2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival lineup announced

The 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will screen 134 films from 64 countries at its 2023 event, including 27 premieres, such as the comedy "80 For Brady" starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field.

The festival will take place Jan. 6 through 16, with the Film Awards kicking the celebration off on Jan. 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The film festival will open with the world premiere of "80 For Brady" directed by Kyle Marvin. The film is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they decide to take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. The then-New England Patriots quarterback and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback also makes an appearance in the film and served as a producer.

Tomlin, Fonda, Moreno and Field, along with other cast members, are expected to attend the opening night screening. "80 For Brady" is in theaters everywhere Feb. 3.

The closing night film on Jan. 15 is "The Lost King" starring Sally Hawkins, Shonagh Price, Helen Katamba and Lewis Macleod. The film follows an ambitious writer and amateur historian guided by instinct and spectral visions, who defies the academic establishment to unearth Richard III's long-missing remains in a Leicester car park.

“We are beyond excited to welcome back our beloved audience and filmmakers in Palm Springs. We’re especially thrilled to be joined by all four leads of '80 For Brady.' The film is brimming with joy and heart, and it’s a perfect film to kick off our 34th edition,” Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez said in a statement. “Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the films that make up this edition. It is our most thematically diverse year yet, and I don’t believe you’ll find two movies that are alike. From light entertainment for casual nights out to urgent commentaries that beg for post-screening conversation and beyond, the cinema is there to capture it all.”

Other notable films include the North American premiere of "My Neighbor Adolf" starring Palm Springs resident Udo Kier, and a screening of "Racist Trees" by Sara Newens and Mina T. Son, a documentary about the once-50-foot-tall wall of dense foliage that separated the Palm Springs' Tahquitz Creek Golf Course and the Lawrence Crossley neighborhood, which residents viewed as an enduring symbol of racism and inequality. The trees were removed in 2018.

Actress Anna Kendrick will hold a discussion about her latest film, "Alice, Darling," along with this year's Film Awards Desert Palm Achievement, Actor, honoree Colin Farrell for "The Banshees of Inisherin." The festival will also be home to the world premiere of the documentary "Shot in the Arm," with director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and subject Neil deGrasse Tyson scheduled to attend.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival and Film Awards were canceled in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19.

The complete list of films is as follows:

Best International Feature Film Oscar submissions

This section is selected by festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards race and includes 35 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 of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay in this category.

• "Ajoomma" (Singapore), Director He Shuming

• "Alcarràs" (Spain), Director Carla Simón

• "All Quiet on the Western Front" (Germany), Director Edward Berger

• "Argentina, 1985" (Argentina), Director Santiago Mitre

• "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" (Mexico), Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu

• "Beautiful Beings" (Iceland), Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson

• "Blanquita" (Chile), Director Fernando Guzzoni

• "The Blue Caftan" (Morocco), Director Maryam Touzani

• "Cairo Conspiracy" (Sweden), Director Tarik Saleh

• "Cinema Sabaya" (Israel), Director Orit Fouks Rotem

• "Close" (Belgium), Director Lukas Dhont

• "Corsage" (Austria), Director Marie Kreutzer

• "Darkling" (Serbia), Director Dušan Milić (U.S. Premiere)

• "Decision to Leave" (South Korea), Director Park Chan-wook

• "EO" (Poland), Director Jerzy Skolimowski

• "Eternal Spring" (Canada), Director Jason Loftus

• "The Happiest Man in the World" (North Macedonia), Director Teona Strugar Mitevska (U.S. Premiere)

• "Holy Spider" (Denmark), Director Ali Abbasi

• "Il Boemo" (Czech Republic), Director Petr Václav (U.S. Premiere)

• "Joyland" (Pakistan), Director Saim Sadiq

• "Kalev" (Estonia), Director Ove Musting

• "Klondike" (Ukraine), Director Maryna Er Gorbach

• "Last Film Show" (India), Director Pan Nalin

• "Mars One" (Brazil), Director Gabriel Martins

• "Mediterranean Fever" (Palestine), Director Maha Haj

• "Nostalgia" (Italy), Director Mario Martone

• "The Quiet Girl" (Ireland), Director Colm Bairéad

• "Return to Seoul" (Cambodia), Director Davy Chou

• "Saint Omer" (France), Director Alice Diop

• "Under the Fig Trees" (Tunisia), Director Erige Sehiri

• "Utama" (Bolivia), Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi

• "Victim" (Slovakia), Director Michal Blaško

• "War Sailor" (Norway), Director Gunnar Vikene (U.S. Premiere)

• "World War III" (Iran), Director Houman Seyyedi

• "You Won't Be Alone" (Australia), Director Goran Stolevski

Talking Pictures

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:

• "Alice, Darling" (Canada/USA) with actress Anna Kendrick

• "Chevalier" (USA) with director Stephen Williams

• "The Banshees of Inisherin" (Ireland/UK/USA) with actor Colin Farrell

• "Moving On" (USA) with director Paul Weitz and producer Andrew Miano

Modern Masters

New films, classic auteurs:

• "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" (USA), Director Laura Poitras

• "Broker" (South Korea), Director Hirokazu Koreeda

• "A Compassionate Spy" (USA/UK), Director Steve James

• "Hilma" (Sweden), Director Lasse Hallström (North American Premiere)

• "No Bears" (Iran), Director Jafar Panahi

• "One Fine Morning" (France/UK/Germany), Director Mia Hansen-Løve

• "R.M.N" (Romania/France/Belgium/Sweden), Director Cristian Mungiu

• "Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams" (Italy), Director Luca Guadagnino

• "Tori and Lokita" (Belgium/France), Director Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

New Voices New Visions

Unique viewpoints from first- and second-time directors:

• "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" (USA), Director Aitch Alberto (U.S. Premiere)

• "Butterfly Vision" (Ukraine/Czech Republic/Croatia/Sweden), Director Maksym Nakonechnyi (U.S. Premiere)

• "The Damned Don’t Cry" (France/Belgium/Morocco), Director Fyzal Boulifa (North American Premiere)

• "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" (USA), Director Daniel Goldhaber

• "Love According to Dalva" (Belgium/France), Director Emmanuelle Nicot

• "Our Father, the Devil" (USA), Director Ellie Foumbi

• "Riceboy Sleeps" (Canada), Director Anthony Shim

• "Snow and the Bear" (Turkey/Germany/Serbia), Director Selcen Ergun (U.S. Premiere)

• "Susie Searches" (USA/UK), Director Sophie Kargman (U.S. Premiere)

True stories

Nonfiction filmmaking at its most urgent and illuminating:

• "1341 Frames of Love and War" (Israel), Director Ran Tal

• "All That Breathes" (India/UK), Director Shaunak Sen

• "Anxious Nation" (USA), Director Vanessa Roth, Laura Morton

• "The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher" (USA), Director Gregory M. Bezat

• "Bella" (USA), Director Bridget Murnane

• "Body Parts" (USA), Director Kristy Guevara-Flanagan

• "Born in Chicago" (USA), Director Bob Sarles, John Anderson

• "Butterfly in the Sky" (USA), Director Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb

• "The Caviar Connection" (France), Director Benoît Bringer

• "Crows Are White" (Japan/Ireland/USA), Director Ahsen Nadeem

• "Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy" (USA), Director Nancy Buirski

• "The Grab" (USA), Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite

• "I Like It Here" (USA), Director Ralph Arlyck

• "Lakota Nation vs. United States" (USA), Director Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli

• "Lift" (USA), Director David Petersen

• "Liquor Store Dreams" (USA), Director So Yun Um

• "Of Medicine and Miracles" (USA), Director Ross Kauffman

• "Roberta" (USA), Director Antonino D’Ambrosio

• "Shot in the Arm" (USA), Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (World Premiere)

• "Split at the Root" (USA), Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton

• "Subject" (USA), Director Camilla Hall, Jennifer Tiexiera

• "The Thief Collector" (USA), Director Allison Otto

• "To Kill a Tiger" (Canada), Director Nisha Pahuja (International Premiere)

• "Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb" (USA), Director Lizzie Gottlieb

Cine Latino

Latin American and Latinx stories:

• "Chile '76" (Chile/USA), Director Manuela Martelli

• "Huesera" (Mexico/Peru), Director Michelle Garza Cervera

• "I Have Electric Dreams" (Belgium/France/Costa Rica), Director Valentina Maurel (North American Premiere)

• "Sublime" (Argentina), Director Mariano Biasin

• "The Substitute" (Argentina/Italy/France/Spain/Mexico), Director Diego Lerman

Queer Cinema Today and the Gayla

Poignant, heartfelt and insightful stories from the LGBTQ community:

• "1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture" (USA/Canada), Director Sharon “Rocky” Roggio

• "Casa Susanna" (USA), Director Sebastien Lifshitz

• "Eismayer" (Austria), Director David Wagner (North American Premiere)

• "Esther Newton Made Me Gay" (USA), Director Jean Carlomusto

• Gayla! Screening – "God Save the Queens" (USA), Director Jordan Danger

• Gayla! Screening – "Mama Bears" (USA), Director Daresha Kyi

• "My Emptiness and I" (Spain), Director Adrián Silvestre

• "Nelly & Nadine" (Sweden/Belgium/Norway), Director Magnus Gertten

• "Punch" (New Zealand/USA), Director Welby Ings (North American Premiere)

• "Winter Boy" (France), Director Christophe Honoré

• "You Can Live Forever" (Canada), Director Mark Slutsky, Sarah Watts

World Cinema Now

Travel the world without leaving your seat with the following films:

• "Back Then" (Poland), Director Kinga Dębska

• "The Beasts" (Spain/France), Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen

• "Before, Now & Then" (Indonesia), Director Kamila Andini

• "Burning Days" (Turkey/France/Germany/Netherlands/Greece/Croatia), Director Emin Alper

• "Concerned Citizen" (Israel/USA), Director Idan Haguel

• "Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous" (France/Italy/Lebanon/Saudi Arabia/Qatar), Director Wissam Charaf (North American Premiere)

• "Driving Madeleine" (France), Director Christian Carion (U.S. Premiere)

• "Emily" (UK), Director Frances O’Connor (U.S. Premiere)

• "Freaks Out" (Italy/Belgium), Director Gabriele Mainetti

• "Golden Years" (Switzerland), Director Barbara Kulcsar (North American Premiere)

• "Greener Pastures" (Israel), Director Matan Guggenheim, Assaf Abiri (North American Premiere)

• "Gyeong-ah's Daughter" (South Korea), Director Kim Jung-eun

• "Haute Couture" (France), Director Sylvia Ohayon

• "The Judgement" (Netherlands/Germany), Director Sander Burger

• "Juniper" (New Zealand), Director Matthew J. Saville

• "Linoleum" (USA), Director Colin West

• "Lullaby" (Spain), Director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa

• "Max, Min & Meowzaki" (India), Director N Padmakumar (U.S. Premiere)

• "Melchior the Apothecary" (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania/Germany), Director Elmo Nüganen

• "My Neighbor Adolf" (Israel/Colombia/Poland), Director Leonid Prudovsky (North American Premiere)

• "My Sailor, My Love" (Finland/Ireland), Director Klaus Härö

• "Next Sohee" (South Korea), Director July Jung

• "The Origin of Evil" (France/Canada), Director Sébastien Marnier

• "Revoir Paris" (France), Director Alice Winocour

• "Simone: Woman of the Century" (France), Director Olivier Dahan (U.S. Premiere)

• "Somewhere in Queens" (USA), Director Ray Romano

• "Stonewalling" (Japan/China), Director Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka

• "The Storyteller" (India), Director Anant Narayan Mahadevan (North American Premiere)

• "Talia's Journey" (Belgium/Senegal/Luxembourg), Director Christophe Rolin

• "Viking" (Canada), Director Stéphane Lafleur

• "Where Life Begins" (Italy), Director Stéphane Freiss

• "Without Her" (Iran/Germany), Director Arian Vazirdaftari (North American Premiere)

• "The Word" (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland), Director Beata Parkanová (U.S. Premiere)

Local Spotlight

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

• "Don’t Worry Darling" (USA), Director Olivia Wilde

• "Racist Trees" (USA), Director Sara Newens, Mina T. Son (North American Premiere)

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye. Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival lineup announced