The 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival took place from January 2 to 12, 2026, in Palm Springs, California, United States. The festival opened with Maryam Touzani's Spanish drama film Calle Malaga. This edition of the festival presented 168 films from 72 countries, including 53 premieres and 44 Oscar Submissions.
In the FIPRESCI jury awards announced on January 11, FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film was awarded to SirÃÂt by Oliver Laxe and Best International First Feature Film was awarded to Happy Birthday by Sarah Goher. The festival closed with Brian Cox's British drama film Glenrothan.
Festival venues
The following are festival venues for screening films:
- Annenberg Theater
- The Plaza Theatre, South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, California
- ARCO Theatre (Palm Canyon Theatre)
- Festival Theaters
- Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theatre)
- Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School
- Mary Pickford is D'Place
- Cinemark Century La Quinta and XD
Juries
The juries consists of the following members:
FIPRESCI International Film Jury
- Davide Abbatescianni, Italian film critic and journalist
- Pat Mullen, Canadian film critic and publisher
- Fran Romero, Chilean film critic and sociologist
Ibero-American Jury
- Javier Fuentes-León, Peruvian director
- Sabrina Avilés, founder and executive director of CineFest Latino Boston
- Mariana Mijares, Mexican journalist
Documentary Jury
- Will Sloan, Canadian film critic and writer
- Sky Sitney, cofounder and festival director of DC/DOX
- James Woolley, executive director of Miami Film Festival
New Voices New Visions
- Justin Decluoux, Canadian writer, podcaster and filmmaker
- Gabor Grainer, Head of Acquisitions at Films Boutique
- Abbey White, American journalist
Official selection
This edition will showcase 168 films from 72 countries.
Opening and closing films
The opening and closing films of the festival are:
Awards Buzz â Best International Feature Films
The following section consists of submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards:
<span style="background:#E7CD00">Highlighted title</span> indicates the section winner.
After Dark
American Indies
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the American Indies section:
Close-Ups
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Close-Ups section:
Country Focus
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Country Focus section:
Family Day
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Family Day section:
Gateway Cinema
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Gateway Cinema section:
Local Spotlight
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Local Spotlight section:
Modern Masters
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Modern Masters section:
New Voices New Visions
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the New Voices New Visions competition:
Queer Cinema Today & The Gayla
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Queer Cinema Today section and The Gayla:
Special Presentations
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Special Presentations section:
Talking Pictures
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the Talking Pictures section:
True Stories
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the True Stories section:
World Cinema Now
The following films were selected to be screened as part of the World Cinema Now section:
Awards
On January 11, 2026 juried award winners were announced:
International Film competition
Documentary competition
New Voices New Visions
- New Voices New Visions Award: 3670 by Park Joon-ho
- New Voices New Visions Special Mention: Deaf by Eva Libertad
Ibero-American Competition
- Ibero-American Award: It Would Be Night in Caracas by Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás
- Ibero-American Special Mention: Runa Simi by Augusto Zegarra
Other awards
- Desert Views Award: Beloved Tropic by Ana Endara
- Young Cineastes Award: Remaining Native by Paige Bethmann
Opening Gala Awards
The following awards were presented to honor the performance of actors, directors and producers during 2025 at Opening Gala on January 3, 2026.
- Vanguard Award: Hamnet (Chloé Zhao, Jessie Buckley, and Paul Mescal)
- Icon Award Actor: Michael B. Jordan, American actor, producer and director, for Sinners
- Icon Award Actress: Kate Hudson, American actress and singer-songwriter, for Song Sung Blue
- Chairman's Award: Adam Sandler, actor, comedian and filmmaker, for Jay Kelly
- Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another
- Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress: Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee
- Career Achievement Award: Ethan Hawke, American actor, author and film director, for Blue Moon
- International Star Award: The ensemble of Sentimental Value (Renate Reinsve, Stellan SkarsgÃÂ¥rd, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning)
- Visionary Award: Guillermo del Toro and cast (Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth) for Frankenstein
- Breakthrough Performance Award: Rose Byrne, Australian actress and executive producer, for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
- Spotlight Award: Timothée Chalamet, actor and producer, for Marty Supreme
- Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award: Miley Cyrus, American singer, songwriter and actress, for "Dream as One" (from ')
Creative Impact Awards
The following creative impact awards were presented by the Variety, an American trade magazine:
- Creative Impact in Acting Award: Dwayne Johnson, American actor and professional wrestler for The Smashing Machine
- Creative Impact in Breakthrough Performance Award: Teyana Taylor, American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director for One Battle After Another
- Creative Impact in Directing Award: Guillermo del Toro, Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist for Frankenstein
Variety's 10 Directors to Watch
This year's list has American-made and international directors consisting of following:
Notes
References
External links