38th Palm Springs International Film Festival

38th Palm Springs International Film Festival spreads twelve days of world cinema, awards-season contenders, and the valley’s biggest red carpet across downtown Palm Springs theaters. The international feature program is a real draw in its own right, while the festival format lets you build a personal run of screenings around the titles that catch your eye.

Why go

• World cinema: The program brings international features and awards-season contenders into the same festival conversation.
• Choose your own slate: Multiple downtown venues let you plan a few screenings or make a deeper festival visit.
• Accessible tickets: Individual admissions are priced modestly by film-festival standards.
• Red-carpet scale: The festival also creates the valley’s biggest red-carpet moment.

What to expect

Rather than one event in one room, this is a twelve-day city-center filmgoing rhythm. Screenings are spread across downtown theaters and include the Palm Springs Convention Center among the venues, so you will be moving between films, lobby conversations, and the surrounding streets. Some visitors arrive for awards-season titles, while others make their own path through the international feature program; both approaches suit the festival. The feeling is social but focused on watching movies, with the red-carpet activity adding a sense of occasion around a packed slate. If a sought-after title is your priority, the early ticket window matters.

Know before you go

• Book screenings when passes go on sale if you want the buzzed-about titles.
• Individual general admission is listed at $20, or $18 for members; pass options are also available.
• Allow transit time between downtown venues when scheduling more than one screening in a day.