palm springs shortfest 2022

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Filmmakers were busy during the pandemic, especially women, who account for nearly half of the entries at this month's Palm Springs International ShortFest.

Staff Report Arts & Entertainment, Current Digital

palm springs shortfest 2022

Amanda Seyfried stars in Skin & Bone, one of 300 short films screening in-person at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, June 21-27.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST

Films will return to the big screen when the 28th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest 2022 takes place June 21-27 at the Camelot Theatres (Palm Springs Cultural Center). The festival will screen 51 curated programs showcasing 300 films including 38 world premieres, 17 international premieres, 35 North American premieres and 18 U.S. premieres.

More than 5,800 short films from 134 countries were submitted. The complete line-up and schedule is available on the ShortFest website.

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Pauline Chalamet, sister to Timothy, leads the cast of Seasick.
“Despite the extraordinarily challenging times, short filmmakers have continued to produce some of the most entertaining, urgent and moving art today,” said interim ShortFest Directror Sudeep Sharma. “We are looking forward to helping create the connections and rare experiences only a film festival can make happen.”
Short films featuring celebrated film and TV actors include Eric Roberts in Appendage; Zachary Quinto in Chaperone; Peter Friedman in Daddy’s Girl; the voice of Brian Cox in Five Cents; Vicky Krieps in Frida; Adjoa Andoh and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn in The Last Days; the voice of Isabella Rossellini in Louis I. King of the Sheep; Stephen Fry in Night of the Living Dread; Charles Rogers in No Man’s Land; Roommates produced by Paul Feig; Pauline Chalamet in Seasick; Rose Byrne in Shark, directed by Nash Edgerton; Amanda Seyfried and Thomas Sadoski in Skin & Bone; Molly Ringwald in Spa Day; Sub Eleven Seconds executive produced by the late Virgil Abloah; Cailee Spaeny in Unlimited World; Zosia Mamet (also a producer) and David Hull in Whiling; and Yael Stone in You and Me Before and After.
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Zachary Quinto and Russell Khan have a tangled relationship in Chaperone.
Each year ShortFest reflects the evolving film industry and the world at large. As reported by the filmmakers themselves, 125 out of 300 films (nearly 42 percent) feature women directors, and 114 films (38 percent) have filmmakers who identify as non-white, attesting to the diversity of this year’s slate.

ShortFest 2022 welcomes 10 foreign countries exhibiting at least five films each – Australia (7), Belgium (8), Canada (20), France (23), Germany (16), India (7), Israel (5), Sweden (8), Switzerland (5) and the UK (12) – along with films from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar and Sudan. Especially of note this year are three Ukrainian shorts, all from women directors: The Diaper Cake (U.S. premiere), Jordan ‘96 (world premiere) and Operator Victoria (North American premiere).

Palm Springs International ShortFest 2022 is a bellwether for awards recognition, with two of this year’s Oscar winners screening at last year’s ShortFest – The Queen of Basketball (Best Documentary Short Subject) and The Long Goodbye (Best Live Action Short Film) – along with a half-dozen Oscar nominees across animated, documentary and live action categories: Affairs of the Art, BoxBallet, On My Way, Please Hold, Three Songs for Benazir and When We Were Bullies. Over the course of 27 years, the festival has presented over 100 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations.

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Jordan96 is one of three Ukraine films in ShortFest 2022.

Juried award winners will be announced June 26 from the official selection presenting them with awards and cash prizes worth $25,000 including five Academy Award qualifying awards. Best of the Fest shorts will screen on the final day, June 27. This year’s categories, which will have their own group of jury members, include:

Oscar Qualifying Awards: 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, Local Jury Award, Young Cineastes Award, Bridging the Borders Award, Vimeo Staff Pick Award

The ShortFest 2022 Forum will also take place June 22-26, with virtual classes and in-person panels, roundtables, and interactive events featuring industry representatives, filmmakers and additional guests. ShortFest Jury members and Forum programs and participants will be announced June 7.

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