Organizers of P.S.I.F.F. announce opening & closing films
The 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will begin with a screening of the Golden Globe nominated ‘Selma’, directed by Ava Duvernay, on January 2.
According to organizers, the festival will wrap up on January 11 with the US premier of ‘Boychoir’, directed by Francois Girard. New this year, the festival will focus on 20 films from Eastern Europe in a program titled Eastern Promises.
“We are thrilled to launch this year’s festival with Selma, Ava DuVernay’s deeply moving civil rights drama, featuring an Oscar-worthy performance by David Oyelowo in the role of Dr. Martin Luther King. The timing could hardly be better with the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the historical voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery,” said Helen du Toit, Artistic Director. “On a personal note, it is heartening that for the second consecutive year our Opening Night film is directed by a black woman. That, surely, is a sign of progress and a reason for hope.”
“The opportunity to close this year’s Festival with a rapturous new work by acclaimed master of music on film Franois Girard (32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, The Red Violin) provides the perfect capper to a 10-day symphony of superb cinematic treats,” said Darryl Macdonald, Festival Director. “Bookending this year’s exceptionally diverse lineup with these two remarkable American films makes for strong and quintessentially satisfying viewing from start to finish.”
The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs from January 2-12.
