Local Production Team Brings 2nd Film To The Palm Springs Film Fest

More than 200 films from 60 different countries will be featured at this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Some hit a little closer to home, because they’re made completely localy like “A Thousand Cuts” produced by Kim and Jim Productions.

This is the second film they have screened at the festival, but the third they’ve made.

Jim Casey and Kim Waltrip are partners in Kim and Jim Productions

Executive producer Casey calls “A Thousand Cuts’ this film a psychological thriller that poses real life situations that make the audience think.

Casey said the film asks an important question to society.

“Does the movie spawn violence in society or do violent people just do violent things?” he said.

Casey and Waltip’s first film, “Expecting Mary,” hit the big screen at the festival in 2010. Casey said having “A Thousand Cuts” follow in the footsteps of their first film is a great feeling.

“We’re back here with our own third film and it was filmed all here in the Coachella Valley, so that feels really nice as well,” said Casey.

He said the team couldn’t be happier.

“This film festival is top-notch all the way so to have a film here at this festival with this size and the magnitude of people that are coming, especially to the gala, it’s an honor,” said Casey.

“A Thousand Cuts” screens Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Annenberg Theatre and Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m. at the Camelot Theatres.

The team has another film in the works called “Outrun,” it was written and directed by Dax Shepard and stars Shepard, Bradley Cooper, Jason Bateman, Tom Arnold, Beau Bridges and other big names.

“It’s a romantic comedy,” said Casey. “Lot’s of car chases, lots of great scenes, so we’re thrilled. It’s opening Aug. 24 nationwide.”

Casey said his company’s secret has been to work with a standard budget and focus on letting the magic happen on the big screen.

“We’re starting to see a trend in the industry that a lot of actors want to perform, they want to act for acting’s sake and the studios are great and we’re always going to have the studios behind us, but at the end of the day, we want to be about the filmmaking,” said Casey.