6 in the nation. A little work to do yet, but definitely a must-​do on the international tour! Congratulations on 26 years!

I was the first to review the Film Society separate from their annual JAN filmfest. But apparently Unilocal has decided to take all the former reviews of the festival and combine them with mine. Enjoy!
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The organization who brings us the most awesome filmfest.
Yet there are other film viewing opportunities.
Annual international film fest each year early in the year right in the heart of Palm Springs.
This year, most films were at the Regency.
Much of the PR was from Renaissance.
If you join this awesome org (
), you do get first dibs on ticket purchases. Then also check out all the awesome year-​round screenings, educational programs, and activities they sponsor. So far, I have only seen the famous annual festival. However, the locals I spoke to inline with while waiting for our screenings raved about the org as a local resource.

Went to see Don Quixote. From the USC film School which class was taught by James Franco. It was very good James was on hand to field questions after the movie along with his class. Was quite impressed

Fabulous selection of films.
We’ve been coming to the PSIFF since 2003 and watch anywhere from 6 to 12 films each year. The films are presented throughut the city from the Palm Canyon Auditorium, to the Regal, PS High School Auditorium, and the Camelot. The festival is extremely well organized and each year the festival gets bigger and bigger.
Among the best we’ve seen this year:
Elite Squad – Brazil
North Sea Texas – Belgium
Lucky – So. Africa
SuperClassico – Denmark
What a fabulous time with all these international films!