The Palm Springs International Film Festival will return to the Coachella Valley for its 38th annual edition, running January 7 through 18, 2027, over 11 days of screenings, panels, and star-studded programming. Festival awards kick off the run on January 7 at 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, with opening night following on January 8 and closing night set for January 17, ahead of Best of the Fest screenings on January 18.
The dates and schedule were reported by MyNewsLA.com, which noted that tickets and additional details are available at psfilmfest.org. Programming for the 2027 edition includes Talking Pictures conversations, Best International Feature Film panels, Books to Screen sessions, and the festival's popular Family Day. Past festival winners have gone on to earn Academy Award nominations, according to festival officials, with honorees over the years including Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Jessie Buckley, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Michael B. Jordan, and Stellan Skarsgård.
A Festival Born From a Post-Holiday Tourism Push
The festival's roots trace back to 1990, when then-Palm Springs Mayor and former pop star Sonny Bono founded the event to extend the desert city's post-holiday tourist season and drum up business after New Year's Day, according to the Los Angeles Times. That inaugural event drew roughly 17,000 attendees and opened with a screening of Cinema Paradiso, setting the template for a festival now anchored firmly in early January.
Today the nonprofit Palm Springs International Film Society, which runs the festival, is led by Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi, CEO of Chandi Group USA, who took over in April 2023 after longtime chairman Harold Matzner stepped down following two decades in the role, per the Uken Report. Matzner helped build the festival into a world-class Oscar campaign stop and remains Chairman Emeritus. Beyond the January festival, the Film Society also produces the Palm Springs International ShortFest every June, which has grown into North America's largest short film festival and market since splitting off as its own event in 1995.
A Growing Footprint and Global Sponsors
The festival has drawn about 135,000 attendees to the Coachella Valley in a prior year, according to the Los Angeles Times. Visitor spending supported jobs in 2024. Screening venues have expanded accordingly, adding the Cinemark Century La Quinta in 2025 and incorporating the newly reopened historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre this year, as reported by NBC Palm Springs, which noted the reopened Plaza Theatre generates an estimated $40 million annually for the local economy.
The festival has also included panels in its programming. On the municipal side, Cathedral City approved a $110,000 sponsorship package last month for the 2027 festival, split between $90,000 in cash and $20,000 in in-kind support, that secures a free Family Day screening at the Mary Pickford Theater, according to Citizen Portal AI. The Cathedral City Council approved the sponsorship package.
An Oscar Launchpad With a Charitable Mission
The festival has showcased international cinema during awards season, including official country entries for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The 2026 edition included all five eventual Oscar nominees, according to the Palm Springs International Film Society.
Proceeds from the annual Film Awards Gala fund the Film Society's charitable work, including educational outreach. The Film Society also supports educational outreach. In July, the Film Society partnered with the Ebbets Field Foundation to launch the Harold Matzner Impact Award and Harold Matzner Master Award; the Impact Award includes a $25,000 finishing grant, according to the City of Palm Springs.
