The 2026 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival is scheduled to begin Thursday night in Palm Springs, California, featuring a dozen rare restorations and 35mm prints. Programmer Alan K. Rode has curated hard-to-find titles like 'Slightly Scarlet' and 'Gunn' for the four-day event at the Historic Camelot Theatre. The lineup mixes classic noir with neo-noir, drawing film buffs to the desert city.
The festival, now in its 26th year and named after late crime writer Arthur Lyons, runs from Thursday, May 7, through Sunday, May 10, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center's Historic Camelot Theatre, located at 2300 E. Baristo Rd. Screenings include four films daily on Friday and Saturday, with premieres of Film Noir Foundation restorations such as 'Slightly Scarlet' (1956), the first widescreen Technicolor noir the foundation has restored. Rode described tracking down rights for the film as hunting a 'white whale,' involving partners like the Library of Congress and UCLA Film and Television Archive. Roundabout Entertainment handled the restoration work, and VP Vincent Pirozzi will discuss it post-screening Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Other highlights feature world premieres of digital restorations for 'Gunn' (1967), Blake Edwards' adaptation of his 'Peter Gunn' TV series, and 'Manhandled' (1949), starring Dorothy Lamour, Dan Duryea, and Sterling Hayden—neither available on streaming or Blu-ray. 35mm prints bring rarities like 'City Girl' (1938) and 'The Mob' (1951), while neo-noir 'Bonnie and Clyde' (1967) precedes a book signing with Kirk Ellis. Rode, in his 19th year programming, emphasizes fresh discoveries for loyal audiences, noting, 'I have hardly ever shown the same movie twice.' He invites TCM Classic Film Festival attendees to relax poolside between screenings, free of L.A. traffic. The festival closes Sunday with 'No Way Out' (1950), Sidney Poitier's debut and a powerful anti-racism statement directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
