Palm Springs, Calif. (May 15, 2024) – The Palm Springs International Film Society is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $25,000. This grant will support both the ongoing Palm Springs International Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest as they continue to serve venues in Palm Springs as well as the larger audiences of the Coachella Valley. In total, the NEA will award 1,135 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $37 million as part of its second round of fiscal year 2024 grants.

“Projects like the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.”

“It is a distinct honor to be a recipient of this year’s National Endowment for the Arts grant, which will be used to support both our flagship Palm Springs International Film Festival and upcoming Palm Springs International ShortFest,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi. “This last month, we personified this commitment through our Filmmaker in the Classroom workshop program, exposing youth in the Coachella Valley to an internationally renowned filmmaker. With these grant funds, we shall continue to foster that love for media arts in our education programs, as well as our ongoing presentation of the very best in domestic and world cinema to our community.”

Dedicated to captivating audiences across the desert landscape and nurturing emerging talents in the realm of media arts, this grant will provide vital support to both Festivals as they expose the community to the cinematic endeavors of U.S. and international artists. Examples in practice include events such as Student Screening Day at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which features screenings paired with panel discussions between esteemed filmmakers and local high school students from the Coachella Valley. Upcoming, too, the endowment will enhance events like the ShortFest Forum, where industry professionals engage in workshops, panels, and roundtable discussions. Topics covered include pitching, funding, film composition, short film strategy, and more, offering invaluable guidance to budding creatives and Festival attendees.

The 30th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest will take place on June 18-24, 2024. The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will also take place from January 2-13, 2025. For more information on both events, visit www.psfilmfest.org or call the festival headquarters at (760) 778-8979. To stay updated on all events with the Palm Springs International Film Society, follow @PSFilmFest on Instagram, @PSFilmFest on Twitter, and @PalmSpringsFilmFest on Facebook, 

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news and follow @NEAarts on Instagram and Twitter.

About the Palm Springs International Film Society  

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June. In addition tox curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards® and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons. For more on the Palm Springs International Film Society and its festival events, please visit https://www.psfilmfest.org. 

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Media Contact:

Steven Wilson

Scenario Communications

PSIFF@scenariopr.com