Award Season Starts Here

How Palm Springs International Film Festival grew from an event positioned to drum up local business into a glamorous cultural juggernaut.

Bono: In those early years, [the idea] was to work with anybody who was willing to help Palm Springs. Anybody who would defy the naysayers or not be told by their agent or the studio you shouldn’t do this. The marquee names came along much, much, much later.

Scott Mauro, gala producer, 1994–2001: Sonny wanted to take the awards gala to the next level. They were honoring one person a year, like Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren. I wanted to make it more like the Kennedy Center Honors and celebrate all the aspects of film, so we went with a lifetime achievement award winner, a current celebrity who had a film that year, and a composer or costume designer to give it more diversity.

Pregnolato: What changed it was Jimmy Stewart [in the third year]. He was truly the first superstar Palm Springs gave an award to. His presence put that on the map.

Therese Hayes, programmer: The 1994 Sophia Loren tribute is the year that changed everything.

Mauro: I reached out to Susan Sarandon’s team because she had Dead Man Walking. I felt that was going to be part of an Oscar campaign. Sean Penn presented to her. Then I got John Travolta the year of Primary Colors, and we just kept on building on that.

Mauro: The big challenge we had was how does the show go on with that elephant in the room? And I said to Denis, “The first thing we do is you go on and talk about the tragedy we’ve all experienced, but Sonny would want the show to go on.” It took the onus off the audience, so they could still have a good time. Everyone took a breath, exhaled, and then the party started.