Palm Springs Film Fest Honors ‘Cine Latino’ Programmer

Celebrities aren’t the only ones being honored at the 23rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.

On Friday, Hebe Tabachnick, a film programmer for the festival’s Cine Latino section, was celebrated for her work.

Tabachnick spends the year traveling to different festivals, scouting out the best films to bring to Palm Springs, and she said she sees herself as a bridge between cultures.

“I’m thrilled,” said Tabachnick. “I’m beyond thrilled.”

Attendance for the 23rd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival has been staggering, organizers said.

More than 180 films are being screened — 22 of which are from the Cine Latino programming section and all of them were scouted by Tabachnick.

“I always think that if I’m passionate about a film and they resonate with me, they will with the audience,” she said.

More than 400 movie-lovers trusted Tabachnick’s taste and reputation on Friday and lined up outside of the Annenberg Theater to watch the Spanish-speaking comedy “The Perfect Stranger.”

Before the screening, assembly member Manuel Perez presented Tabachnick with a proclamation, honoring her three years with the festival, and for growing the interest in films from Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

“I want to make sure people know about our stories,” said Tabachnick. “I bring what I believe what are the best films that I’ve seen throughout a year.”

Tabachnick moved to the United States from Argentina 12 years ago.

She said that her experiences with both the Los Angeles and Palm Springs Film Festivals have been invaluable.