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Palm Spring International Film Festival Announces 2025 Lineup – See you at the movies!

December 10, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced our 2025 lineup- including our Opening and Closing Night films and over 150 films! Screenings kick …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Araiana Grande With The Rising Star Award

December 4, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global star Ariana Grande is the recipient of the Rising Star …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Timothée Chalamet With The Chairman’s Award

December 3, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Timothée Chalamet is the recipient of the Chairman’s Award for his performance in Searchlight Pictures’ A …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Kieran Culkin With The Breakthrough Performance Award

November 20, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Kieran Culkin is the recipient of the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor for his performance in A …

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Palm Springs International Film Award To Honor Angelina Jolie With The Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress

November 18, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Angelina Jolie is the recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, for Pablo Larraín’s Maria. …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Nicole Kidman With The International Star Award

November 15, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Nicole Kidman is the recipient of the International Star Award for her performance in Babygirl. The …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Adrian Brody With The Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor

November 14, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Adrien Brody is the recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, for his performance in …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor The Film Conclave With The Ensemble Performance Award

November 13, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Conclave will receive the Ensemble Performance Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Awards. The …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Mikey Madison With The Breakthrough Performance Award

November 7, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Mikey Madison will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, for Anora. The Film Awards will take place …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards To Honor Colman Domingo With The Spotlight Award, Actor

November 4, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Oscar nominated actor Colman Domingo is the recipient of the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards to Present Emilia Pérez with the Vanguard Award

October 30, 2024 by Harold Matzner

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Emilia Pérez is the recipient of the Vanguard Award. The Vanguard Award is a group honor …

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Palm Springs Film Festival Expands into La Quinta for 2025

October 16, 2024October 2, 2024 by Harold Matzner
Cinemark Century La Quinta Theater

The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is returning to the desert January 2 through 13, 2025. This time, the festival is expanding into …

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Spencer’s Restaurant Honored in Palm Springs Life’s Best of the Best Competition

August 14, 2024 by Harold Matzner
Spencer's Restaurant Palm Springs

Palm Springs Life Magazine has named their Best of the Best 2024 and Spencer’s Restaurant has won multiple categories! Every Spring, the magazine invites the …

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Palm Springs International Film Awards Announces Silvercrest as New Presenting Sponsor

October 16, 2024July 31, 2024 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner at the Palm Springs Film Awards

The Palm Springs International Film Society has announced a new Presenting Sponsor for the Palm Springs Film Awards; Silvercrest! Silvercrest is a Palm Springs based …

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Harold Matzner Honors Retiring McCallum Theater Artistic Director Mitch Gershenfeld

October 16, 2024July 24, 2024 by Harold Matzner
Harold Matzner and Willie Nelson at the McCallum Theater

As Former Board Chairman, Harold Matzner extends his deepest gratitude and friendship to Mitch Gershenfeld for his 25 years at the McCallum Theater. Their collaboration …

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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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Recent Posts

  • The McCallum Theatre Announces Yvonne Bell as New CEO and Launches 2025-2026 Season Tickets June 13, 2025
  • Spring Philanthropy Round-Up June 11, 2025
  • Date Change: 2026 Palm Springs International Film Awards Moved To January 3 April 30, 2025
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