The Palm Springs International ShortFest has selected 332 short films for its 2020 virtual event set to run June 16-22. Each film will be eligible for jury award consideration.
These films represent 69 countries and were selected from more than 6,000 submissions received this year. As previously announced, while ShortFest will not hold an in-person event, a number of the official selection films will be available to screen for free online from June 16-22. A list of screening films and the complete line-up is available at psfilmfest.org.
“Pivoting online has not been an easy decision for any organization to make, but we’re happy to bring ShortFest to an audience while keeping our patrons, staff and filmmakers safe,” says Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “We’ve had our filmmakers in mind through this entire process and are looking forward to sharing the stories and voices that so moved us.”
"We are thrilled to be able to mount ShortFest virtually during these challenging times,” adds ShortFest Directors of Programming Linton Melita and Sudeep Sharma. “Although it is a shame we cannot welcome audiences in person later this month, it is no small consolation to have the privilege to share the work of these incredible filmmakers in what we feel might be the best lineup the festival has ever had."
Juried award winners will be announced June 21 from the official selection presenting them with awards and cash prizes worth $25,000 including five Academy Award qualifying nods. Over the course of 24 years, the festival has presented over 100 films that have gone on to receive Academy Awards. This year’s categories, which will have their own group of jury members, include:
Oscar Qualifying Awards: Greater Palm Springs CVB Best of the Festival Award, Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes and Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under.
Student Short Awards: Best Student Animated Short, Best Student Documentary Short, Best Student International Short, Best Student U.S. Short
Special Jury Awards: Best International Short, Best U.S. Short, Best Comedy Short, Best LGBTQ+ Short, Best Midnight Short, GoE Bridging the Borders Award, Local Jury Award, Vimeo Staff Pick Award, Young Cineastes Award
The selection of short films feature celebrated film and TV actors include Melora Walters in Adeline, The Great; Danny Pudi in Coffee Shop Names; Will McCormack and Michael Govier direct If Anything Happens I Love You produced by Laura Dern; Mandy Moore in I Lost My Mother’s Ashes; Kevin Dunn in Josiah; Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat in The Letter Room; Rachel Dratch in Marcy Learns Something New; Maya Rudolph, Jay Ellis, and LaRoyce Hawkins in Thirsty; and Nicholas Braun in Victor in Paradise.
Rachel Dratch of Saturday Night Live fame stars in Marcy Learns Something New.
The ShortFest Forum will offer virtual classes and panels featuring industry representatives, filmmakers, and additional guests. This year’s panels will cover a wide range of topics including animation, budgeting, commercials, co-productions, documentary filmmaking, entertainment law, episodics, festival programming, festival strategy, financing, music, pitching, writing, as well as working with actors, agents, managers, press and publicists. A list of industry participants will be announced closer to the event.
ShortFest filmmakers will have priority access to the ShortFest Forum. Four of the panels will be available for the general public, with pre- registration required starting June 13.
The 2020 Palm Springs ShortFest Official Selection:
Animation
· Any Instant Whatever (UK), director Michelle Brand
· Applesauce (Austria), director Alexander Gratzer
· Beyond Noh (USA/Japan), director Patrick Smith (Documentary)
· Blackheads (USA), director Emily Ann Hoffman
· Blieschow (Germany), director Christoph Sarow
· Daughter (Czech Republic), director Daria Kashcheeva
Wade from India, directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi.
· The Edge (Switzerland), director Zaide Kutay, Géraldine Camissar
· Eli (USA), director Nate Milton
· The Fabric of You (UK), director: Josephine Lohoar Self
· Fantasmia (Germany), director: Luise Fiedler
· Flesh (Brazil) Director: Camila Kater (Documentary)
· Goldfish (USA), director Daniel Zvereff
· Grab My Hand: A Letter to My Dad (USA), director Camrus Johnson, Pedro Piccinini (Documentary)
· The Great Malaise (Canada), director Catherine Lepage
· Heatwave (UK/Greece), director Fokion Xenos
· Hibiscus Season (Canada), director Éléonore Goldberg
· A Hole (USA) Director: Molly Murphy
· Icebound (USA), director Drew Christie
· If Anything Happens I Love You (USA), director Will McCormack, Michael Govier
· Inside me (Germany), director Maria Trigo Teixeira (Documentary)
· Into the Flame (USA), director Sean McClintock
· Jesa (USA/South Korea), director Kyungwon Song (Documentary)
· Kapaemahu (USA), director: Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson
· La Traque (Switzerland) , director: Natacha Baud-Grasset
· The Last Day of Autumn (Switzerland/Belgium/France), director:Marjolaine Perreten
· Liliana (Slovenia), director Milanka Fabjančič
· Little Miss Fate (Switzerland), Director Joder von Rotz
· The Lost Wedding Ring (Germany), director Elisabeth Jakobi
· Meudon (USA), director Leah Dubuc
· Mizuko (USA/Japan), director Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo (Documentary)
· Pangu (USA/China), director Shaofu Zhang
· Per Aspera Ad Astra (France) Director: Franck Dion
· Pipe Dream (Australia), director Benoit McCullough
· Pulsión (Argentina/France), director Pedro Casavecchia
· Purpleboy (Portugal/Belgium/France), director Alexandre Siqueira
· Riga's Lilac (France/Latvia) Director: Lizete Upīte (Documentary)
· San (South Korea), director Jin Woo
· SH_T Happens (Czech Republic/Slovakia/France), Director Michaela Mihalyi, David Stumpf
· Souvenir (Spain), director Cristina Vilches Estella, Paloma Canonica
· Space Clouds (Canada), director Tally Abecassis (Documentary)
· Such a Beautiful Town (Poland), Director Marta Koch
· Symbiosis (France/Hungary), Director Nadja Andrasev
· Tadpole (France), director Jean-Claude Rozec
· There Were Four of Us (USA/China), director Cassie Shao
· Tiger and Ox (South Korea), director Seunghee Kim (Documentary)
· Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves (Estonia/Croatia/France), director Chintis Lundgren
· Umbilical (USA/China), director Danski Tang (Documentary)
· Wade (India) Director: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, Kalp Sanghvi
· Why Slugs Have No Legs (Switzerland), director Aline Höchli
· XYU (France), director Donato Sansone
· Yes-People (Iceland), director Gísli Darri Halldórsson
Documentary
· A Story Without You (Germany/Mexico), director Michael Nathansky
· All Cats Are Grey in the Dark (Switzerland), director Lasse Linder
· All That Perishes at the Edge of Land (Pakistan), director Hira Nabi
· Béton amer (Switzerland/Greece), director Chloé Simonin, Margot Lançon
· Call Center Blues (USA/Mexico), director Geeta Gandbhir
· Character (USA), director Vera Brunner-Sung
· Charlie's Lot (USA), director Thomas Carroll
· Colette (USA/France/Germany), director Anthony Giacchino
· Container (Greece/USA), director Daphne Maziariaki
· Dead Woman’s Pass (Peru/Qatar), director Lali Houghton
· Dear Joel (Greece/France), director Thanasis Trouboukis
· Eau Vive (Switzerland), director Lucia Martinez Garcia
· Egg Cup Requiem (New Zealand), director Prisca Bouchet, Nick Mayow
· The End of the Season (Poland), director Stanisław Cuske
· For Your Sake (Germany), director Ronja Hemm
· Gujiga (Germany/South Korea/Brazil), director Sunjha Kim
· Gun Killers (Canada), director Jason Young
· The Heart Still Hums (USA) , director Savanah Leaf, Taylor Russell
· Huntsville Station (USA), director Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone
· Hydebank (UK), director Ross McClean
· Kachalka (Ireland/Ukraine) Director: Gar O’Rourke
· Lanterns (Mexico), director Juan Pablo Hernández Valdez
· Lázaro (Mexico), director Mario González Jiménez
· Lions in the Corner (USA), director Paul Hairston
· The Lost Astronaut (USA), director Ben Proudfoot
· The Missfits (USA), director Ellie Wen
· Mr. Somebody (USA), director Brian Wertheim
· My Father the Mover (South Africa), director Julia Jansch
· My Own Landscapes (France), director Antoine Chapon
· No Crying at the Dinner Table (Canada), director Carol Nguyen
· Opera Glasses (Germany/Ukraine), director Mila Zhluktenko
· Shānzhài Screens (France/China), director Paul Heintz
· Silent Storm (Switzerland), director Anaïs Moog
· Stallions (USA/Palestine), director Elise Coker
· The Starr Sisters (USA), director Beth Einhorn, Bridey Elliott
· Status Pending (USA), director Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz
· Sundays at the Triple Nickel (USA), director Jess Colquhoun
· Take Me to Prom (Canada), director Andrew Moir
· To Calm the Pig Inside (Philippines), director Joanna Vasquez Arong
· Welcome Strangers (USA), director Dia Sokol Savage
Live Action
· {BLACK title here} (USA) Director: Sev DeMy
· 22:47 Linie 34 (Switzerland) Director: Michael Karrer
· 3 Generations 3 Days (Hong Kong) Director: Chu Hoi-ying
· 4622 Stillwater Circle (USA) Director: Kati Rehbeck
· 99¢ Dreams (USA) Director: Tasnim Boufelfel
· Adeline, The Great (USA) Director: Jessica Mendez Siqueiros
· The Adventures of Whit (USA) Director: Andrew Barchilon
3 Generations 3 Days from Hong Kong and directed by Chu Hoi-ying.
· Afloat (France), director Ève-Chems de Brouwer
· Air Conditioner in Panmunjeom (South Korea), director Lee Tae-hun
· Aline (France/Switzerland), director Simon Guélat
· All Inclusive (Finland), director Teemu Nikki
· Alma in the Herd (Switzerland), director Agnese Làposi
· Among the Almond Trees (Belgium/France), director Marie Le floc'h
· Arabian Alien (USA), director Meshal Aljaser
· Are You Hungry? (Finland), director Teemu Niukkanen
· The Audition (Austria), director Guy Lichtenstein
· Beautiful You (Germany), director Bernadette Kolonko
· Beauty Boys (France), director Florent Gouelou
· Beer! Beer! (Germany), director Popo Fan
· The Best Is Yet to Come (UK), director Abena Taylor-Smith
· Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Denmark), director Mads Koudal
· Bird of Paradise (France), director Mareike Engelhardt
· Birth Right (Israel), director Inbar Horesh
· Birthday Girl (UK), director Portia A. Buckley
· Biters (USA), director Matt Sherwood
· Bittu (India/USA), director Karishma Dev Dube
· Black Goat (Nepal/USA), director Tang Yi
· Blocks (USA), director Bridget Moloney
· Broken Bird (USA), director Rachel Harrison Gordon
· Busy Tuesday (Canada) Director: Roger Gariépy
· Bye Bye, Body (USA), director Charlotte Benbeniste
· Calladita (Spain/UK), director Miguel Faus
· Cayenne (Canada), director Simon Gionet
· Chemo Brain (Denmark), director Kristian Håskjold (Episodic Pilot)
· Chen Chen (Hong Kong/China), director Kargo Chen
· Christy (Ireland), director Brendan Canty
· Citric Acid (USA/Trinidad and Tobago/China), director Elenie Chung
· The Claw (USA), director Lael Rogers
· Cloudy Days (Taiwan), director Chuang Yung-hsiang
· Coffee Shop Names (USA), director Deepak Sethi
· Colors - Black Pumas (USA), director Kristian Mercado (Music Video)
· Community Gardens (Lithuania), director Vytautas Katkus
· Cooties (USA), director Kat Gueli
· Cosmic (Canada), director Meredith Hama-Brown
· The Couple Next Door (USA), director Abbesi Akhamie
· Crucifixion (Lithuania), director Danielius Minkevičius
· Cruz (Mexico), director Andrea Rosales
· Da Yie (Belgium/Ghana), director:Anthony Nti
· Darling (USA/Pakistan), director Saim Sadiq
· Day Release (Austria/Germany), director Martin Winter
· Day Trip (Sweden), director Theodor Solin
· Deseo (USA/Spain), director Chloe Wallace
· Deserter (Czech Republic/Ukraine), director Sasha Stelchenko
· The Devil's Harmony (UK), director Dylan Holmes Williams
· Ding-Dong (USA), director Suki-Rose
· Dirty (USA), director Matthew Puccini
· The Distance Between Us and the Sky (Greece/France), director Vasilis Kekatos
· Don Broco – Action (USA), director Benjamin Roberds (Music Video)
· The Dream (USA), director Ron Najor (Episodic Pilot)
· Dummy (Lithuania), director Laurynas Bareisa
· Educated (UK), director Tom Nicoll
· El remanso (Colombia), director Sebastián Valencia Muñoz
· Emergency Action Plan (USA), director Dylan Redford
· Every Thorn Has Its Day (Brazil), director:Tadeu Bijos
· Ex Disposer (USA), director Daniel Ferrer
· Exam (Iran), director Sonia K. Hadad
· Extinct Animals (Chile), director Lucas Quintara
· Fabiu (Austria), director Stefan Langthaler
· A Fallen Fruit (Cambodia), director Amit Dubey
· The Feeling (USA), director Bridey Elliott
· Figurant (France/Czech Republic), director Jan Vejnar
· Flick (USA), director Ariel Zengotita
· Flower Shadow Serenade (Singapore/Australia), director Lin Yuan Goh
· Foreign Powers (USA), director Bingham Bryant
· Former Cult Member Hears Music for the First Time (Norway/USA), director Kristoffer Borgli
· Fort Irwin (USA), director Quinn Else
· Fourteen Fractures (UK), director Richard Melkonian
· Friends Like That (USA), director Francesca de Fusco
· From the Top (USA), director Neal Mulani
· Funfair (Iran/Canada), director Kaveh Mazaheri
· Girl and Body (Australia), director Charlotte Mars
· Girl Callin’ (USA), director Tiffany Johnson
· Girl of the Wind (France), director Camille Walter
· Give Up the Ghost (Jordan/Germany/Sweden), director: Zain Duraie
· Gold Plated (Belgium), director Chloé Léonil
· Good Thanks, You? (UK), director Molly Manning Walker
· Goodbye Golovin (Canada/Ukraine), director Mathieu Grimard
· Growth (USA), director Allison Miller
· Grub (France), director Pierre Mazingarbe
· Hannahs (USA), director India Donaldson
· Happy Birthday, Great Grandma (Thailand), director Paphawee JInnasith
· Haute Cuisine (France), director Merryl Roche
· Heading South (China/USA), director Yuan Yuan
· Hell and Such (Spain), director Enrique Buleo
· Henet Ward (Egypt) Director: Morad Mostafa
· Home (USA), director Adewale Olukayode
· Home Sweet Home (Poland), director Agata Puszcz
· Homegoing (USA), director Carlton Daniel, Jr.
· Hoss (USA), director Ryan McGlade
· How to Say I Love You at Night (USA), director Andree Ljuticai
· Hungry Joe (UK), director Paul Holbrook, Sam Dawe
· I Am in the World as Free and Slender as a Deer on a Plain (Canada), director Sofia Banzhaf
· I Know Her (USA), director Fawzia Mirza
· I Lost My Mother’s Ashes (USA), director Caitlin Gerard
· I Love Your Guts (USA), director David Janove
· I'll End Up in Jail (Canada), director Alexandre Dostie
· Important Police Shit (USA), director Andrew T. Betzer
· In the Dark Park (Argentina), director Nicolás Schujman
· Infinite While It Lasts (Brazil), director Akira Kamiki
· The Inner Code (Spain), director Pau Subirós
· Instructions to Let Go (Mexico), director Gustavo Gamero
· It's Nothing (Canada/UK), director Anna Maguire
· Jacked (USA), director Ethan Nelson
· Jamie (UK), director Esmé Creed-Miles
· Jane (USA), director Kathryn Prescott
· Jay (Taiwan/USA), director Szu-Wei Chen
· Josiah (USA), director Kyle Laursen
· July 96 (Belgium), director Michèle Jacob
· Kama'aina (USA), director Kimi Howl Lee
· Kangaroo Court (USA), director Jason Begue
· Keep It Quiet (USA), director Yaya Simakov
· Kelly (UK/Netherlands), director Joseph Roberts
· Kindling (USA), director Xinyi Zhu
· Korea, My Love (France), director Yoonyoung Choi
· La Gloria (USA), director Mary Evangelista
· The Last Ferry from Grass Island (USA/Hong Kong), director Linhan Zhang
· Lazy Susan (USA), director Terri Timely
· Learn to Swim (Germany), director Gaya von Schwarze
· Lena (USA), director Gosha Shapiro
· The Letter Room (USA), director Elvira Lind
· Line Dry (USA), director Anna Baumgarten
· Little Chief (USA), director Erica Tremblay
· Little Con Lili (USA), director Gabriela Garcia Medina
· Loca (Spain), director Maria Salgado Gispert
· Majority (UK), director Tessa Hoffe
· The Manchador (Norway/Iran/Germany), director:Kaveh Tehrani
· Marcy Learns Something New (USA), director Julia Kennelly
· Mary Celeste (UK), director Harry Baker
· Más Bowls (USA), director Max Tullio
· Matriochkas (Belgium/France), director Bérangère Mc Neese
· The Midsummer's Voice (China/USA), director Yudi Zhang
· Missing (USA), director Alexander Hankoff
· Mizaru (India/USA), director Sudarshan Suresh
· A Mother (USA), director Natasha Ngaiza
· Motivated Seller (USA), director Chris Cascarano
· The Motorist (UK), director Ciaran Lyons
· Mthunzi (South Africa), director Tebogo Malebogo
· My Hero (USA), director Logan Jackson
· The Name of the Son (Argentina), director Martina Matzkin
· Nero (Switzerland), director Jan-David Bolt
· The Nights Alone (France) director Olivier Strauss
· Nightvisit (Germany) director Joana Vogdt
· Nina (Bulgaria) director Hristo Simeonov
· Normal Holidays (France) director Margot Bernard
· Nymph (USA/Cuba) director, Maria del Mar Rosario
· The Oceans Are the Real Continents (Italy/Cuba), director Tommaso Santambrogio
· Omé (Lebanon/Qatar) director Wassim Geagea
· Oracle (Canada), director Aaron Poole
· The Other Side of Night (USA), director Jaclyn Noel
· Pancakes (USA), director Kai Torres
· Parachute (USA), director Katherine Tolentino
· The Particles (Argentina), director Malena Vain
· Party Day (Portugal), director Sofia Bost
· Pharmacopeia (USA), director Tania Taiwo
· Poppy Flower (France/China), director Baer Xiao
· A Portrait of Frances, Enclosed (USA), director Katie Schiller, Jacob Levy
· The Present (Palestine), director Farah Nabulsi
· Pushing Mongo (USA), director Alex Phillips
· Query (USA), director Sophie Kargman
· Red Ants Bite (Switzerland/Georgia), director Elene Naveriani
· Regret (Canada), director Santiago Menghini
· Renchik (USA), director Andrew Theodore Balasia
· Rio (Russia/Finland), director Zhenia Kazankina
· Rouge (Greece), director Kostis Theodosopoulos
· Rubbed in Pink (Colombia/USA), director Kathy Esquenazi Mitrani
· Ruby (Portugal), director Mariana Gaivão
· The Rudeness of a German Lady (Croatia/Hungary), director Silva Ćapin
· Ruwatan (Indonesia), director Ernest Lesmana
· Second Team (USA), director Ria Pavia
· See You Soon (USA), director Tyler Rabinowitz
· Single (USA), director Ashley Eakin
· The Sleepwalkers (India), director Radhika Apte
· Sloan Hearts Neckface (USA), director Justin Fair
· The Smell of Coffee (Singapore), director Nishok Nishok
· So What if the Goats Die (France/Morocco), director Sofia Alaoui
· Sole Mio (France), director Maxime Roy
· Song of Clouds (Nepal), director Ankit Poudel
· Soukoon (Lebanon/USA), director Farah Shaer
· The Spark (France), director Elvire Munoz
· The Speech (USA/China), director Haohao Yan
· Starry Night (Ireland), director Emma Smith
· Stay Awake, Be Ready (Vietnam/South Korea/USA), director Pham Thien An
· Sticker (North Macedonia), director Georgi M. Unkovski
· Still Working (Switzerland), director Julietta Korbel
· Still Wylde (USA/Canada), director Ingrid Haas
· Stray Dogs Come Out at Night (Pakistan/UK), director Hamza Bangash
· Stuff (Netherlands), director Malu Janssen
· Swimmer (Sweden), director Jonatan Etzler
· T (USA), director Keisha Rae Witherspoon
· Tantrums (USA), director Zander Coté
· Tape (USA/Canada/Finland), director Jojo Erholtz
· Tapes (USA), director Dara Katz, Betsy Kenney
· Tattoo (Iran), director Farhad Delaram
· Tea Shop (Taiwan/USA), director Jessie Lee
· Tehrangeles (USA), director Saumene Mehrdady
· Tender Age (France), director Julien Gaspar-Oliveri
· These Streets Will Never Look the Same (Switzerland), director Léonard Vuilleumier
· They Salivate (France), director Ariane Boukerche
· Things Like (Austria/Hungary), director Kálmán Nagy
· Thirsty (USA), director Nicole Delaney
· The Tongues (Norway) Director: Marja Bål Nango, Ingir Bål
· Touch (Israel), director Nir Berger
· Triple Swear (Australia), director Dannika Horvat
· Undercut (USA), director Kelly Pike
· Unfinished Business (USA) Director: Mary Dauterman
· Union County (USA), director Adam Meeks
· Uprising! (USA), director: Ben Hansford
· Verisimilitude (UK), director David Proud
· Victor in Paradise (USA), director Brendan McHugh
· Viktor on the Moon (Denmark), director Christian Arhoff
· Virago (Estonia), director Kerli Kirch Schneider
· Visible (Norway), director Liv Mari Ulla Mortensen
· The Visit (Iran), director Azadeh Moussavi
· Volcano (Canada), director Karen Moore
· Waffle (USA), director Carlyn Hudson
· Wally Wenda (USA), director Diane Russo
· Wanted: Strong Woman (Canada), director Marilyn Cooke
· The Water Will Carry Us (China), director Shasha Huang
· Waters of March (USA), director Chase Johnson
· We Want Our Money Back (USA), director Ethan Mermelstein
· Wednesday (USA), director Daniel Willis
· What Did You Dream? (South Africa), director Karabo Lediga
· What We Were (Germany), director Hannah Martin, Melanie Waelde
· When Birds Fly Low (Netherlands), director Luca Meisters
· White Eye (Israel), director Tomer Shushan
· A Woman (Azerbaijan), director Tahmina Rafaella
· World (USA/Armenia), director Christine Haroutounian
· Worth (Switzerland), director Alejandra Jenni
· Young Mother (UK/Ireland) Director: John Robert Brown
· Your Monster (USA), director Caroline Lindy
· Zoe and Hanh (USA), director Kim Tran