Palm Springs

“The Fencer” to Open, “Last Cab to Darwin” to Close 2016 Fest;

Talking Pictures Program to Include “Amy” and “Grandma”

Palm Springs, CA (December 17, 2015) – The 27^th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will launch onFriday, January 1 with Klaus Härö’s The Fencer. The Festival’s closing night film will then screen on Sunday, January 10with the U.S. premiere of Last Cab to Darwin, directed by Jeremy Sims. The Festival announced its complete lineup of films including Talking Pictures, Special Presentations and additional programming. A total of 176 films will screen in this year’s festival from January 1-11.

“Bookending the festival are two films from opposite sides of the globe, both of which promise an emotionally stirring film-going experience,” said Artistic Director Helen du Toit.  “The Fencer is the ideal opener for Palm Springs – not just because it is a beautifully made film, and a crowd-pleaser, but also because Finnish director Klaus Härö has become a festival favorite over the years. We are equally excited to be wrapping the festival with the US premiere of Jeremy Sims’ Last Cab to Darwin, a road movie/comedy set in the Australian outback and featuring the irresistible Michael Caton as a man who, while trying to expedite his own demise, finally learns how to live.”

OPENING AND CLOSING SCREENINGS

Opening night title The Fencer is a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and Finland’s Best Foreign Language Oscar® submission. The film is about a young fencer in the early 1950s who, while hiding from the Russian secret police, becomes a physical education teacher in an Estonian village. His after-school sporting club brings inspiration to students and teacher alike, but the past catches up and faces him with a difficult choice.

The Festival will close with the U.S. premiere of Last Cab to Darwin directed by Jeremy Sims.  In this warm-hearted road movie Rex is a loner, and when he’s told he doesn’t have long to live, he embarks on an epic drive through the Australian outback from Broken Hill to Darwin to die on his own terms. But his journey reveals to him that before you can end your life, you have to live it, and to live it, you've got to share it. The film stars Michael Caton and Jackie Weaver.

TALKING PICTURES

Every year, the Festival presents a series of special programs devoted to exploring the careers and creative choices of the top talents in the world of cinema, including Oscar^®-caliber actors and directors in conversation with leading entertainment journalists.  Each program includes a film screening and an on-stage conversation.

Golden Globe nominee Lily Tomlin will attend the screening of Sony Pictures Classics’ Grandma and participate in an on-stage interview immediately following, presented by Tribeca Short List. Elle Reid has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend when her granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing 600 dollars before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash and their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets.

Director Asif Kapadia will attend the screening of his documentary Amy, a sympathetic and revealing portrait of Amy Winehouse which employs the singer’s own candid footage and creative visualizations of her lyrics to illuminate the story of her all-too-short life and career.

“The Talking Pictures program creates once in a lifetime opportunities for audiences to hear directly from some of the year’s hottest Oscar ®contenders — and this year is no exception,” said Festival Director Darryl Macdonald. “Golden Globe nominee Lily Tomlin will discuss her widely acclaimed work in Grandma following the film’s screening; and director Asif Kapadia will join us to unpack his heartbreaking, intimate documentary Amy.”

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

The Festival will hold three special presentations. The Brand New Testament is the Best Foreign Language Oscar submission from Belgium, directed by Jaco Van Dormael and starring Pili Groyne, Benoit Poelvoorde and Catherine Deneuve. The film is a high-concept satire in which God accidentally sets off a panic after his disgruntled daughter leaks the apocalyptic plans stored on his computer. The U.S. premiere of Eye in the Sky, directed by Gavin Hood and starring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman and Aaron Paul, is a thriller set in the world of remotely piloted aircraft warfare. The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as frontiersman Hugh Glass, is nominated for three Golden Globe awards including Best Picture-Drama, Best Actor-Drama and Best Director.

DINNER & A MOVIE

The festival will screen the documentary Cooking Up a Tribute, directed by Luis González and Andrea Gómez, as part of its Dinner & a Movie program. The film follows famed restaurateurs Josep, Jordi and Joan Roca as they take their renowned El Celler de Can Roca on the road, exploring and incorporating the native cuisines of Mexico, Colombia and Peru in their cooking. And the screening will be followed by a dinner at Mr. Lyons restaurant with a menu by chef Tara Lazar and Masterchef finalist Stephen Lee.

The complete list of films will be available on December 18 at www.psfilmfest.org.

About The Palm Springs International Film Festival

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees last year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries.  The Festival is also known for its annual Black Tie Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents who, in recent years, have included Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Julianne Moore, Brad Pitt, Eddie Redmayne, Julia Roberts, David O. Russell, Meryl Streep, and Reese Witherspoon. The presenting sponsor of the Awards Gala is BIGHORN and major sponsors are Entertainment Tonight and Mercedes-Benz.

-Official PSIFF Press Release-

-Edited by Vanessa McMahon-

View trailer for The Fencer here: 

View trailer for Last Cab to Darwin here: