News from: Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) has announced the line-up for its Book to Screen program, presented in partnership with Deadline. The program continues to be a festival highlight celebrating the intersection of literature and film while fostering meaningful conversations between creators and audiences. Reporters from Deadline will moderate Q&As with the distinguished roster of directors, screenwriters, and authors who brought these stories to life on screen. This year’s participants include Conclave with director Edward Berger, Nickel Boys with director RaMell Ross, Queer with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes and the North American premiere of Reading Lolita in Tehran with director Eran Riklis, author Azar Naifis, and screenwriter Marjorie David. The schedule is listed below along with additions to the Talking Pictures and Special Presentations programs.
BOOKS TO SCREEN
Saturday, January 4th
10:00 a.m. Conclave with director Edward Berger
Following the death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with overseeing the election of a new one. As the Catholic Church’s most powerful men gather on his watch, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets left in the dead Pope’s wake, secrets that could shake the foundations of the Church.
4:15 p.m. North American Premiere of Reading Lolita in Tehran with director Eran Riklis, author Azar Naifisi, and screenwriter Marjorie David
In this gripping adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s memoir, a fearless professor secretly gathers seven of her most dedicated female students to discuss forbidden Western classics after fundamentalists seize control of their country. Their solidarity helps them navigate life-altering choices in a repressive society. Winner of the Audience Award and Special Jury Prize to the cast of women at the 2024 Rome Film Festival.
Monday, January 6
6:00 p.m. Queer with screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes
Daniel Craig delivers a career-high performance in director Luca Guadagnino’s daring adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ sex- and drug-addled novel, a love story in which the writer falls hard for a young American expat and seeks mind-expanding transcendence in the Mexican jungle.
Friday, January 10
1:30 p.m. Nickel Boys with director RaMell Ross
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead and inspired by real-life events, Nickel Boys chronicles the powerful friendship between two Black teenagers who become wards of a juvenile reformatory in Florida. Ross received Best Director at the Gotham Awards and New York Film Critics Circle.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The festival has added two Special Presentations which will be film screenings only without talent including:
The Last Showgirl – Directed by Gia Coppola, The Last Showgirl, is a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, starring Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.
September 5 – Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of a hostage situation. This decisive moment changed media coverage forever and continues to impact live news today.
Unstoppable – The inspiring true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams.
For more information visit www.psfilmfest.org. Passes and tickets are currently on sale. The Festival’s box office can also be reached at (760) 778-8979.