By H. Simmons –
When the holidays come to an end and the New Year begins, it’s time for the Palm Spring International Film Festival! This is its 24th year and the excitement and energy around town just keeps getting better.
What makes this festival so fun is the joy of foreign film. PSIFF is one of the largest film festivals in North America; at least 135,000 people are expected to attend. And, many of the out-of-towners who come here for the film fest are more than mere film buffs. They love travel, embrace diversity, are curious to experience something new and don’t mind reading subtitles. Interesting and colorful people meet and chat while waiting in line.
There are 180 films in the festival from 68 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Palestine, Paraguay, Somalia, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey are a few countries one wouldn’t consider for their film prowess. How wonderful that these places have an outlet to share their lives and cultures in cinematic stories.
Foreign films offer an opportunity to enter another world, and experience a different point of view. Here is your chance to go to Macedonia, Poland and Iceland. There are filmic treasures in this festival and this may be the only chance to see them here in America.
English speaking films are also plentiful. And there is something for everybody: Family friendly, fantasy, Gay and Lesbian, senior citizens, biopics, sci-fi, sports, war, music and dance, religion, experimental plus all the standards like drama, action adventure, romance and comedy. Besides foreign films, the festival features American independent films. It’s always fun to discover talented first time filmmakers.
The festival started January 3 and for ten days is a hubbub of industry energy. Filmmakers are coming and going and are genuinely excited to share their films with audiences. Some stay after the show to answers questions and many mingle with attendees.
A Canadian actress, Anita Majumdar, arrived from Toronto just hours before the screening of her film Midnight’s Children based on the book with the same title by Salman Rushdie. Rushdie adapted the material into a screenplay and narrates the main character of the story. The story begins in 1947 as the British rule ended and India gained its independence. The children born at midnight, the moment the country changed leadership, were said to have magical powers.
Set in India’s tumultuous history, it is a beautifully photographed movie filmed in Sri Lanka and Kashmir. Rushdie’s magical realism elevates the film giving us insight into the challenges of India’s new generation.
Majumdar was excited to be in Palm Springs. When she left Toronto it was minus five degrees. “I’m honored to be able to represent the film. It’s an artful rendering of a rich history,” she said. “It is Salman’s love letter to India.” Majumdar met and spent time with Rushdie and is now Facebook friends with him. She says, “He is a lovely man and a regular guy who likes to have fun.”
Midnight’s Children is directed by Deepa Mehta. Her film trilogy Water, Fire and Earth is critically acclaimed and Water was an Academy Award nominee for best foreign language film in 2005. “I learned so much about acting from Deepa. She doesn’t let you get away with ‘acting’, she doesn’t use a monitor to direct, she watches you closely until she sees the truth,” said Majumdar, whose character ages in the film from 15 to 38 years.
This is the film’s second festival and will hold its India premiere in February. Midnight’s Children is one of 42 films in the festival that were submitted to the Oscars for consideration of foreign language film. Before Majumdar left the festival she met hundreds of people, attended the screening and gave time for a question and answer period. She met with journalists and filmmakers and attended the French reception and Canadian Gala. While some of us sit in the theater and are transported to another world there is another world happening within the festival.
Besides the thrill of consuming movies all day long, there is business going on. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film market where distributors, film buyers and industry professionals can make a deal with filmmakers to sell or distribute their work or to meet and tap new talent. It is a terrific opportunity and for many filmmakers the most important aspect of the event; that is, the wonderful possibility that their film will find an even greater audience.
When Sonny Bono was Mayor he had a vision for the festival and it continues today through the work of the charitable non-profit organization the Palm Springs International Film Society. According to their website, the vision statement says: “PSIFS strives for a world in which enlightenment, knowledge and tolerance prevail. We believe film as an art form has the power to bridge cultures and illuminate the universality of the human experience.”
Nine Palm Springs’ theaters with a total of 15 screens will hold 475 showings. A pass holder may see 40 films over the duration of the festival — though there are rumors that some have seen as many as 65! The Palm Springs International Film Festival offers the CV a window into a bigger world through its selected films. And their hard work and effort has made the festival a thriving destination event on a global scale.
