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Festival coverage

Palm Springs International Film Festival

5 January – 16 January 2023

The first big film festival of the year, this California event is the place to be if you want to discover the new works destined to become big names over the year ahead. It's also a great place to catch the films getting lots of nominations this awards season.

The festival runs from 5 to 12 January.

Other years (5)

Latest reviews

  • To Kill A Tiger
    Review preview for To Kill A Tiger

    The film is full of careful observations, from the looks on the faces of the villagers to the small things Kiran does as she reclaims her place in the world.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
  • Driving Madeleine
    Review preview for Driving Madeleine

    The destination of the film might feel like a bit of a foregone conclusion but the graceful and sometimes unpredictable manner in which Carion arrives at it is impressive.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A taxi driver drives a passenger across Paris as she recalls her life.
  • Simone: Woman Of The Century
    Review preview for Simone: Woman Of The Century

    This challengingly structured moving picture connects past with present not in linear form but in fragments of story that come in waves.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
    An intimate and epic portrait of an extraordinary woman who eminently challenged and transformed her era defending a humanist message still keenly relevant today.
  • Desperate Souls, Dark City And The Legend Of Midnight Cowboy
    Review preview for Desperate Souls, Dark City And The Legend Of Midnight Cowboy

    Evocative, wide-ranging, and evermore timely.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
    A look at the behind-the-scenes odyssey to get Midnight Cowboy produced, as well as the tumultuous era in which the movie was released and embraced.
  • The Thief Collector
    Review preview for The Thief Collector

    What begins as a spirited romp goes to dark places before it’s done

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A documentary exploring the mystery behind the infamous 1985 heist of Willem de Kooning’s seminal painting, Woman-Ochre.
  • Linoleum
    Review preview for Linoleum

    By the time that West is ready to show his hand directly, most viewers will be so wrapped up in Linoleum that that details will scarcely matter.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    When a satellite falls from orbit and crashes into the suburban home of a dysfunctional family in Ohio, the father seizes the opportunity to fulfil his dream of becoming an astronaut by re-building it into his own rocket ship. While his wife and daughter believe he's experiencing a midlife crisis, surreal events begin to unfold around him.
  • Chevalier
    Review preview for Chevalier

    This is hardly a bastion of accuracy, but it does cover its ground well.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    The true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, who rises to heights in French society as a composer before an ill-fated love affair.
  • Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths
    Review preview for Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths

    Iñárritu is very capable – one might even say brilliant – but has no idea how to restrain himself.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    An epic comedy about journalism.
  • Lullaby
    Review preview for Lullaby

    Though it’s nicely drawn and the performances are good, especially from Sánchez, this is all fairly familiar stuff.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Amaia has just given birth to her first daughter. She would prefer not to give up her career as a translator, but it’s not easy to balance it with her family and looking after a young child. When her partner goes away on business for seven weeks, the young woman capitulates and goes to stay with her parents in the countryside.
  • Victim
    Review preview for Victim

    Blasko tells the story with a plainness which adds to its power, sometimes using news-style framing as if to remind us of the political moment which we’re living through.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A Ukranian immigrant faces racism as she seeks justice.

A–Z of Palm Springs International Film Festival 2023 reviews

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