What to know for the 2024 Palm Springs film festival: Poster design, SAG strike impacts
The Palm Springs International Film Festival may still be a few months away, but it's never too early to start getting ready for all the glitz and glam.
On Monday, the festival unveiled its 2024 poster ahead of the 12-day celebration taking place Jan. 4 through 15. Collaborating with renowned American artist and Palm Springs resident Shag, this year's design is inspired by mid-century modern aesthetics that honor the festival's 35th anniversary and iconic desert setting.
What inspired this year's festival poster?
Shag, whose real name is Josh Agle, is known for his retro-style artwork that depicts illustrated lavish scenes in mid-century modern environments. His artwork can be found at the Shag Store, located at 745 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.
This year's poster features people soaking up the sun under colorful umbrellas while donning their swankiest black and white outfits and sunglasses.
Commenting about the inspiration behind the poster, Shag said in a statement: "I was inspired by Palm Springs’ history as a sunny winter getaway for the Hollywood film industry and wanted to represent that with the colorful umbrellas that are ubiquitous to outdoor living in the city. Under those umbrellas I depicted the sort of glamorous and talented people that are attracted to the Palm Springs International Film Festival."
Lili Rodriguez, artistic director of the Palm Springs International Film Society, added: "For our 35th anniversary, we wanted to capture the perfect blend of Palm Springs charm and film culture. We think Shag's distinctive, fun style is a natural choice to bring these ideas together. His vision resonates with our Festival's celebration of storytelling, and we're thrilled to partner with him!"
The 2024 poster will be available for purchase on www.psfilmfest.org, the Shag Store and Destination PSP for $25.
When and where is the Palm Springs film festival?
The Palm Springs International Film Festival will return Jan. 4-15, 2024. Around 300 films from countries around the world are screened at the multi-day festival, including those submitted for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category for the Academy Awards. There's also a mix of American independent films and documentaries.
The Opening Night screening of the festival will be held on Friday, Jan. 5. In January 2023, Hollywood icons Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field hit the red carpet to celebrate the premiere of their comedy "80 For Brady" at the festival.
Closing Night will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, followed by two days of "Best of the Festival" screenings.
Tables, seats and passes for the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards and Festival are on sale at psfilmfest.org or by calling the box office at 760-778-8979.
How will the SAG-AFTRA strike affect the festival?
It's still to be determined how the ongoing actors' union SAG-AFTRA strike will impact the film festival, but it could potentially be a star-less event if negotiations do not resume.
Festival organizers said in a press release they will hold the annual star-studded black-tie Film Awards at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 4, 2024. The ceremony honors the year's brightest stars and films and features a red carpet and plenty of speeches. Last year's honorees included Academy Award winners Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Polley.
While the union is on strike, members cannot work for struck companies or promote their work via interviews, festivals, award shows or on social media. If the strike is still taking place in January — which could be a possibility given suspended contract negotiations between the union and studios — it could make for an actor-less ceremony. But directors, writers and other filmmakers could still attend.
The film festival also often attracts stars for Q&As — actors Colin Farrell, Fraser and Anna Kendrick all joined in on the fun this year — but those sessions could be limited in 2024.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Poster revealed for 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival
