Oh to be in Palm Springs, California right now for the 24^th Palm Springs International Film Festival. To feel the soft warm breeze and rub shoulders with some of the world’s great filmmakers in one of the world’s most spectacular settings.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) Jan 3^rd to the 14^th is known for its annual Black Tie Awards Gala, honoring the year’s great film achievements. This year Academy Award®-winning director Tom Hooper will receive the Sonny Bono Visionary Award and Canadian Composer Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) will receive the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 5, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Hosted by Mary Hart, the Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees the cast of Argo, Richard Gere, Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Helen Mirren, Naomi Watts and Robert Zemeckis.

Past honorees have included Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Danny Boyle, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. T

Opening Night GALA Jan. 3rd:

Blancanieves (Snow White), Pablo Berger’s beautiful reinterpretation of the beloved Grimm’s fairy tale, which he has chosen to set in 1920’s Spain as a silent movie, is brilliant. Exquisite black and white cinematography set to a gorgeous sound track by Alfonso de Vilallonga creates an extraordinary film experience. Blancanieves is a Foreign Language Oscar nominee. The opening night reception is at the Palm Springs Art Museum and Berger will be in attendance.

“Blancanieves is the spectacular silent movie adaptation of Snow White, where the daughter of a famous bullfighter is mistreated by her wicked stepmother.  When she runs away and joins a band of dwarfs, her natural bullfighting talent is discovered, but her stepmother plots to bring her down.  The film stars Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Pere Ponce, Sofía Oria,  Macarena Garcia, Ángela Molina, José María Pou and  Inma Cuesta.”  PSIFF

Featured Films screened over the duration of the festival will include acclaimed stars such as Alan Arkin, Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Don Cheadle, Toni Collette, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Fox, Quincy Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Al Pacino, Vanessa Redgrave, Chris Rock, Terence Stamp, Marisa Tomei, Liv Ullmann, Christopher Walken