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Festival coverage

Palm Springs International Film Festival

2 January – 12 January 2020

Bombshell
Bombshell

The first big international event on the 2020 film calendar, Palm Springs had the bumper line-up we've come to expect, with an extensive list of awards nominees and several of the most interesting small independent films from around the world.

The festival ran from 2 to 12 January.

View complete schedule

Other years (5)

Latest reviews

  • Changing The Game
    Review preview for Changing The Game

    Barnett excels at capturing nuances of expression and action.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Transgender high school athletes from across the US compete at the top of their fields, while also challenging the boundaries and perceptions of fairness and discrimination.
  • Sequin In A Blue Room
    Review preview for Sequin In A Blue Room

    Sequin in A Blue Room is a reminder of Nineties angst media and queer celebration, within the dark corners of adolescence.

    Stephanie Brown · 5 out of 5
    When a teenager's thrill-seeking leads to a memorable encounter at an anonymous sex party, he resolves to track down the mystery guy - even if he has to rely on a menacing former hook-up to help him.
  • Martin Eden
    Review preview for Martin Eden

    Luca Marinelli is excellent in the lead, balancing intensity with intelligence, convincing at every stage of Martin's journey.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A man struggles to better his circumstances, motivated by his love for a woman from a bourgeois family.
  • Two Of Us
    Review preview for Two Of Us

    Two of Us jolts the senses - you can smell when the hot pan stays on the stove too long and want to interfere.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
    Two retired women, who have been in a secret relationship for decades, find their relationship turned upside down when the truth begins to come out.
  • The Painted Bird
    Review preview for The Painted Bird

    Smutný gives us faces that will stories even when they're still, the weight of long experience etched into every line.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A lone Jewish boy has to fend for himself in Nazi-occupied eastern Europe.
  • Patrick
    Review preview for Patrick

    Tim Mielants's quirky comedy is shot through with melancholy and holds a deep affection for its earnest hero even when he seems to be the butt of everybody's jokes.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Patrick lives with his parents on a naturist campsite. When his dad dies and he finds himself in charge he has other things on his mind... namely a quest for his lost hammer.
  • Red Penguins
    Review preview for Red Penguins

    There's little actual sport here, with more extensive focus on the half time entertainment, but that won't stop ice hockey fans from enjoying this ripping yarn.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    The story of what happened when Americans bought a Russian ice hockey team.
  • Papicha
    Review preview for Papicha

    Engages with an energetic and angry vitality as well as authenticity.

    Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
    A student becomes determined to stage a fashion show despite religious opposition.
  • The Vast Of Night
    Review preview for The Vast Of Night

    Patterson handles the acceleration and deceleration throughout with aplomb, notching things up or down at just the right moments and using inventive camerawork and sound design that encourages you to lean in and listen during the film's quieter moments.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A late night radio presenter and a switchboard operator begin to suspect something odd is happening in their small town.
  • The Whistlers
    Review preview for The Whistlers

    The whistling language is fun - and, if anything, disappointingly underused - but it's the language of cinema that Porumboiu is really interested in.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Film noir sees a corrupt cop learn a whistling language to beat detection while trying to double-cross the mob.

A–Z of Palm Springs International Film Festival 2020 reviews

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