The Palm Springs International Film Festival got underway Thursday with a red carpet event leading into the festival’s film awards.
The festival got underway after 4 p.m. as attendees were greeted and directed to the guest red carpet, which featured 20 check-in stations at the end, according to festival officials.
After being checked in by a host, attendees were given a table card and directed to the lobby of the Palm Springs Convention Center. As attendees settled in, a cocktail hour began at 5 p.m. Thursday, about an hour prior to when the show will begin, festival officials said.
The honorees include Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Gerwig, Jeffrey Wright, Carey Mulligan and Colman Domingo.
“Sprawling in scope, this year’s lineup spotlights programming from both international and domestic communities, including first-time filmmaking from American stars, impactful documentaries from abroad, and the very best in contemporary cinema for our Coachella Valley audience,” Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez said in a statement. “The Palm Springs International Film Festival programming team committed the past year to searching and scavenging the world for the films which compose this Festival’s lineup.”
The opening night for screenings on Friday will feature the U.S. premiere of the comedy mystery “Wicked Little Letters,” which will be attended by director Thea Sharock.
The screenings will close out Jan. 13 with the comedy “Ex-Husbands.” Writer and director Noah Pritzker is expected to attend with the movie’s stars, Griffin Dunne and Miles Heizer.
The festival will feature screenings of 179 films from 74 countries at the Palm Canyon Theater, Camelot Theatres, Regal Cinemas and Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs as well as the Mary Pickford is D’Place in Cathedral City.
“The varied screenings at the 2024 edition will unite family entertainment, critical commentary, dramatic excellence and, most importantly, the community for cinematic conversation which meets every year in beautiful, sophisticated Palm Springs,” Rodriguez said.
On Jan. 15, juried awards for films in competition will be announced for seven categories.
The complete lineup of films can be found at psfilmfest.org.