Look who’s grown up

WHEN the Palm Springs International Film Festival began in 1990, filmgoers didn’t have to contend with traffic from celebrity entourages, Oscar contenders and global film distributors. They had to watch out for the tumbleweeds.

“In those days, literally, you would see sagebrush rolling down the main drag, and there were no cars for them to interfere with,” festival director Darryl Macdonald said. “Roadrunners were regular sightings. I’m talking many times a day, running across any given street in town.”

Times have changed.

The 18th annual festival, opening tonight and running through Jan. 15, is a huge, glittering affair. Ticket sales are expected to exceed 120,000, and an awards gala is bringing in Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett among a flurry of other luminaries. The influx of filmgoers will stay in new and renovated hotels, and they’ll take in shows at the city’s recently expanded convention center, among five other venues -- including the Palm Canyon Theatre, a live theater now equipped to screen films. That brings the number of movie screens to 15 within a 1 1/2 -mile radius. All in all, it’s a pretty sweet setup for a festival that started out with three screens 17 years ago.

In those early years, the story was about survival -- not just for the festival but for the city as well.

It had not always been thus. The 1950s and ‘60s saw Palm Springs’ heyday. Swinging with Rat Pack glamour and blooming with hip Midcentury Modern architecture, Palm Springs was a cool desert destination for the Hollywood crowd. But the city suffered a slow fade as the hotspot evolved into a slightly run-down haven for retirees. By the late 1980s, the biggest draw for the tourist town was an annual spring break bacchanal. Even that disappeared when then-Mayor Sonny Bono banned public displays of thongs in 1988. He envisioned something grander, to help the city’s image as well as its economy. And that something was a film festival.

Macdonald was director for the first four years, and has been back for the last four. “The reason why Sonny even suggested a film festival for January way back then was that the town used to drop dead as soon as New Year’s was over,” he recalled. Hotels, restaurants and stores stood empty, awaiting the spring tourist season.

A film festival didn’t seem an ideal solution at first. “There were no theaters showing foreign films, or what you’d call art-house films, anywhere in the Coachella Valley,” Macdonald noted. But as he and other consultants soon learned, the city did still hold a strong allure -- for people who didn’t live in this country.

“Say the words ‘Palm Springs’ to anyone in Europe or Asia back in 1990 and they still thought of the city as Hollywood’s backdoor getaway,” Macdonald said. So with a kind of “if you build it they will come from overseas” resolve, an international film festival was born.

The first year, the festival sold more than 17,000 tickets, exceeding Bono’s wildest hopes. The second year, an awards gala was added for a touch of Hollywood sophistication. Honorees in those early years included Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, Ruby Keeler and Cyd Charisse. Said Macdonald: “It was associated with Old Hollywood, but that at least started the ball rolling.”

The gala was only one of the many parties taking place during the festival. “Every year, Sonny Bono threw a party at his house, which was always the highlight,” Macdonald said. “Part of it was the camp appeal; inevitably, every year Sonny would get up at some point, with musical backing, and sing ‘I Got You Babe.’ The filmmakers just loved it.”

They also loved the environment. A festival in 66-degree weather in the middle of winter held an understandable attraction. Each year, ticket sales grew.

But in the late ‘90s, the festival was in danger of collapsing, according to longtime resident and festival board member Harold Matzner. It was operating deep in the red. In 2000, Matzner took over as chairman, donated $25,000, wrangled some equally deep-pocketed citizens and set the nonprofit festival on its feet.

“Palm Springs was very sluggish ... and we knew an important, successful event could carry the Palm Springs story to the world,” he said. “There’s no better vehicle for that than a film festival.”

Within the year, the operation was financially stable. Matzner persuaded another philanthropic businessman, Earl Greenburg, to take over the gala, and Matzner credits him with attracting more A-listers. At the same time, Macdonald returned as festival director and brought Carl Spence as director of programming. (Both were veterans of the acclaimed Seattle International Film Festival; Spence is now that festival’s artistic director.)

THOUGH the number of films has increased, with this year featuring 254 films from 73 countries, “we’re actually showing fewer American films and focusing on the strengths of the festival, which is the international side,” Spence said.

It’s also helped that in 2004 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences moved up the Oscars to February. The festival now sits smack in the middle of award season, when many ballots are out to guild and academy members.

Underscoring this connection, the festival is screening 55 of the 61 Oscar submissions in the foreign-language film category, including “Volver,” “Curse of the Golden Flower,” “Days of Glory,” “Family Law,” “The Lives of Others,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Water.”

“Our goal is to show all of them,” Spence said. “This year there were six that got away from us. But 55 isn’t so bad.”

To Howard Cohen, co-president of the distribution company Roadside Attractions, the foreign-language film emphasis is smart strategy. “They’ve kind of got a lock on it. No one else does it, no one else would try, no one else would care, and it’s really only because it’s that one moment in time when everyone’s actually talking about all of those movies,” Cohen said. “Even if you don’t plan to see all of them, it’s an interesting thought that you could.”

The festival’s “Awards Buzz” program also includes the expected submissions to the Oscars’ documentary and short film categories.

Accordingly, the festival has positioned itself as a crucial stop on the award campaign trail. Pitt, Blanchett and their “Babel” costars Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi will receive the Ensemble Performance Award. Other honorees include Kate Winslet, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack, Adam Beach, Jessica Biel and Philip Glass, as well as the filmmakers behind “Little Miss Sunshine.” Presenters include Laurence Fishburne, Catherine Keener and Sissy Spacek.

A number of high-profile studio executives will also be on hand to support their honored stars and films. Nancy Utley, Fox Searchlight’s chief operating officer, will be in Palm Springs with the honored films “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Notes on a Scandal.” “The timing certainly is great,” she said, “because the town goes to sleep for two weeks over the holidays, and when everybody kind of wakes up and re-concentrates on the award stuff, it’s right there, bam, on that weekend.”

“When I started doing this, it was murder” trying to get the stars to commit, Greenburg said. “When you know Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are coming, when it’s not just ‘scheduled to appear,’ you know that we’ve come a long way.”

The combination of gala glamour and thoughtful film programming has helped make the event one of the top-grossing festivals in the country, according to festival officials. That translates into tourist dollars for the city. According to Matzner, 69% of attendees come from outside the Coachella Valley. It’s the kind of attention a marketing firm (and even a thong) couldn’t buy. And people are getting exactly the view of the city that Bono, who died just before the 10th festival, had hoped for.

“There’s no question the festival has brought back glamour and celebrity to the name Palm Springs and has helped generate the economic boom that is taking place here,” Matzner said.

That boom includes hotel development and renovation, as well as restaurants and retail stores. Among them, the Jonathan Adler-designed Parker Palm Springs Hotel, formerly Merv Griffin’s Resort Hotel & Givenchy Spa, is gearing up for the private post-gala party, as well as the roster of stars staying there. The 13-month-old Hotel Zoso downtown hosts a hospitality suite for filmmakers and volunteers, stocked with gallons of caffeinated beverages from the city’s first Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf store. The tourist season is just about year-round now, with only a dip in the hottest summer months (and the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films in August helps alleviate that). Real estate sales have been up throughout the area as more -- and younger -- Southern Californians have bought getaway homes there. (The rage for Midcentury Modern architecture has played a major role as well.)

JUST as the festival had a hand in the reemergence of Palm Springs, the city has had a part in shaping the festival. Even with the emphasis on youth and glamour, the older members of the community -- many of them members of the Screen Actors Guild and the film academy -- are a large part of the filmgoing audience. They have helped launch films that may not have had a chance at other festivals, as director Dan Ireland can attest. His film “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont” played at last year’s festival.

In brief Oscar-qualifying runs in Los Angeles and New York, the movie was crushed by the competition. “It had gotten really nice reviews for the most part, but it was just gone, and I thought the movie was over,” Ireland recalled. “It was so depressing.”

Cut to Palm Springs a month later. “I walk into the theater, there’s 1,500 people at that venue,” he said. “Then we won the audience award. It gave the film an entirely new life.” The film, budgeted at $150,000, went on to gross almost $2 million and has just been released on DVD.

Director Susan Seidelman had a similar experience with “Boynton Beach Club” last year. A romantic comedy about aging baby boomers, the film hadn’t found a distributor when it hit the festival. “It was a great audience, because they skewed older and were film lovers,” Seidelman said. “Had I taken this to Sundance, it might not have been the best festival audience for the film.”

The screening was such a hit, the programmers added more. “The owner of the Camelot Theatres was there to see the response, and right from the festival he gave the film a theatrical release,” Seidelman said. “So we cut out all the middlemen.” After running for a few months in Palm Springs, the film was picked up for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn and Roadside Attractions and released in June.

The older audience isn’t the only one represented, of course. Palm Springs’ significant gay and lesbian population is considered in the programming of more than 20 such-themed films in the festival, as well as the annual “Gay!La” party. The “Cine Latino” program, featuring films from Latin America, Spain and Portugal, aims to attract the sizable Spanish-speaking population of the valley.

“Even within our community, we’re all about inclusion,” said Mayor Ron Oden. “Young, old, race doesn’t matter, sexual orientation doesn’t matter; we try to make sure everyone feels like they are a part of this city, and certainly the film festival reflects that.”

Programming aside, the community itself is a big reason the festival still exists. The city is the title sponsor of the festival, and the community’s spirit has had a pronounced effect on the festival’s character. “The parties were great, and I’m not a party boy,” Ireland said. “They were loose and relaxed and fun, you didn’t feel like you had to perform. It was a really nice social event, and it wasn’t about networking.”

Roadside Attractions’ Cohen agreed. “It’s not heavy-duty industry, which is another plus for someone who’s a weary film festival veteran.”

For all its sophisticated charms and media attention, the festival still maintains a regional flavor. Both the opening and closing night screenings are at Palm Springs High School, and the parties that follow are traditionally big community events. They’re a reminder of the festival’s roots -- even if they’re not at Sonny’s house anymore.

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Palm Springs International Film Festival

When: Tonight through Jan. 15

Prices: General admission, $10; matinee screenings before 3 p.m., $9; panel discussions, $10.

Gala screenings (presentations with guests): general admission, $12; screening and reception, $25.

Opening gala tonight, $50; black-tie awards gala Saturday, $300; Houston Gala on Jan. 13, $350. Closing-night screening and wrap party Jan. 14, $40.

Info: (760) 322-2930, (800) 898-7256, www.psfilmfest.org

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More highlights

In today’s Screening Room column, Robert Abele assesses a handful of the Palm Springs festival films. Page 20

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Palm Springs primer

A sampling of what the festival has to offer, including a selection of films suggested by programming director Carl Spence.

Parties and events

Opening night gala: Screening of John Jeffcoat’s “Outsourced,” about a Seattle worker who goes to India to train his replacement. 6:30 p.m. today, Palm Springs High School.

Followed by a reception. Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N. Museum Drive.

“Blow Up: The Golden Age of Hollywood Glamour”: Opening reception for a show of the photography of Michael Childers, William Claxton and Douglas Kirkland, with the photographers. 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, M Modern Gallery, 2500 N. Palm Canyon Drive, B5.

Q&A;, moderated by former Times film critic Kevin Thomas. 11 a.m. Saturday, Annenberg Auditorium.

Black-tie awards gala: Cocktails start early, but the stars will be out all night. 5 p.m. Saturday, Palm Springs Convention Center.

“Talking Pictures: Critical Perspectives”: Times film critic Kenneth Turan presents Guillermo del Toro and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Camelot Theatres.

Gala screening of “The Boss of It All”: The comedy by director Lars von Trier is part of the Skol! Scandinavia program. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Camelot Theatres.

Followed by a reception. Wang’s in the Desert, 424 S. Indian Canyon Drive.

Gala screening of “Boy Culture”: A comedy of manners by director Q. Allan Brocka. 9 p.m. next Thursday, Camelot Theatres.

Followed by the “Gay!La” reception. 11 p.m. next Thursday, Toucans Tiki Lounge, 2100 N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Houston gala: Jennifer Hudson, the award season It Girl, will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award for “Dreamgirls” at this festival fundraiser, and she will also be performing. 7 p.m. Jan. 13, Houston estate in Palm Springs.

Closing night: “The Tiger’s Tail” screens (see below). 5 p.m. Jan. 14, Palm Springs High School.

Followed by a wrap party. Spa Resort Hotel, 100 N. Indian Canyon Drive.

Films

“Never on a Sunday,” directed by Daniel Gruener

The dark comedy is a Mexican entry in the Cine Latino program as well as the New Voices/New Visions competition.

6 p.m. next Thursday, 2 p.m. Jan. 13, Palm Springs Regal 9.

“OSS 117: Nest of Spies,” directed by Michel Hazanavicius

A spoof on James Bond, this was the audience award winner at the Seattle International Film Festival.

2:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Jan. 13, Palm Springs High School.

“Crime Novel,” directed by Michele Placido

Here’s an Italian crime saga that actually comes from Italy.

8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Monday, Palm Springs High School.

“The Curiosity of Chance,” directed by Russell P. Marleau

This gay coming-of-age comedy won the Jury Award at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

8 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Tuesday, Camelot Theatres.

“The Music Within,” directed by Steven Sawalich

A world premiere in the “World Cinema” program, the film stars Ron Livingston as Richard Pimentel, a Vietnam vet who went on to battle for the rights of Americans with disabilities.

7:30 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Palm Springs Regal 9.

“The Tiger’s Tail,” directed by John Boorman

The black comedy thriller, starring Boorman’s frequent leading man Brendan Gleeson, has been chosen to close out the festival.

5 p.m. Jan. 14, Palm Springs High School.

Best of the festival: A slate of 15 to 20 audience favorites will screen Jan. 15; schedule is announced Jan. 14, so check www.psfilmfest.org.

Screenings start about 9 a.m., Camelot Theatres and Palm Springs Regal 9.

Film venues

Annenberg Auditorium, 101 Museum Drive

Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road

Palm Canyon Theatre, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive

Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros

Palm Springs High School, 2248 E. Ramon Road

Palm Springs Regal 9, 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way