Palm Springs fest hooks ‘Big Fish’

Tim Burton’s “Big Fish,” just nominated for four Golden Globes including best musical or comedy picture, will be the biggest fish at the 15th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney is the opening-night screening on Jan. 8, kicking off the 12-day festival of 200 films from more than 60 countries.

The film’s producer, Richard D. Zanuck, and composer, Danny Elfman, both will be honored with achievement awards during the festival’s awards gala on Jan. 11.

Among the films in competition are 52 of the 56 films also competing for best foreign-language film Academy Award nominations. Selections include “Osama” (Afghanistan), “Valentin” (Argentina), “The Barbarian Invasions” (Canada) and “Divine Intervention” (Palestine).

Other categories for films in competition are New Voices/New Visions for first-time filmmakers; IberoAmerican Currents for films from Latin America and Spain; Oscar Buzz documentaries, including “Capturing the Friedmans” and “The Fog of War”; and foreign-language animated features, including France’s “The Triplets of Belleville.”