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Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards to Honor Colman Domingo with the Spotlight Award, Actor

December 4, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Colman Domingo, Photo Credit: Raul Romo

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Colman Domingo is the recipient of the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance in Rustin. The …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards to Honor Carey Mulligan with the International Star Award, Actress

December 1, 2023 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Carey Mulligan is the recipient of the International Star Award, Actress, for her performance in Bradley …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards to Honor Jeffrey Wright with the Career Achievement Award

November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Jeffrey Wright Honored with Career Achievement Award

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Jeffrey Wright is the recipient of the Career Achievement Award, for his performance in Cord Jefferson’s …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards to Honor Greta Gerwig with The Director of the Year Award

November 29, 2023November 28, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Greta Gerwig Honored with Director of the Year Award

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Greta Gerwig is the recipient of the Director of the Year Award for her critically acclaimed, …

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Harold Matzner Retires as Palm Springs Film Festival Chairman

April 4, 2023 by Harold Matzner

After 20 years of service, Harold Matzner has announced his retirement as the Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He is handing over …

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Save the Date for Palm Springs ShortFest 2023!

October 16, 2024April 4, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival

Save the date! Our exciting and fun-filled Palm Springs International Short Film Festival returnsJune 20-26, 2023.Passes are now on sale at https://psfilmfest.org/shortfest-2023.Upcoming Dates: June 1: …

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The McCallum Muses Celebrate 35 years and a Record-Breaking Fundraiser

March 31, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner and the McCallum Theater Muses

McCallum Chairman Harold Matzner would like to congratulate the Muses & Patroness Circle ofthe McCallum Theatre for a stellar 35 years! Happy Anniversary, Ladies! Over …

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The Palm Springs Film Festival Awards are early predictors of Oscar winners again in 2023

October 16, 2024March 21, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Michelle-Yeoh-Wore-Schiaparelli-Haute-Couture-To-The-Palm-Springs-International-Film-Awards2

The 2023 Awards Season started in Palm Springs and ended at the Oscars. Over the past few months, we have watched our 2023 awards recipients …

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Steven Spielberg, Bill Nighy Acknowledge Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner

February 27, 2023 by Harold Matzner
34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards – Backstage

The Palm Springs International Film Awards was a gala event to remember. Heralded by Deadline as “…a must-stop on the way to the [Oscars] in …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs international film fest

Join us at the 29th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

February 27, 2023February 25, 2023 by Harold Matzner
The Chase

As a Major Sponsor, Harold would like to invite you to the 29th annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards (“The Chase”) on March 25th. This is …

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Categories Blog Tags harold matzner, Palm Springs Convention Center, the chase

Spencer’s Restaurant Named Among OpenTable’s “100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America”

February 27, 2023February 23, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Spencer’s Restaurant Named Among OpenTable’s “100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America”

Spring is in the air, even if it’s been a bit rainier than our usual California sunshine. If you’re looking for the perfect date night …

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Categories Blog Tags harold matzner, palm springs

Art Show “Icons: Painting by Jim Egan” Features Harold Matzner and Other Desert Luminaries

February 2, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Jim Egan Painting

Jim Egan is not just a retired businessman and Coachella valley philanthropist–he is a celebrated painter with a new show at the Artists Center at …

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Categories Blog Tags artists center, coachella valley, harold matzner, jim egan, palm desert

Harold Wishes a Happy 35th Anniversary to the McCallum Theatre

January 30, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Theatre

This January, the McCallum Theatre celebrates 35 years. It opened on January 2nd, 1988.  Some trivia for you:  The very first night ever at the …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, McCallum Theater, palm springs

Harold’s Six Favorite 2023 Palm Springs Film Festival Moments

January 28, 2023January 27, 2023 by Harold Matzner
Harold’s Six Favorite 2023 Palm Springs Film Festival Moments

The 2023 Film Festival and Awards Gala felt extra special this year. After 2 years on hiatus due to the pandemic, you could feel the …

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Categories Blog Tags coachella valley, harold matzner, palm springs, palm springs film fest, palm springs international film fest, philanthropist, psiff

Join Harold at the Palm Springs Film Festival!

October 16, 2024December 30, 2022 by Harold Matzner
Join Harold at the Palm Springs Film Festival!

Passes and tickets are now available for the Palm Springs International Film Festival, starting on Friday, January 6th, 2023. As festival chairman, Harold Matzner hopes …

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Harold Matzner
Entrepreneur, humanitarian, and philanthropist, Harold Matzner, has made his home in the desert for more than 30 years. The owner of Palm Spring’s popular Spencer’s Restaurant and CEO of a NY/NJ based branding, advertising and marketing company, Harold is credited with revitalizing the Palm Springs International Film Festival and founding the successful business concept of targeted “shared mail”.
In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas in the courtroom of the United States Supreme Court. Harold was also honored with a special 24-standard page birthday section in the The Desert Sun and a two-part front page story in Palm Springs Life in the November and December editions. He was honored in November 2017 by the General Patton Memorial Museum with the dedication of the Matzner Tank Pavilion and three World War II operating tanks, and in the same month was honored by the McCallum Theatre for 10 years of service as Chairman and for being the first person to give the Theatre $5 million or more.
He also rescued and revived the world famous Palm Springs Tennis Club and turned its lunchroom into Spencer’s, one of the City’s hottest see-and-be-seen restaurants. Spencer’s is named after his beloved 110-pound Siberian husky. Mr. Matzner is in his 11th year as the Chairman of the Board of the McCallum Theatre, his 14th year as Chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and is the long-time Executive Vice Chairman of the Palm Springs Art Museum. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eisenhower Medical Center and Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. He also chairs several charity fundraising events each year.
He has received many awards from the charities that he supports. He has been honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the “Philanthropist of the Year”, and for the past six years he has served as Honorary Chair of the local National Philanthropy Day event. He has also been recognized by Gilda’s Club as the “Man of the Year”, by the McCallum Muses as “Man of the Year”, the City of Palm Springs with the “Richard M. Milanovich Community Service Award”, as “Angel of the Year” by Angel View Children’s Foundation, as “Businessperson of the Year” by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Waring “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Richard M. Milanovich Humanitarian Award” by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and by Desert Samaritan’s as “Samaritan of the Year”, and will be honored in May by the Coachella Valley Symphony, to name a few. Mr. Matzner has been a benefactor to many other non-profits, both here and on the East coast.
Mr. Matzner is one of the Palm Springs valley’s largest donors to philanthropy and has contributed more than $70 million to area non-profits since 2000. Among the many local charities benefiting from his philanthropic efforts are the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, AIDS Assistance Program, Desert Symphony, American Cancer Society, The Living Desert, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, Coachella Valley Symphony, General Patton Memorial Museum, ACT for MS, College of the Desert, Eisenhower Medical Center, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Cancer Foundation, Palm Springs Animal Shelter, Jewish Family Services of the Desert, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), StandWithUs, Neuro Vitality Center, Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre, Temple Isaiah, Bighorn BAM (Behind a Miracle), Tools for Tomorrow, Palm Springs Air Museum, Mizell Senior Center, Well in the Desert, FIND Food Bank, Pegasus Riding Academy, LGBTQ The Center, Equality California, and the Human Rights Campaign.
He is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J (a 1% sales tax increase that has helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program, while providing an additional surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure). He is a community activist. He earns no money from any of his activities in Palm Springs, including his restaurant, Spencer’s.
Mr. Matzner’s star is located at the foot of his friend Sonny Bono’s statue in the heart of Palm Springs.

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Harold Matzner

In 2017, the year of his 80th birthday, Harold was one of the eleven men and women selected nationally by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans as a member and inducted by Judge Clarence Thomas.

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  • A statement from the family of Harold Matzner September 10, 2025
  • Harold Matzner, Legendary Desert Philanthropist and Business Visionary, Dies at 88 in Palm Springs September 5, 2025
  • Spencer’s Restaurant Honored in Palm Springs Life’s Best of the Best Competition For The Third Year In A Row August 8, 2025
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