Excitement is building for the 20th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival which will run this year from January 6-19, 2009.  We recently received in the mail our “Festival Lover” ticket order form. The Festival last year offered more than 230 films from over 65 countries, and according to their official press release, Palm Springs hosted 122,000 filmgoers for the event last year.  

The “legendary” Black Tie Awards Gala, which has in the past featured such luminaries as Daniel Day Lewis, Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, John Travolta, Sean Penn, and Cate Blanchett is scheduled for the opening night of the Festival, Tuesday January 6, 2009.  This gala evening features dining and dancing, along with the in person awards presentation.  Film showings begin on the 8th. There will be more than 400 showings of the more than 200 films, many of which will also be nominatees for an Oscar in the Academy Awards Foreign Film Category, to be held later in the season. Again, this year, the film entries will represent more than 60 countries. Fifteen screens throughout the city of Palm Springs will be used for the festival. It’s a blast, and you’ll see a lot of great films, many not offered elsewhere, at least locally.

To date, it has been announced that Ron Howard will be present to receive the Director’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Anne Hathaway will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, and Dakota Fanning will be recognised with the Rising Star Award. More such announcements are to follow, and the Complete Festival Schedule will be posted on their web site on December 22, 2008.

For more information on the Opening Night Gala, Houston Gala, Closing Night Gala, tickets and passes, go to 20th Film Festival.