The Palm Springs International Film Festival is locked and loaded.
The 36th annual edition, scheduled for Jan. 2-13, is set to open with filmmaker Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic Better Man from Paramount Pictures. The experimental film, which casts Williams as a CGI monkey, traces the rise, fall and resurgence of the British pop superstar who broke out as the youngest member of the boy band Take That to become a chart topping solo artist. Better Man has a limited release on Dec. 25 before going wide on Jan. 10, after its PSIFF debut.
Closing it up on the latter end will be Peter Cattaneo’s The Penguin Lessons starring Steve Coogan as a disaffected English schoolteacher in militaristic Argentina whose life — and those of his spoiled pupils — is transformed when he rescues and adopts an adorable penguin. Cattaneo, who will be in attendance for the screening, previously helmed The Full Monty, The Rocker and Opal Dream.
In between those two films, PSIFF will screen 158 films from 71 countries including 68 premieres with a spotlight on international films, a selection of the works of celebrated Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar, the return of the fest’s “Dinner and a Movie series,” and Talking Pictures screenings featuring several Film Awards honorees like Colman Domingo and the team from Netflix’s Emilia Pérez with director Jacques Audiard and stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez.
For the Almodóvar series, PSIFF will show The Room Next Door from Sony Pictures Classics. It’s his first English language film and it stars Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. Other Almodóvar works to screen include 1999’s All About My Mother, 1986’s Matador and 2002’s Talk to Her.
PSIFF always has a strong showing on the international film front and this year is no different. Including in the program are 35 official submissions from the best international feature film category for the upcoming Academy Awards. A special jury of international film critics will review the films and present a Fipresci Award for international film of the year as well as trophies for actor, actress and screenplay. On Jan. 6, The Hollywood Reporter will also host a panel discussion with some of the directors that have made the short-list.
“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 lineup also features a Modern Master category with new works by classic auteurs. Those include Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, Klaus Härö’s Never Alone, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope, Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, Hong Sangsoo’s A Traveler’s Needs, and François Ozon’s When Fall Is Coming. Other categories include American Indies, True Stories highlighting nonfiction films, Spanish Focus, Queer Cinema Today and The Gayla, Family Day and World Cinema Now, among others.
