Palm Springs International Film Festival announces Talking Pictures program

Organizers for the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival announced the lineup for its Talking Pictures program, featuring in-depth discussions with actors being honored at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

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This year’s program includes Babygirl with Nicole Kidman; Emilia Pérez with director Jacques Audiard as well as actors Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez; Maria with Angelina Jolie; A Real Pain with Jesse Eisenberg; Sing Sing with Colman Domingo; and Wicked with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and John M. Chu.

The Emilia Peréz and Maria Talking Pictures will be presented by Women In Motion, a Kering program to shine a light on women in arts and culture.

The schedule is listed below along with attending guests.

Thursday, January 2

3:30 p.m.

• A Real Pain at Annenberg Theater. Q&A following screening with actor, director, producer and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg.
  • Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, the film stars Eisenberg alongside Culkin with a cast rounded out by Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes.

Friday, January 3

10:00 a.m.

• Sing Sing at Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theatres). Q&A following screening with actor Colman Domingo.
  • Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Directed by Greg Kwedar, Domingo also executive produced the film.

10:30 a.m.

• Babygirl at Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School. Q&A following screening with actress Nicole Kidman and director Halina Reijn.
  • In Babygirl, Romy, played by Kidman, is a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. As a polished CEO, a mother and wife living in New York City, Romy lives in a world of careful control, tight scheduling, and an all-too-keen awareness of how she’s perceived at the heights of a male-dominated field. In her own long-term marriage, she has also never truly found pleasure with her sweet, caring, and artistically driven husband. As Romy attempts to hold together her gilded persona, she is quickly undone after she meets Samuel. The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, and Sophie Wilde.

11:00 a.m.

• Maria at Annenberg Theater. Q&A following screening with actress Angelina Jolie. 
  • From director Pablo Larraín, Maria stars Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life. The film also features Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Stephen Ashfield, with Valeria Golino and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Mandrax.
  • The Maria Talking Pictures is presented by Women In Motion, a Kering program to shine a light on women in arts and culture.

Saturday, January 4

11:00 a.m.

• Emilia Pérez at Annenberg Theater. Q&A following screening with director  Jacques Audiard as well as actors Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez. 
  • A resourceful lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) helps a notorious Mexican cartel boss undergo gender-affirming surgery and start anew as Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón). Complications arise when Emilia attempts to reconnect with the wife (Selena Gomez) and children she left behind in this exhilarating, genre-defying musical.
  • Through its Women In Motion program, Kering is proud to present this Talking Pictures dedicated to Emilia Perez, a Cannes award-winning film co-produced by Saint Laurent Productions. 

1:00 p.m.

• Wicked at Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theatres). Extended introduction with actresses Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and director John M. Chu.
  • The untold story of the witches of Oz. Elphaba, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, and Glinda, gilded by privilege and ambition, meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. 

For more information visit www.psfilmfest.org. Passes and tickets are currently on sale. The Festival’s box office can also be reached at (760) 778-8979.

The Palm Springs International Film Awards will be held on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Watch News Channel 3 for full coverage live from the red carpet.

This year's honorees include, Ariana Grande (Rising Star Award); Adrien Brody (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor); Timothée Chalamet (Chairman’s Award); Conclave (Ensemble Performance Award) presented to actors Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Lucian Msamati; Kieran Culkin (Breakthrough Performance Award); Colman Domingo (Spotlight Award, Actor); Angelina Jolie (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress); Nicole Kidman (International Star Award); Mikey Madison (Breakthrough Performance Award); Emilia Pérez (Vanguard Award) presented to director Jacques Audiard and actors Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramírez; and Dennis Villeneuve (Visionary Award)

Variety's Creative Impact Awards will be held on Jan. 4 at the Parker Palm Springs. Honorees include Cynthia Erivo (Creative Impact in Acting), Jacques Audiard (Creative Impact in Directing Award) and,  Jennifer Lopez (Legend & Groundbreaker Award recipient), as well as Variety's annual class of 10 Directors to Watch, which this year includes names such as Malcolm Washington ("The Piano Lesson"), Zoe Kravitz ("Blink Twice") and Coralie Fargeat ("The Substance").

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on the film festival.