Palm Springs International Film Festival Preview
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The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, where the desert hosts Hollywood, and where you can mingle with the stars and see films from across the globe. Video by kmir6.com
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PALM SPRINGS--The 24th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, where the desert hosts Hollywood, and where you can mingle with the stars and see films from across the globe.
"The best thing about any film festival or any festival for that matter, is the opportunity to discover new things," Festival Director, Darryl Macdonald said.
Macdonald says this year is shaping up to be the best yet. The opening film, "Blancanieves," is a Best Foreign Language Oscar submission from Spain. It's a silent movie adaptation of Snow White.
"It's just an utterly wonderful film and a different kind of film then we've ever opened the festival with," Macdonald said.
185 films will be screened over the course of the festival, playing at just about every theater in Palm Springs.
"The awards gala itself has taken leaps and bounds. It's established itself now in the Hollywood firmament as one of the major awards ceremonies of the year and really it's right behind the Oscars and the Golden Globes in terms of sheer star power that shows up for it," Macdonald said.
From the star-studded awards gala honoring Hollywood royalty, to hundreds of films from 68 countries, the film festival shines an international spotlight on Palm Springs.
"Any time that people get a chance to come out and see the stars, get up close, they'll always come out for that," James Canfield, Executive Director of the Palm Springs Convention Center and Bureau of Tourism said. "This is really a unique opportunity because the folks that attend the gala actually get to have dinner with the stars. They may not be at the same table but they're certainly in the same room and can have bragging rights with their friends for a while."
The chance to see the stars up close is part of whats made the event one of the largest film festivals in North America, with 135 thousand attendees each year.
"I know for me, I see the most amazing films and then the buzz is out and at the end everyone is running to go see them when they come back again," Film Festival Attendee, Karen Fialkov said.
The festival kicks off January 3, so get ready for some stellar star gazing and a two week movie binge.
Click here for more information about the Palm Springs International Film Festival and to find out where you can purchase tickets.
--Adrianna Weingold
aweingold@kmir6.com
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