“Iti Mapukpukaw” makes its international debut this week in Palm Springs
“Iti Makpupukaw (The Missing)” is one of the 179 films from 74 countries that will be screened at the festival. Image: Palm Springs International Film Festival website
LOS ANGELES – “Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing)” will make its international debut at Palm Springs International Film Festival, which will open this week with screenings, programs and awards.
The Philippines’ entry to the Best International Film Category of the 96th Academy Awards, which landed on Variety’s Oscars’ predictions, is one of the 179 films from 74 countries that will be screened at the festival.
Screenings are scheduled from Jan. 4 to Jan. 14 at the Palm Canyon Theater, Camelot Theatres, Regal Cinemas and Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, as well as the Mary Pickford is D’Place in Cathedral City.
“Iti Mapukpukaw” will have its first screening on Jan. 7 in Regal Cinemas at 8:30 p.m. It will be featured again on Jan. 13 in Mary Pickford is D’Place at 10:45 a.m.
The animated science fiction film written and directed by Carl Joseph Papa won Best Film at the Cinemalaya 2023 and the NETPAC award.
Carlo Aquino portrays Eric, an animator without a mouth prompted by his mother to visit his uncle, which leads to the return of an alien he encountered in childhood intent on taking him away from Earth.
Dolly de Leon, who plays Aquino’s mother, was named Best Supporting Actress at Cinemalaya.
“Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing)” will have its first screening on Jan. 7 in Regal Cinemas at 8:30 p.m. It will be featured again on Jan. 13 in Mary Pickford is D’Place at 10:45 a.m.
“The varied screenings at the 2024 edition will unite family entertainment, critical commentary, dramatic excellence and, most importantly, the community for cinematic conversation which meets every year in beautiful, sophisticated Palm Springs,” Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez said in a statement.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival will begin Jan. 4 with Film Awards at the Palm Springs Convention Center, according to festival officials.
The honorees are Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Gerwig, Jeffrey Wright, Carey Mulligan and Colman Domingo.
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell will receive the Chairman’s Award for their song “What Was I Made For?” featured in the movie “Barbie.”
“Sprawling in scope, this year’s lineup spotlights programming from both international and domestic communities, including first-time filmmaking from American stars, impactful documentaries from abroad, and the very best in contemporary cinema for our Coachella Valley audience,” Rodriguez said.
“The Palm Springs International Film Festival programming team committed the past year to searching and scavenging the world for the films which (comprise) this Festival’s lineup.”
The opening night for screenings will get underway Jan. 5 with a US premiere of the comedy mystery “Wicked Little Letters,” which Thea Sharock, the director, is expected to attend, according to a statement.
The screenings will close out Jan. 13 with the comedy “Ex-Husbands” and writer and director Noah Pritzker is expected to attend with the movie’s actors, Griffin Dunne and Miles Heizer.
On Jan. 15, juried awards for films in competition will be announced for seven categories.
The complete line-up of films can be found here.
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