Held in January, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is a smallish one, but a key event, with its focus on international cinema, as well as profiling big awards contenders at the annual fundraising dinner that kicks it off and attracts big stars.
Now in its 31st year, the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival runs from 2 – 13 January. The magnet festivals for indie producers in the US are Sundance and SXSW in Austin, Texas. But Palm Springs has a history of spotlighting important films and backing the art of cinema, both in features and a separate short film festival as well. These festivals are all competing with each other; the truth is they reflect different aspects of the same broad movement and react to their communities.
