2022 Palm Springs International Film Festival line-up released

By Jesus Reyes

Published December 7, 2021 12:50 PM

The 33rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) released its line-up of films that will be screened.

The festival will screen 129 films from 70 countries, including 32 premieres (4 World, 7 North American, 2 International and 19 U.S.) from January 6-17, 2022.

The line-up includes Talking Pictures, International Feature Film Oscar^® Submissions, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more.

"We are thrilled to be back in-theatres with an amazing line-up of films this year,” said PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “It’s an especially crucial moment to celebrate international cinema and the shared experience of watching films together. We have such an incredible line-up this year from major studio films, brilliant international titles and local favorites. We hope the films this year will make you laugh, cry and rejoice for the return of the festival. “

For tickets, the film schedule and more information, visit www.psfilmfest.org.

OPENING AND CLOSING SCREENINGS

PSIFF will open with the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over on Friday, January 7. In this sparkling portrait of incomparable recording artist Dionne Warwick, the film follows her humble roots singing in New Jersey church choirs to international superstardom tracing her six decades in the business as a trailblazer, activist and true living legend. IHG Hotels and Resorts is the Opening Night sponsor.

The festival will close with The Duke on Sunday, January 16. The Sony Pictures Classics film stars Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode, and Anna Maxwell Martin. The film is a warm and witty telling of taxi driver and working-class hero Kempton Bunton, who robbed the National Gallery in London in 1961 (and remains the only person to ever do so) in a brazen effort to advocate for elderly care.

Juried awards for films in-competition will be announced Saturday, January 15 for seven categories, including the FIPRESCI Prize for films in the International Feature Film Oscar^® Submissions program; New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors; Best Documentary Award for compelling non-fiction filmmaking; Ibero-American Award for the best film from Latin America, Spain or Portugal; Local Jury Award for a film that promotes understanding and acceptance between people; Young Cineastes Award for a film chosen by our Youth Jury; and the Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award for a film that is successful in bringing the people of our world closer together.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

These films have been selected as part of the Local Spotlight program highlighting films from the Coachella Valley.

Desert X 2021 – The Film (USA/Ghana/Germany/Mexico/Saudi Arabia/Colombia/UK/Guatemala),
Director Dylan Robertson
Invisible Valley (USA), Director Aaron Maurer
Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea (USA), Director Greg Bassenian
My Name Is Lopez (USA), Director P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes
Pepe Serna: Life is Art (USA), Director Luis Reyes (World Premiere)

AWARDS BUZZ – BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM SUBMISSIONS

This section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards^® race and will screen 36 official submissions from the Best International Feature Film category. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best International Feature Film Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category.

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Romania), Director Radu Jude
Brighton 4th (Georgia), Director Levan Koguashvili
Casablanca Beats (Morocco), Director Nabil Ayouch
Clara Sola (Costa Rica), Director Nathalie Alvárez Mesén
Compartment No. 6 (Finland), Director Juho Kuosmanen
Costa Brava, Lebanon (Lebanon), Director Mounia Akl
Drive My Car (Japan), Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Drunken Birds (Canada), Director Ivan Grbovic
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea), Director Ryoo Seung-wan
The Falls (Taiwan), Director Chung Mong-hong (U.S. Premiere)
Fear (Bulgaria), Director Ivaylo Hristov
Flee (Denmark), Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen
The Good Boss (Spain), Director Fernando León de Aranoa
The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia), Director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
Great Freedom (Austria), Director Sebastian Meise
The Hand of God (Italy), Director Paolo Sorrentino
A Hero (Iran), Director Asghar Farhadi
Hive (Kosovo), Director Blerta Basholli
I’m Your Man (Germany), Director Maria Schrader
Lamb (Iceland) Director Vladimar Jóhannsson
Leave No Traces (Poland), Director Jan P. Matuszyński
Let It Be Morning (Israel), Director Eran Kolirin
Lingui, the Sacred Bonds (Chad), Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Memoria (Colombia), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Olga (Switzerland), Director Elie Grappe
On the Water (Estonia), Director Peeter Simm (International Premiere)
Playground (Belgium), Director Laura Wandel (U.S. Premiere)
Prayers for the Stolen (Mexico), Director Tatiana Huezo
Rehana Maryam Noor (Bangladesh), Director Abdullah Mohammad Saad (U.S. Premiere)
Shambala (Kyrgyzstan), Director Artykpai Suyundukov
Tigers (Sweden), Director Ronnie Sandahl (North American Premiere)
Titane (France), Director Julia Ducournau
Unclenching the Fists (Russia), Director Kira Kovalenko
The Worst Person in the World (Norway), Director Joachim Trier
Yuni (Indonesia), Director Kamila Andini
Zátopek (Czech Republic), Director David Ondříček (North American Premiere)

TALKING PICTURES & BOOK TO SCREEN

The Talking Pictures program includes in-depth discussions with directors, writers and actors from the year’s top titles. The following films selected for this year’s program with guests attending are:

Jockey (USA)with actor Clifton Collins, Jr. and Molly Parker
The Power of the Dog (Australia/New Zealand/UK/USA/Canada) with director Jane Campion
Respect (USA) with actress Jennifer Hudson
Spencer (UK/Germany) with actress Kristen Stewart
The Tender Bar (USA)with screenwriter William Monahan
Tick, Tick...Boom! (USA)with actor Andrew Garfield

MODERN MASTERS

New films, classic auteurs.

Benediction (UK/USA), Director Terence Davies (U.S. Premiere)
One Second (China), Director Zhang Yimou
The Pact (Denmark), Director Bille August
Parallel Mothers (Spain), Director Pedro Almodóvar
Petite Maman (France), Director Céline Sciamma
The Story of My Wife (Hungary/Germany/Italy/France), Director Ildikó Enyedi (U.S. Premiere)
The Survivor (USA/Canada/Hungary), Director Barry Levinson (U.S. Premiere)

NEW VOICES NEW VISIONS

Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors.

The Fallout (USA), Director Megan Park
Farha (Jordan/Sweden, Saudi Arabia), Director Darin J. Sallam (U.S. Premiere)
Happening (France), Director Audrey Diwan
Out of Sync (Spain/Lithuania/France), Director Juanjo Giménez (U.S. Premiere)
Paka (River of Blood) (India), Director Nithin Lukose (U.S. Premiere)
Queen of Glory (USA), Director Nana Mensah
Small Body (Italy/France/Slovenia), Director Laura Samani (U.S. Premiere)
Tug of War (Tanzania/South Africa/Germany/Qatar), Director Amil Shivji (U.S. Premiere)
Wildhood (Canada/Germany), Director Bretten Hannam

TRUE STORIES

Non-fiction filmmaking at its most urgent and illuminating.

7 Lives, 7 Lakes (Spain), Director Víctor Escribano (U.S. Premiere)
The Automat (USA), Director Lisa Hurwitz
Blind Ambition (Australia/Zimbabwe), Director Robert Coe, Warwick Ross
The Caviar Connection (France), Director Benoît Bringer
Daughter of a Lost Bird (USA), Director Brooke Pepion Swaney
The First 54 Years (Israel/France/Finland/Germany), Director Avi Mograbi
Gemmel & Tim (USA), Director Michiel Thomas
Hold Your Fire (USA), Director Stefan Forbes
The Jump (Lithuania/Latvia/France/Germany/USA), Director Giedrė Žickytė
Messwood (USA), Director Emily Kuester, Brad Lichtenstein
Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times (USA), Director Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan
Radiograph of a Family (Iran/Switzerland/Norway), Director Firouzeh Khosrovani
Three Minutes – A Lengthening (Netherlands/UK), Director Bianca Stigter
Utica: The Last Refuge (USA), Director Loch Phillipps (World Premiere)
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (USA),Director Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler

CINE LATINO

Latin American/Latinx Stories

The Best Families (Peru/Colombia), Director Javier Fuentes-León
The Box (USA/Mexico), Director Lorenzo Vigas (U.S. Premiere/unconfirmed)
Medusa (Brazil/USA), Director Anita Rocha da Silveria
My Brothers Dream Awake (Chile), Director Claudia Huaiquimilla
The Other Tom (Mexico/USA), Director Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo
Sundown (Mexico/France/Sweden), Director Michel Franco

QUEER CINEMA TODAY & THE GAYLA

Poignant, heartfelt and insightful stories from the LGBTQ community.

Gayla! screening – Boulevard! A Hollywood Story (USA), Director Jeffrey Schwarz●
Love, Spells and All That (Turkey/Germany), Director Ümit Ünal
Moneyboys (Austria/Taiwan/France/Belgium), Director C.B. Yi
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (USA), Director Vivian Kleiman
The Swimmer (Israel), Director Adam Kalderon (U.S. Premiere)
Gayla! screening - Sweetheart (UK), Director Marley Morrison
Valentina (Brazil), Director Cássio Pereira dos Santos

SOUNDTRACK - MUSIC ON FILM

Bernstein’s Wall (USA), Director Douglas Tirola
Born in Chicago (USA), Director Bob Sarles, John Anderson
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music (USA), Director T.J. Parsell
Jazz Fest (USA), Director Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern (World Premiere)
Oscar Peterson: Black + White (Canada), Director Barry Avrich (U.S. Premiere)

THE BIG SCREEN - MOVIES CELEBRATING MOVIES

Alien on Stage (UK), Director Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey
Claydream (USA), Director Marq Evans
Exposing Muybridge (USA/UK), Director Marc Shaffer
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen (USA), Director Daniel Raim (World Premiere)
Last Film Show (India/France/USA), Director Pan Nalin
The Story of Film: A New Generation (UK), Director Mark Cousins

WORLD CINEMA NOW

Travel the world without leaving your seat.

Anaïs In Love (France), Director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet (North American Premiere)
Any Day Now (Finland), Director Hamy Ramezan
Back Then (Poland), Director Kinga Debska
Ballad of a White Cow (Iran/France), Director Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam
Brother’s Keeper (Turkey/Romania), Director Ferit Karahan
The Crossing (France/Czech Republic/Germany), Director Florence Miailhe
The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson (Australia)
The Great Indian Kitchen (India), Director Jeo Baby (U.S. Premiere)
Greener Pastures (Israel), Director Matan Guggenheim, Assaf Abiri (International Premiere)
Haute Couture (France), Director Sylvie Ohayon
Hinterland (Austria/Luxembourg), Director Stefan Ruzowitzky (North American Premiere)
Juniper (New Zealand), Director Matthew J. Saville (U.S. Premiere)
The Judgement (Netherlands), Director Sander Burger
Mothering Sunday (UK), Director Eva Husson
My Sunny Maad (Czech Republic/France/Slovakia), Director Michaela Pavlátová (North American Premiere)
Neighbours (Switzerland/France), Director Mano Khalil
Nowhere Special (UK/Italy/Romania), Director Uberto Pasolini (U.S. Premiere)
The Phantom of the Open (UK), Director Craig Roberts (U.S. Premiere)
The Rapist (India), Director Aparna Sen (North American Premiere)
Redemption of a Rogue (Ireland), Director Philip Doherty
Run Woman Run (Canada), Director Zoe Leigh Hopkins (The festival will host a free community screening.)
Scarecrow (Russia/UK), Director Dmitrii Davydov (North American Premiere)
Secret Name (France), Director Aurélia Georges
Shankar’s Fairies (India/Hong Kong), Director Irfana Majumdar
True Things (UK), Director Harry Wootliff (U.S. Premiere)

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