The 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced its juried award winners today, with prizes going to Oscar contenders “Sirât,” “Left-Handed Girl,” and “Sentimental Value,” along with new films from Egypt, Slovakia, Austria, South Korea, and Peru. The festival continued its tradition of showcasing the best in international cinema, screening 44 of this year’s International Feature Film Oscar submissions as part of a lineup that included 178 films from 72 countries and territories.
The 44 Oscar contenders competed for the FIPRESCI Prize, which went to Oliver Laxe’s drama “Sirât.” The film resonated particularly well in Palm Springs as of its desert setting. As the jury stated, “Since Palm Springs is the ultimate film buff’s party in the desert where the mountains meet the sky, it’s only appropriate to award the FIPRESCI Prize to ‘Sirāt.’”
Egyptian director Sarah Goher won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International First Feature Film for her debut,“Happy Birthday.” It’s a gentle but somber film that examines Egyptian class hierarchies through a child’s eyes – Doha Ramadan gives an extraordinary performance. Milan Ondrík took home the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in an International Feature film for his poignant portrayal of a grieving parent in Tereza Nvotová’s Slovakian film “Father.”
Joachim Trier and eskil Vogt’s script for “Sentimental Value” received the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Screenplay. The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in an International Feature Film went to the ensemble cast of “Left-Handed Girl” – Nina-Ye, Shih-Yuan ma, and Janel Tsai – who were praised for their performances as three generations of Taiwanese women.
Suzannah herbert’s “Natchez” won best Documentary. The film studies the Antebellum tourism industry on the Mississippi River and was one of several documentaries this year grappling with history as something constantly evolving. richard Ladkani’s “Yanuni,” a portrait of Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia, received a Special Mention from the jury, highlighting a turbulent political context.
The festival’s New Voices New Visions Award, recognizing emerging filmmakers’ first or second feature, went to South Korean director Joonho Park for “3670,” a story about a gay North Korean defector navigating the complexities of coming out. Eva Libertad’s Spanish drama “Deaf,” about a deaf woman and her hearing partner preparing for parenthood, received a New Voices New Visions Special Mention.
Augusto Zegarra’s Peruvian film “Runa Simi” won the Ibero-American Award, presented to the best film from Latin America, Spain, or Portugal. It tells the tale of a father and son on a quest to dub Disney’s “The Lion King” into their native language as a political act. The timely thriller “It Would Be Night in Caracas” from Mexico and Venezuela, which sparked debate among audiences, received a Special Mention.
The Desert Views Award, for films promoting understanding and acceptance, was voted on by Palm Springs locals and given to “Beloved Tropic,” a moving drama from Panama directed by Ana Endara. It’s about the relationship between a pregnant immigrant and the woman she cares for – a high society woman with dementia.
High school students with a passion for cinema selected the Young Cineastes Award, which went to American director Paige Bethmann’s “Remaining Native,” a drama about a teenage cross-country runner retracing his grandfather’s escape route from an Indian boarding school.
The Palm springs International Film Festival ends tommorow with encore screenings of the award winners. Mark your calendars: Palm Springs ShortFest will return June 23-29.
