Former President/Executive Director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Craig Prater, will be coming to Idyllwild Arts to give a Masterclass. Craig began working with former Palm Springs Mayor and U.S. Congressman Sonny Bono as the executive director of the internationally renowned film festival in 1993. Founded in 1990, 33 years later the Palm Springs International Film Festival is ranked among the world’s best film festivals and a successful predictor of Academy Award honors. During his tenure as festival director from 1993-2000, Prater had worked with city officials and Walk of Stars founder, Gerard Frenzel, to secure placements of stars for a list of high-profile film stars including Sophia Loren, Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Roberto Benigni, Catherine Deneuve and James Earl Jones. Craig followed this by working with film festivals in Thailand, South Africa and Mexico, and upon his return to the US he enjoyed five years as the President/CEO of the Heartland Film Festival. One of his biggest achievements has been to oversee the founding of the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, which is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards in the Live Action, Documentary and Animation short film categories.
Learn more about Craig here.