Palm Springs International Film Festival 2027 (Jan. 7–18): How to Get Tickets and Passes to the Oscar Race's First Stop

The 38th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) runs January 7–18, 2027, in Palm Springs, California, and it's open to anyone who buys a seat. No badge or industry job required. Festival passes are on sale now on the official pass site. The full lineup is announced December 1, and single tickets follow. For reference, a regular screening cost $20 ($18 for members) last year, and Family Day films were free.

Picture a January morning: a line of people in sunglasses outside a theater, the mountain glowing behind downtown, everyone waiting for a subtitled film from a country they've never visited. A few weeks later, some of them hear that same title read out on Oscar nominations morning and feel like they were in on a secret. That happens more than you'd think: according to KESQ, last January's festival screened all five eventual nominees for Best International Feature, and nearly all of its 2026 Film Awards honorees went on to earn Oscar nominations. The Film Society calls its Film Awards the first stop on the Academy Awards campaign trail, and the festival is built around the films countries submit for that international Oscar.

When and Where

The 2027 calendar, as announced by the Palm Springs International Film Society:

• Thursday, January 7: The Film Awards, presented by Kering, at the Palm Springs Convention Center (277 N. Avenida Caballeros). This is the gala, sold separately as seats and tables.
• Friday, January 8: Screenings begin, including Opening Night.
• Saturday, January 16: Family Day, with free family films at the Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City.
• Sunday, January 17: Closing Night.
• Monday, January 18: "Best of the Fest" screenings.

Screenings are spread across several venues. Last year's Opening Night film played at the Plaza Theatre, the Annenberg Theater and the Palm Springs Cultural Center at the same time, so expect to move around town rather than camp in one multiplex. For scale, the 2026 edition showed 168 films from 72 countries, including 44 Oscar submissions.

What It Costs

Single tickets get you into one screening each. They make sense if you plan to see a handful of films or want to try the festival first. Members who sign in before buying get member pricing. The 2027 prices weren't posted when we checked, but the 2026 program listed regular screenings at $20 ($18 for members), Opening Night with reception at $135, Closing Night with reception at $75, and Talking Pictures and Books to Screen conversations at $30–$45.

Festival passes cover regular screenings, Talking Pictures, panels and Family Day events, with no individual tickets needed, so you can decide day by day. The pass store lists tiers including a Student Pass, 5-day passes, the popular Platinum Pass and a premium Concierge Pass with reserved seating at every screening. One catch the festival is upfront about: each screening holds only a set number of pass seats, so a popular film can fill up for passholders.

How to Get In, Step by Step

1. Pick tickets or a pass. A weekend visitor seeing four films usually does fine with single tickets; anyone staying most of the 11 days should look at a pass.
2. Decide whether membership is worth it. Film Society members get early-bird box office access. Last year members could buy December 3–7, and general sales opened December 8. Higher membership levels also take 10–20% off a Platinum Pass.
3. Buy a pass now if you want one. Passes are on sale at the official PSIFF pass store on psfilmfest.org. Student Passes require a college ID at pickup.
4. Watch for the lineup on December 1. Mark your can't-miss films, including any Talking Pictures conversations.
5. Buy single tickets when sales open. Buy online at psfilmfest.org, call the box office at 760-778-8979, or buy in person. Last year the Ticket & Information Center was at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive.
6. Show up early. The festival asks you to arrive 30–45 minutes before showtime and be seated 15 minutes before it starts. Mobile, printed and box office tickets all work.

Why It's Better With a Crowd

Sentimental Value played here last January, and KESQ reports it took the FIPRESCI screenplay prize. Early on, Renate Reinsve's actress stands in the wings before a performance and can't breathe, and in a full house a room full of strangers stops breathing with her. Then comes the second gift of a festival audience: the shared delay. When something funny lands in a subtitled film, the laugh starts in the front rows and rolls back as people finish reading the line, until the whole room seems to get the joke together. You find out who else felt it on the walk out.

Good to Know

• The 15-minute rule is real. Fifteen minutes before showtime, the festival can sell empty seats to the standby line, and late ticket holders aren't guaranteed a seat. There's no late seating, but that same rule makes the standby line your best bet for a "sold-out" film.
• Lines start early. They form up to an hour before showtime, so plan meals rather than counting on gaps between films.
• Family Day is the bargain. On Saturday, January 16, family films at the Mary Pickford Theater are free (tickets at its box office that day), and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. there's face painting, games and food trucks at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater.
• The Film Awards are their own night. Last year's honorees included Michael B. Jordan for Sinners, Chloé Zhao for Hamnet and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, a good preview of the awards conversation.
• Questions? Email the box office at boxofficemgr@psfilmfest.org.

That line outside the theater, sunglasses on and the mountain going pink behind it, is where the festival really happens: strangers trading tips, and someone always swearing that a little film from far away is the one to catch. Before you go, revisit last year's honoree with our review of One Battle After Another, and on a rewatch, keep your eyes on the final car chase over the rolling hills, where the road keeps dropping out of sight.