Palm Springs International Film Festival 🎬
January 2 - 13, 2026
The Palm Springs International Film Festival is a premier event that showcases the best in global cinema. Each year, the festival draws film enthusiasts, industry professionals, and Hollywood's biggest stars to celebrate artistic excellence and storytelling. Recognized as one of the most important film festivals leading up to the film awards season, including the Oscars, it plays a pivotal role in the journey toward cinematic acclaim. From captivating film screenings and engaging Q&A sessions to a glamorous red-carpet gala and prestigious award ceremony, the festival offers a rich tapestry of events. It's a vibrant gathering that honors the art of film and brings together a diverse community of creatives and fans alike.
Palm Springs International Film Awards
Saturday, January 3, 2026
A cornerstone of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Awards & Gala is a dazzling celebration of cinematic excellence that draws Hollywood's elite. This glamorous evening features a radiant red carpet, where stars don shimmering gowns and sharp tuxedos, creating a captivating display of fashion and elegance. The event features gourmet cuisine, cocktails, and an atmosphere of camaraderie as actors, directors, and industry insiders gather to honor outstanding achievements in film. The allure of the Film Awards is timeless, with many A-listers returning year after year to share stories, rekindle friendships, and make new connections in the enchanting setting of Palm Springs.
Dale Chihuly, Chihuly Studios, and John Kennedy Studio provide awards.
2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival Honorees & Films
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTOR
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes One Battle After Another, written, directed, and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film follows Washed-up revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio), who lives off the grid in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years, she goes missing, and the former radical scrambles to find her, as father and daughter both battle the consequences of his past.
MICHAEL B. JORDAN
ICON AWARD
SINNERS
In Warner Bros. Pictures feature Sinners, twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who survived combat in WWI and gangland Chicago, return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, with a truck full of liquor to open a juke joint. As music and dance meld in celebration of artistry, culture, and history, an evil descends, threatening to devour the community's heart and soul.
ADAM SANDLER
CHAIRMAN'S AWARD
JAY KELLY
Jay Kelly (George Clooney) embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humor-filled, epic and intimate, Jay Kelly is pitched at the intersection of life’s regrets and notable glories.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
NEON
INTERNATIONAL STAR AWARD
Director Joachim Trier
Cast includes: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skardgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning
ETHAN HAWKE
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
BLUE MOON
Blue Moon stars Hawke as the legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart. On the evening of March 31, 1943, Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit Oklahoma! By the time this night is over, Hart will have confronted both a world that no longer values his talent and the seeming impossibility of love.
KATE HUDSON
ICON AWARD, ACTRESS
SONG SUNG BLUE
Based on a true story, Song Sung Blue follows Mike and Claire as they become Lightning and Thunder, a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band that takes them from a small garage to dive bar glory to an unlikely Milwaukee stardom defined by their moving devotion to one another and the raucous power of “Sweet Caroline.” But when tragedy strikes and plunges them to the bottom, it’s the revelatory power of their love — for music and for each other — that binds the pair, provides a way forward, and ultimately helps them remember one another.
FRANKENSTEIN
VISIONARY AWARD
From Oscar®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes the definitive retelling of Mary Shelley’s genre-defining novel of life and death — an epic drama about what it means to be human, to crave love, and seek understanding. Golden Globe-winner Oscar Isaac plays the brilliant but tortured scientist Victor Frankenstein, who embarks on an ego-driven quest to bring new life into this world, resulting in the Creature (BAFTA-nominee Jacob Elordi), whose very existence provokes questions about what it means to be a human and what it really means to be a monster. This sprawling epic takes audiences from the remote reaches of the Arctic to the bloody battlefields of 19th-century Europe, as Frankenstein and his Creature embark on their own search for meaning in a world that can seem quite mad.
AMANDA SEYFRIED
DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, ACTRESS
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
Academy Award nominee Amanda Seyfried stars as the Shaker's irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The Testament of Ann Lee captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements, choreography by Celia Rowlson-Hall (Vox Lux), and original songs and score by Academy Award winner Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist).
HAMNET
VANGUARD AWARD
From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao comes a sensitively observed, magnificently crafted tale about the complexities of love and the healing power of art and creativity. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel Hamnet, the story follows impoverished Latin tutor William Shakespeare and free-spirited Agnes. The pair, captivated by one another, strike up a torrid affair that leads to marriage and three children. Yet as Will pursues a budding theater career in faraway London, Agnes anchors the domestic sphere alone. When tragedy strikes, the couple’s once-unshakable bond is tested, but their shared experience sets the stage for the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
More announcements for the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2026 will be released soon.
Palm Springs International Film Festival Passes
You may purchase passes online or by calling 760.778.8979 or 1.800.898.7256
Office Hours
Monday-Thursday: 9 am-5 pm; Friday: 9 am-1 pm.
Pass Options
- Benefactor - $3,905 ($2,000 tax-deductible)
- Concierge - $3,128 ($1,250 tax-deductible)
- Premiere - $2,610 ($1,350 tax-deductible)
- Platinum - $ 609
- 5 - Day A Pass - $398 (Jan 2 - 6)
- 5 - Day B Pass - $398 (Jan 7 - 11)
- Student Pass - $213
After you purchase your pass, you will receive a confirmation email with more information and instructions on adding your name. As passes are non-transferable, the name on the pass must match the name of the individual using it. Please wear your pass at all times during the festival, as entry will not be granted without it.
Ticket Information
General Admission $20 | Members $18
Talking Pictures are $30-$40.
Bring your valid ticket to the theatre, whether you received it at the box office, printed it at home, or have it on your mobile device.
Lines begin forming 30 - 45 minutes before showtime outside the theater.
Celebrating Cinema & Community
The Palm Springs International Film Festival is presented by the Palm Springs International Film Society, an organization dedicated to uplifting global storytelling, nurturing filmmakers, and bringing the community together through the power of film.
Igniting the Magic of Cinema: Palm Springs Film Society's Celebration of Film and Community
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