{"id":783049,"date":"2026-01-02T10:46:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T18:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/?p=783049"},"modified":"2026-01-02T10:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T18:47:14","slug":"plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]

This is the fourth excerpt in a five-part series tracing the history of The Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs. The storied venue opened Dec. 12, 1931, with the world premiere of\u200a <\/i>Camille, starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. This month, we turn to the 1990 debut of the international film festival that ushered in a new era for the city. Click here to order your copy of <\/i><\/span>Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre<\/a>\u00a0by Catherine Graham and Jim Cook.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

It was d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu all over again. The Hollywood-style glamour of \u200athe 1936 premiere of Camille returned on opening night of the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Searchlights streaked across the Coachella Valley sky as a mariachi band performed in The Plaza Theatre courtyard, and a red carpet stretched from the curb to the lobby. A packed house erupted with enthusiasm as Mayor Sonny Bono welcomed everyone to the festival\u2019s first night on Jan. 10, 1990.<\/p>\n

Bono aimed to transform his brainchild into \u201cThe Cannes of the West\u201d \u2014 an important film marketplace and cultural event designed to revitalize Palm Springs\u2019 economy and artistic scene. He succeeded. Today, PSIFF is a fixture on the global festival circuit, a key event for Oscar campaigns and A-list talent.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/31001933\/1990-cc.jpg” title_text=”1990 cc” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”891ded8d-bfb6-4883-9783-3a50da9dba2e” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

The inaugural festival poster.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

It all started in 1986, when Sonny Bono was a restaurant owner in Palm Springs and was invited to chair the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee \u2014 a pro bono position intended to boost a declining downtown. He shared numerous ideas, but the film festival concept ignited his passion, and he pursued it with relentless determination.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSonny Bono saw an opportunity, and he took it,\u201d said Bruce Fessier, longtime entertainment writer for The Desert Sun<\/i> who served on the inaugural festival board. With Los Angeles lacking an international film festival \u2026 Bono saw a void to fill. \u201cHe was a very bright man,\u201d Fessier said. \u201cHe only sounded illiterate.\u201d Bono\u2019s love for foreign films, especially Italian cinema, drove his goal of positioning Palm Springs as a key player on the film festival circuit while promoting economic growth in his newly adopted hometown.<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

To fund the first festival, Bono organized a celebrity tennis tournament followed by a gala dinner at his restaurant. The event had the glitz and glamour associated with Hollywood, featuring Jim Messina of Loggins & Messina fame. The gala raised $10,000 in seed money for the festival.<\/span><\/p>\n

But first, Bono needed to renovate the theater. He had only seven months from Metropolitan\u2019s final screening in the auditorium before the <\/span>festival\u2019s opening in January 1990.<\/p>\n

The initial priority was removing the \u201ctwinning\u201d wall that divided the grand auditorium, then replacing seats, the screen, and the stage curtain while adding new projectors and a modern sound system. Guests arrived on opening night with the wall paint still tacky; some seats were installed only hours before the grand opening.<\/span><\/p>\n

The inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival ran for five days. \u2026 Appropriately, given Bono\u2019s love for all things Italian, the opening night film was Cinema Paradiso<\/i>, a cinematic valentine to old movies and film. It became Italy\u2019s entry for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards and won the Oscar.<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/31001927\/91-551-1990-Palm-Springs-International-Film-Festival-at-the-Plaza-Theatre-cc.jpg” title_text=”91-551-1990 Palm Springs International Film Festival at the Plaza Theatre cc” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”891ded8d-bfb6-4883-9783-3a50da9dba2e” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

<\/i>Opening night of \u200athe Palm Springs International Film Festival, Jan. 10, 1990.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

In honor of longtime Palm Springs resident Kirk Douglas, Spartacus<\/i> began the first day of events at The Plaza Theatre at 10 a.m., followed at 2 p.m. by Lust for Life <\/i>with Douglas as Vincent van Gogh. While The Plaza Theatre served as the festival\u2019s home base, films also screened at Camelot Theatres and Palm Springs Art Museum\u2019s Annenberg Theater. Though the inaugural festival \u2014 and subsequent ones \u2014 operated at a loss, it revitalized downtown Palm Springs and its restaurants, bars, and hotels, attracting an estimated 17,000 attendees and the attention of major film press outlets like Variety<\/i>, The Hollywood Reporte<\/i><\/span>r<\/i><\/span>, and\u200a Los Angeles Times<\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sonny Bono had successfully put Palm Springs and its festival on the film industry map.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next year, the festival expanded to feature 120 films and drew 40,000 attendees over five days. By its 36th year in January 2025, it had grown to an 11-day affair with events across the Coachella Valley. The addition of ShortFest each June solidified the festival\u2019s status as the largest short-film festival and <\/span>market in North America. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

get the book<\/h3>\n

Discover the full story in Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre<\/em>. Click to order your copy<\/a>.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu all over again. The Hollywood-style glamour of \u200athe 1936 premiere of Camille returned on opening night of the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Searchlights streaked across the Coachella Valley sky as a mariachi band performed in The Plaza Theatre courtyard, and a red carpet stretched from the curb to the lobby. A packed house erupted with enthusiasm as Mayor Sonny Bono welcomed everyone to the festival\u2019s first night on Jan. 10, 1990.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":782920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[495,549],"tags":[1778],"advertiser":[],"poi_city":[],"class_list":["post-783049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-history","tag-plaza-theatre"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An excerpt from "Desert Dream to Silver Screen" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An excerpt from "Desert Dream to Silver Screen" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Palm Springs Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/palmspringslifemagazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Site Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@palmspringslife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@palmspringslife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Site Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Site Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47117c644da9d15d3f77875b1a402fc\"},\"headline\":\"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\"},\"wordCount\":1203,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Plaza Theatre\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arts + Culture\",\"History\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\",\"name\":\"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"An excerpt from \\\"Desert Dream to Silver Screen\\\" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/\",\"name\":\"Palm Springs Life\",\"description\":\"Your Guide to Greater Palm Springs\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Palm Springs Life\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palm_springs_life_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palm_springs_life_logo.png\",\"width\":480,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"Palm Springs Life\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/palmspringslifemagazine\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/palmspringslife\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/palmspringslifemagazine\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/palm-springs-life\/posts\/?feedView=all\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47117c644da9d15d3f77875b1a402fc\",\"name\":\"Site Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Site Staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/author\/sitestaff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life","description":"An excerpt from \"Desert Dream to Silver Screen\" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life","og_description":"An excerpt from \"Desert Dream to Silver Screen\" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/","og_site_name":"Palm Springs Life","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/palmspringslifemagazine","article_published_time":"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Site Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@palmspringslife","twitter_site":"@palmspringslife","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Site Staff","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/"},"author":{"name":"Site Staff","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47117c644da9d15d3f77875b1a402fc"},"headline":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival","datePublished":"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/"},"wordCount":1203,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg","keywords":["Plaza Theatre"],"articleSection":["Arts + Culture","History"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/","url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/","name":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival - Palm Springs Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-02T18:46:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-02T18:47:14+00:00","description":"An excerpt from \"Desert Dream to Silver Screen\" recalls the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival at The Plaza Theatre.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.palmspringslife.com\/media\/2025\/12\/30001346\/147-0150-cc.jpg","width":1440,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/history\/plaza-theatre-book-highlights-inaugural-palm-springs-international-film-festival\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Plaza Theatre Book Highlights Inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/","name":"Palm Springs Life","description":"Your Guide to Greater Palm Springs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#organization","name":"Palm Springs Life","url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palm_springs_life_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/palm_springs_life_logo.png","width":480,"height":96,"caption":"Palm Springs Life"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/palmspringslifemagazine","https:\/\/x.com\/palmspringslife","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/palmspringslifemagazine","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/palm-springs-life\/posts\/?feedView=all"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47117c644da9d15d3f77875b1a402fc","name":"Site Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Site Staff"},"url":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/author\/sitestaff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783049"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":783199,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783049\/revisions\/783199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783049"},{"taxonomy":"advertiser","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/advertiser?post=783049"},{"taxonomy":"poi_city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palmspringslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/poi_city?post=783049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}