This is a great opportunity for me to present a dear friend of mine, Maria Clara Spinelli, actress of the award winning film Paulista (Quanto Dura Amor?, 2009) by director Roberto Moreira with Silvia Lourenco, Danni Carlos, and Paulo Vilhena. Maria is from a town called Assis in the interior of Brazil. In the film, however, she acts as the 'Paulista' native, Suzana. Maria has stunned audiences worldwide with her radiance and talent. Her honest and transparent nature communica...

by Marla LewinThis January marks the 21st anniversary year of the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Today Festival Director Darryl Macdonald announced the program and said, "Our film line-up this year is a strong reflection of the current zeitgeist in world cinema. Sixty-seven first-time feature film directors will screen this year, representing a surge of new filmmaking talent on the world stage. In addition, we'll showcase a vintage crop of new works by established master...