A Palm Springs Oasis for Foreign Film Fans

The Palm Springs International Film Festival, which starts today, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year on a promising note.

Festival programmer Monica Breckenridge said in a recent interview that because of the anniversary the festival will be “much more ambitious than in years past. . . . We’ve more than doubled the Academy Award submissions in its best foreign film category. We want to make Palm Springs a niche festival, a showcase for the best foreign film entries from around the world.”

Founded by the late Sonny Bono--he was mayor of Palm Springs at the time--the festival will screen 160 films through Jan. 18. The films represent 44 countries and include 32 world premieres, 41 U.S. premieres and a number of gala screenings, among them a presentation of the 1925 version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” with Lon Chaney.

John Travolta, Debbie Reynolds, Motion Picture Assn. of America Chairman Jack Valenti and composer John Barry will be honored at the festival’s awards gala, to be held Saturday at the Palm Springs Convention Center and hosted by actress Christine Baranski. Shirley Bassey will sing the “Goldfinger” theme as part of the tribute to Barry.

The festival will hold its opening- and closing-night attractions in the Palm Springs High School’s 1,100-seat auditorium, and the remainder of the festival will unspool at the Convention Center’s Springs Theater, the Desert Museum’s Annenberg Theater and the Courtyard multiplex, a part of the Metropolitan Theaters chain, which has been a key festival supporter since its inception.

“We’re showing 25 Oscar submissions, a record for us, and we would have loved to have shown all 45,” said Breckenridge. “As for the ones we couldn’t get, very often it was a matter of print unavailability. But getting them all would be a magnificent goal for us to set for next year. Imagine what it would mean to the press and to cinephiles if we could show such a large selection of the finest foreign films from around the world. It would be like one-stop shopping.

“The more the word gets out about our foreign film presentations, the more it will really get to be the cornerstone of the festival.”

Among the films Breckenridge singles out for attention are “Alegria,” “The Red Violin,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, and two films starring John Hurt, “All the Little Animals” and “Night Train.”

“ ‘Alegria’ was inspired by the Cirque du Soleil,” she says. “It’s absolutely mesmerizing, a story of love and redemption that involves two circuses. It’s an examination of class distinctions and its impact, especially on children.” Franco Dragone directs and co-stars with Frank Langella. The world premiere of this film will be accompanied by a performance of the Cirque du Soleil.

“The Red Violin,” directed by Francois Girard, tells the stories of the individuals to whom a violin is passed over the years.

The festival will present the U.S. premiere of “All the Little Animals,” a fable in which Hurt plays a hermit who buries animals killed on highways and who forges a friendship with a troubled young man, played by Christian Bale.

“Night Train” is about a man who gets out of prison and sets about starting a new life. Brenda Blethyn co-stars. And there’s the U.S. premiere of “B. Monkey,” a dark story of love between a teacher, played by Jared Harris, and a pupil, played by Asia Argento. It was directed by Michael Radford, who also directed “Il Postino.”

“On the opening weekend there will be a collection of Italian films that is really spectacular, and also some impressive films from Canada and Britain,” Breckenridge said.

Other highlights include a seminar on film festivals and their value to filmmakers, which includes participants representing such major festivals as Toronto, Sundance and Edinburgh.

Breckenridge said the festival is still developing, and noted: “The local people we rely on to get the festival done are just starting to settle in with an idea of what it takes for the festival to flourish and grow.”

BE THERE

10th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, today-Jan. 18. The festival will screen 160 films, including 32 world premieres. For a festival schedule and further information: (760) 778-8979.