Palm Springs International ShortFest will showcase 333 films including 42 World Premieres, 32 International Premieres, 42 North American Premieres and 13 U.S. Premieres with films coming from 62 countries around the world. There are 55 curated programs, which will screen June 19-25, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center in Palm Springs. More than 5,300 of the 5,400 festival submissions will be available in the Film Market for industry attendees to view. The complete line-up is available at www.psfilmfest.org.
“We’re thrilled to be sharing this year’s lineup,” said ShortFest Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “With an increase in submission numbers, we knew we’d have our work cut out for us, but the programming team has narrowed down the selection to a wonderful collection that includes some of this year’s festival favorites as well as amazing new discoveries. We were so impressed by the quality of these stories and we can’t wait to pack into theatres and share them with our audience this summer.”
This year’s list of films include the following:
WORLD PREMIERES
- Are You Still Singing? (USA), Directed by: Gillian Barnes
- August Sun (UK), Directed by: Franco Volpi
- Babygirl (Australia), Directed by: Lara Gissing
- Bertie (UK), Directed by: Garry Crystal
- Broken Bunny (Canada), Directed by: Meredith Hama-Brown
- The Christmas Fish (Czech Republic), Directed by: Cole Stamm
- Cornflower (USA), Directed by: Sam Evoy
- Dead to the World (UK), Directed by: Freddie Hall
- Delivery (USA), Directed by: Joe Boothe
- Dima (UK), Directed by: Remi Itani
- Dulce (Colombia), Directed by: Guille Isa, Angello Faccini
- Fence (Kosovo), Directed by: Lendita Zeqiraj
- The Fish & the Sea (Canada), Directed by: Phillip Thomas
- Freaks of Nurture (Canada), Directed by: Alexandra Lemay
- Good People (USA), Directed by: Gregory Kohn
- How to Swim (Israel), Directed by: Noa Gusakov
- The Invader’s Song (UK), Directed by: Emma Swinton
- It’s a Match (USA), Directed by: Ron Najor
- Keep Coming Back! (Canada), Directed by: Brendan Brady
- Last Requests (USA), Directed by: Courtenay Johnson
- Library of God (Norway), Directed by: Stian Hafstad
- Mammoth (USA), Directed by: Ariel Heller
- The Master of York (UK), Directed by: Kieron Quirke
- The Mute (Vietnam), Directed by: An Pham
- My Ex-Girlfriend Is a Shovel (USA), Directed by: Dezi Gallegos
- Nettles (USA), Directed by: Raven Jackson
- Open Wide (UK), Directed by: Behnam Taheri, Gideon Beresford
- Perisher (Australia), Directed by: Gabriel Hutchings
- Pink Lemonade (USA), Directed by: Christian Sprenger
- A Place to Stay (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger
- Prey (USA), Directed by: Bill Whirity
- Provence (Belgium), Directed by: Kato De Boeck
- Punta Cana (USA), Directed by: Andree Ljutica
- Release (China), Directed by: Henry Liu
- Shooter (Australia), Directed by: Andrew Carbone
- Talent Night at Auschwitz: Bunk Five (USA), Directed by: Max Rifkind-Barron
- Tomorrow the Sun (Switzerland), Directed by: Quentin Tomshire
- Two Puddles (UK), Directed by: Timothy Keeling
- The Villa (France), Directed by: Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud
- Wait for Laugh (USA), Directed by: Patrick Franklin
- Yellow Line (France), Directed by: Simon Rouby
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES
- The Artist Has a Baby (Sweden), Directed by: Sanna Lenken
- Bailaora (Spain), Directed by: Rubin Stein
- Black Lips (Australia), Directed by: Adrian Chiarella
- Denmark (France), Directed by: Max Mauroux
- Dieter Not Unhappy (Germany), Directed by: Christian Schäfer
- Eloise (Sweden), Directed by: Johan Rosell
- Emma and the Fury (Germany), Directed by: Elisa Mishto
- Falling (France), Directed by: Benjamin Vu
- Fitting (Australia), Directed by: Emily Avila
- Flightmode (Norway), Directed by: Liv Mari Mortensen
- In the Arms of the Sea (Russian Federation), Directed by: Dmitry Moiseev
- Kevlar (Sweden), Directed by: Tuna Özer
- Let’s See How Fast This Baby Will Go (Australia), Directed by: Julietta Boscolo
- Mamartuile (Mexico), Directed by: Alejandro Saevich
- Melodi (Singapore), Directed by: Michael Kam
- Mobile (Norway), Directed by: Truls Krane Meby
- Mother & Baby (Ireland), Directed by: Mia Mullarkey
- Mwah (Australia), Directed by: Nina Buxton
- Once Upon a Time My Prince Will Come (France), Directed by: Lola Naymark
- Prince’s Tale (Canada), Directed by: Jamie Miller
- Pure Bodies (Belgium), Directed by: Bérangère Mc Neese, Guillaume de Ginestel
- Raymonde or The Vertical Escape (France), Directed by: Sarah Van Den Boom
- Red Ink (Australia), Directed by: Alex Ryan
- Satán (Switzerland), Directed by: Carlos Tapia González
- The School Nurse (Sweden), Directed by: Anna Brodin, Frida Sandberg
- Suck It Up (France), Directed by: Jan Sitta
- Sump (UK), Directed by: Mike Wozniak
- Trois Pages (Canada), Directed by: Roger Gariépy
- Verde (Colombia), Directed by: Victoria Rivera
- Waiting Room (Netherlands), Directed by: Simone van Dusseldorp
- Well Done (Israel), Directed by: Aryeh Hasfari, Omer Ben Simon
- A Worthy Man (Denmark), Directed by: Kristian Håskjold
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES
- An Act of Love (Australia), Directed by: Lucy Knox
- Adam & Esra (Austria), Directed by: Achmed Abdel-Salam
- After/Life (USA), Directed by: Puck Lo
- Benidorm (France), Directed by: Raphaëlle Tinland
- Bilby (USA), Directed by: Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans
- Bogdan and Rose (Poland), Directed by: Milena Dutkowska
- Bog Hole (Norway), Directed by: Torfinn Iversen
- Bordalo II: A Life of Waste (Ireland), Directed by: Trevor Whelan, Rua Meegan
- Chuchotage (Hungary), Directed by: Barnabás Tóth
- From Above (Austria), Directed by: Felix Krisai
- Graduation`97 (Ukraine), Directed by: Pavlo Ostrikov
- Happy Today (France), Directed by: Giulio Tonincelli
- Hash Key (France), Directed by: Erwan Alépée
- The Hitchhiker (France), Directed by: Julien Decoin
- The Hooligan Soul (Brazil), Directed by: Marco Antonio Pereira
- Imfura (Switzerland), Directed by: Samuel Ishimwe
- Imperial Valley (cultivated run-off) (Austria), Directed by: Lukas Marxt
- Kiem Holijanda (Netherlands), Directed by: Sarah Veltmeyer
- Lobster Dinner (Italy), Directed by: Gregorio Franchetti
- Manicure (Iran, Islamic Republic of), Directed by: Arman Fayaz
- Molt (Sweden), Directed by: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
- The Moonshiners (Finland), Directed by: Juho Kuosmanen
- My Best Friend’s Shoes (India), Directed by: Ajitpal Singh Dhaliwal
- A Mythology of Pleasure (Germany), Directed by: Lara Rodríguez Cruz, Jule Katinka Cramer
- Nose Nose Nose Eyes! (South Korea), Directed by: Jiwon Moon
- Obon (Germany), Directed by: Andre Hörmann, Samo
- Paper Crane (Australia), Directed by: Takumi Kawakami
- Primo (Italy), Directed by: Federica Gianni
- Rå (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Bösch
- Roujoula (France), Directed by: Ilias El Faris
- Seascape (Belgium), Directed by: Leni Huyghe
- Spacedogs (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Schönborn
- Stopover (Switzerland), Directed by: Cosima Frei
- A Sweet Story (Germany), Directed by: Moritz Biene
- Thick Skin (Iceland), Directed by: Erlendur Sveinsson
- Three Room (South Korea), Directed by: Na-yeon Lee
- The Ties that Bind (France), Directed by: Yann Chemin
- Virgencita (USA), Directed by: Giselle Bonilla
- Wildebeast (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Keppens, Matthias Phlips
- Wild Game (Estonia), Directed by: Jerónimo Sarmiento
- Yaman (India), Directed by: Raghuvir Joshi
- The Young Patissier (Germany), Directed by: Ksenia Ciuvaseva
US PREMIERES
- After Dawn (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Graux
- The Handover (Germany), Directed by: Leonhard Hofmann
- Haunted (Denmark), Directed by: Christian Einshøj
- The Last Refugees (USA), Directed by: Tanaz Eshaghian
- Last Summer (Japan), Directed by: Asuka Sylvie
- Lira’s Forest (Canada), Directed by: Connor Jessup
- Midnight Confession (USA), Directed by: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos
- (OO) (Korea, Republic of), Directed by: Oh Seo-ro
- Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Directed by: Justin Stoneham
- Rien Ne Va Plus! (Germany), Directed by: Sophie Linnenbaum
- Room (Poland), Directed by: Michał Socha
- Tungrus (India), Directed by: Rishi Chandna
- Waiting (New Zealand), Directed by: Amberley Jo Aumua
REST OF PROGRAM
- #barewithme (Finland), Directed by: Ulla Heikkilä
- Abnie Oberfork: A Tale of Self-Preservation (USA), Directed by: Shannon Fleming
- Achoo (France), Directed by: Lucas Boutrot, Elise Carret, Maoris Creantor, Pierre Hubert, Camille Lacroix, Charlotte Perroux
- Acide (France), Directed by: Just Philippot
- Allen Anders – Live At The Comedy Castle (Circa 1987) (USA), Directed by: Laura Moss
- All that Remains (Belgium), Directed by: Anne-Lise Morin
- All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil
- And Still We Will Walk On (France), Directed by: Jonathan Millet
- AniMal (Iran), Directed by: Bahram Ark, Bahman Ark
- Asian Girls (Australia), Directed by: Hyun Lee
- Atelier (Denmark), Directed by: Elsa María Jakobsdóttir
- Australia (Spain), Directed by: Lino Escalera
- Ayesha (India), Directed by: Yanyu Dong
- The Beaning (USA), Directed by: Sean McCoy
- Beneath the Ink (USA), Directed by: Cy Dodson
- The Big Day (UK), Directed by: Dawn Shadforth
- Bird Karma (USA), Directed by: Willian Salazar
- Birth Control Your Own Adventure (USA), Directed by: Sindha Agha
- Black 14 (USA), Directed by: Darius Clark Monroe
- Blackjack (Switzerland), Directed by: Lora Mure-Ravaud
- Black Line (Switzerland), Directed by: Mark Olexa , Francesca Scalisi
- Blind Mice (USA), Directed by: Nicholas D’Agostino
- Bonboné (Palestine), Directed by: Rakan Mayasi
- Bonobo (Switzerland), Directed by: Zoel Aeschbacher
- Botanica (Netherlands), Directed by: Noël Loozen
- Boundaries (USA), Directed by: Rhys Marc Jones
- The Box (Slovenia), Directed by: Dušan Kastelic
- Career Day (USA), Directed by: Ashley Deckman
- Careful How You Go (USA), Directed by: Emerald Fennell
- The Caregiver (Israel), Directed by: Ruthy Pribar
- Caroline (USA), Directed by: Logan George, Celine Held
- Catastrophe (Netherlands), Directed by: Jamille van Wijngaarden
- Cat Days (Germany), Directed by: Jon Frickey
- The Climb (USA), Directed by: Michael Covino
- Counterfeit Kunkoo (India), Directed by: Reema Sengupta
- Coyote (Switzerland), Directed by: Lorenz Wunderle
- A Craftsman (USA), Directed by: Sanford Jenkins
- Crisanto Street (USA), Directed by: Paloma Martinez
- Cross My Heart (USA), Directed by: Sontenish Myers
- Dancing Girls (Turkey), Directed by: Zeynep Köprülü
- Dario (Germany), Directed by: Manuel Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil
- The Day That (USA), Directed by: Dorian Tocker
- Death Metal Grandma (USA), Directed by: Leah Galant
- Death of the Sound Man (Thailand), Directed by: Sorayos Prapapan
- The Disinherited (Spain), Directed by: Laura Ferrés
- The Door (Finland), Directed by: Jenni Toivoniemi
- Down Escalation (Japan), Directed by: Shunsaku Hayashi
- Dressed for Pleasure (Switzerland), Directed by: Marie De Maricourt
- The Driver Is Red (USA), Directed by: Randall Christopher
- Earthly People (Hungary), Directed by: Ádám Freund
- Emergency (USA), Directed by: Carey Williams
- End of the Line (USA), Directed by: Jessica Sanders
- Été (UK), Directed by: Gregory Oke
- Evaporated (Mexico), Directed by: Jimena Muhlia
- Eve (USA), Directed by: Susan Bay Nimoy
- Everlasting Mom (Israel), Directed by: Elinor Nechemya
- Every Ghost Has an Orchestra (USA), Directed by: Shayna Connelly
- Excuse Me, I’m Looking for The Ping-Pong Room and My Girlfriend (Austria), Directed by: Bernhard Wenger
- Eye Contact (Australia), Directed by: Stuart Mannion
- A Farewell (China), Directed by: Yifei He
- Fauve (Canada), Directed by: Jérémy Comte
- Feedback (France), Directed by: Margot Gallimard
- Femme (USA), Directed by: Alden Peters
- The Fix (USA), Directed by: Edward Jack
- Fran this Summer (USA), Directed by: Mary Evangelista
- Fundamental (Taiwan), Directed by: Shih-chieh Chiu
- Funny Fish (France), Directed by: Krishna Chandran A. Nair
- Garage at Night (Canada), Directed by: Daniel Daigle
- Gaze (Iran), Directed by: Farnoosh Samadi
- A Gentle Night (China), Directed by: Qiu Yang
- Go Tell Your Fathers (USA), Directed by: Chloe Sarbib, Amy Taylor Rosenblum
- Gustav (Ireland), Directed by: Ken Williams, Denis Fitzpatrick
- Hair Wolf (USA), Directed by: Mariama Diallo
- The Heights (USA), Directed by: Ryan Booth
- Homegrown (UK), Directed by: Quentin Haberham
- How Tommy Lemenchick Became a Grade 7 Legend (Canada), Directed by: Bastien Alexandre
- Hula Girl (USA), Directed by: Amy Hill, Chris Riess
- Hunter (USA), Directed by: Hilary Bell
- I Have a Message for You (Italy), Directed by: Matan Rochlitz
- I Have Something to Tell You (USA), Directed by: Ben Joyner, Dumaine Babcock
- I’m Cold Meat (France), Directed by: Romain Laguna
- Intercourse (Sweden), Directed by: Jonatan Etzler
- Islands (France), Directed by: Yann Gonzalez
- I Will Not Write Unless I Am Swaddled in Furs (New Zealand), Directed by: Wade Shotter
- JEOM (South Korea), Directed by: Kangmin Kim
- Jiejie (USA), Directed by: Feng-I Fiona Roan
- JUCK [THRUST] (Sweden), Directed by: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira
- Kapitalistis (France), Directed by: Pablo Munoz Gomez
- Kerloster (France), Directed by: Ombeline de la Gournerie
- Khol (Open) (USA), Directed by: Faroukh Virani
- Kimchi (USA), Directed by: Jackson Segars
- Kira Burning (USA), Directed by: Laurel Parmet
- Kleptomami (Germany), Directed by: Pola Beck
- Krista (USA), Directed by: Danny Madden
- Layam (Israel), Directed by: Assaf Machnes
- Let Me Dance (France), Directed by: Valérie Leroy
- The Life of Esteban (Belgium), Directed by: Inès Eshun
- Liquor Store Babies (USA), Directed by: So Yun Um
- Little Fiel (USA), Directed by: Irina Patkanian
- Lonesome Willcox (USA), Directed by: Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright
- Long Distance Relationship (Brazil), Directed by: Carolina Markowicz
- Lost Property Office (Australia), Directed by: Daniel Agdag
- The Love Letter (Israel), Directed by: Atara Frish
- Lunch Ladies (USA), Directed by: J.M. Logan
- Ma (USA), Directed by: Millicent Cho
- Magic Alps (Italy), Directed by: Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi
- March Fool (Canada), Directed by: Pierre-Marc Drouin, Simon Lamarre-Ledoux
- Margaret and the Moon (USA), Directed by: Trevor Morgan
- Mariela (Argentina), Directed by: Victoria Romero
- Matria (Spain), Directed by: Álvaro Gago
- Maude (USA), Directed by: Anna Margaret Hollyman
- Maybe It’s Me (UK), Directed by: Dimitris Simou
- Men Don’t Whisper (USA), Directed by: Jordan Firstman
- Merry-Go-Round (Russia), Directed by: Ruslan Bratov
- Milk (Canada), Directed by: Heather Young
- Milk and Cookies (USA), Directed by: Patrick Mulvey, Andrew Ramsay
- Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy), Directed by: Adriano Valerio
- The Motion of Stars (Austria), Directed by: Jan Prazak
- The Mud (USA), Directed by: Brandon Lake
- The Music Lesson (USA), Directed by: Adam R. Brown, Kyle I. Kelley
- My Paintbrush Bites (USA), Directed by: Joel Pincosy, Joe Egender
- Negative Space (France), Directed by: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
- Nevada (USA), Directed by: Emily Ann Hoffman
- No Jail Time: The Movie (USA), Directed by: Lance Oppenheim
- Nothing Important (UK), Directed by: Tara FitzGerald
- Nursery Rhymes (Australia), Directed by: Tom Noakes
- Observatory Blues (USA), Directed by: Eric Paschal Johnson, Conor Dooley
- Offstage (Romania), Directed by: Andrei Huțuleac
- One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure (USA), Directed by: A.M. Lukas
- One Small Step (USA), Directed by: Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth
- Open Your Eyes (Israel), Directed by: Ilay Mevorah
- The Overcoat (UK), Directed by: Patrick Myles
- Palenque (Colombia), Directed by: Sebastián Pinzón Silva
- Pan (Germany), Directed by: Anna Roller
- The Passage (USA), Directed by: Kitao Sakurai
- Perfect Town (Switzerland), Directed by: Anaïs Voirol
- Pet Friendly (USA), Directed by: Catherine Licata
- Phototaxis (USA), Directed by: Melissa Ferrari
- Pink Trailer (USA), Directed by: Mary Neely
- Plastic Girls (South Korea), Directed by: Nils Clauss
- Premonition (Chile), Directed by: Leticia Akel Escarate
- The President’s Visit (Lebanon), Directed by: Cyril Aris
- Propagation (USA), Directed by: Will Joines, Karrie Crouse
- Quiet Hours (USA), Directed by: Paul Szynol
- Rae (Canada), Directed by: Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs
- Rebuilding in Miniature (Tukey), Directed by: Veena Rao
- Roadside Attraction (USA), Directed by: Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas
- Room 140 (USA), Directed by: Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz
- Rupture (Canada), Directed by: Yassmina Karajah
- Saltwater Baptism (USA), Directed by: Jared Callahan, Russell Sheaffer
- Salvation (Iceland), Directed by: Thora Hilmarsdottir
- Sam Did It (USA), Directed by: Dominic Burgess
- Sauna (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger
- Scaffold (Canada), Directed by: Kazik Radwanski
- The Sermon (UK), Directed by: Dean Puckett
- Serving Joy (Australia), Directed by: Martin Sharpe
- Set Me as a Seal Upon Thine Heart (Israel), Directed by: Omer Tobi
- Shadow Animals (Sweden), Directed by: Jerry Carlsson
- Sherbert Rozencrantz, You’re Beautiful (Australia), Directed by: Natalie van den Dungen
- The Shift (USA), Directed by: Elivia Shaw, Paloma Martinez
- The Shuttle (USA), Directed by: Lu Han
- Signature (Japan), Directed by: Kei Chikaura
- Silence Please (Spain), Directed by: Carlos Villafaina
- Silica (Australia), Directed by: Pia Borg
- Sin Cielo (USA), Directed by: Jianna Maarten
- Sleepover (Sweden), Directed by: Jimi Vall Peterson
- Souls of Totality (USA), Directed by: Richard Raymond
- Spacesavers (USA), Directed by: Sarah Ginsburg
- Still Water Runs Deep (USA), Directed by: Abbesi Akhamie
- Stray (USA), Directed by: Andrew Boylan
- Subterra (USA), Directed by: Joel Villegas
- Suitable (USA), Directed by: Thembi Banks
- Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time: Episode 1 (USA), Directed by: Peter Gulsvig
- Tangles and Knots (Australia), Directed by: Renée Marie Petropoulos
- Teddy (UK), Directed by: Christopher Sweeney
- The Tesla World Light (Canada), Directed by: Matthew Rankin
- Three August Days (Estonia), Directed by: Madli Lääne
- Three Boys Manzanar (USA), Directed by: Preeti Mankar Deb
- Trapeze, U.S.A. (USA), Directed by: Mark Anthony Green
- Troll (USA), Directed by: Anu Valia
- Tweener (Sweden), Directed by: Julia Thelin
- Two Medusas (USA), Directed by: Scott Hamilton Kennedy
- Under Mom’s Skirt (France), Directed by: Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix
- Undiscovered (USA), Directed by: Sara Litzenberger
- Unearthed (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil, Zulfiya Hamzaki
- Unfinished, 2017 (Mixed media) (USA), Directed by: Rafael Salazar Moreno
- Unravel (Canada), Directed by: Evan Luchkow
- Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Directed by: Nicholas Colia
- Ur Dead To Me (New Zealand), Directed by: Yonoko Li
- The Velvet Underground Played at My High School (USA), Directed by: Anthony Jannelli, Robert Pietri
- A View from the Window (USA), Directed by: Azar Kafaei, Chris Filippone
- Wave (Ireland), Directed by: Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton
- We Are the Freak Show (Canada), Directed by: Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien
- Weekends (USA), Directed by: Trevor Jimenez
- We Forgot to Break Up (Canada), Directed by: Chandler Levack
- Welcome Home (Norway), Directed by: Armita Keyani
- Wendy’s Shabbat (USA), Directed by: Rachel Myers
- We Summoned a Demon (USA), Directed by: Chris McInroy
- While I Yet Live (USA), Directed by: Maris Curran
- Wicked Girl (Turkey), Directed by: Ayçe Kartal
- Wild Beasts (Norway), Directed by: Sverre Kvamme
- With Thelma (Belgium), Directed by: Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni
- Would You Look at Her (Macedonia), Directed by: Goran Stolevski
- Wyrm (USA), Directed by: Christopher Winterbauer
- Zion (USA), Directed by: Floyd Russ
ShortFest jurors include Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo). Over $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 21 categories to this year’s short films in competition. First place winners in five categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®) for a possible Academy Award® nomination. Over the course of 23 years, the Festival has presented 101 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations. Winners will be announced at a brunch on Sunday, June 24.
In addition to ShortFest’s award-winning short films, each year the Festival also welcomes a long guest list of filmmakers and industry attendees for the ShortFest Forums of panels and roundtables. Other prominent industry figures from AMPAS®, Anonymous Content, APA Agency, Breakwater Studios, CAA, Cartoon Network, FX Networks, ICM Partners, JuVee Productions, NBC Universal, The Orchard, Seed & Spark, Super Deluxe, Vimeo and other organizations will participate in three days of ShortFest Forums covering a wide range of emerging trends and new practices in the global film community.
THURSDAY JUNE 21
10:30AM – Roundtable #1: Production Ins and Outs – 60 minutes
Indie to studio and everything in between! This “reverse” roundtable will have creative executives, producers and on-set gurus answering your questions about all things production from acquiring crew to webisode production.
Participants: Caleb Ward, The Orchard; Barbara Crawford, FX Networks; Varun Bhargava, APA Agency; Katie Krentz, CBS TV Studios; Mia Di Pasquale, Super Deluxe; Jeff Roe, Outlaw Laboratories
12:00PM – Class: How To Pitch Like a Pro #1- 60 minutes
We know you have another idea or script you’re ready to pitch – feature, episodic, VR or short form, all are welcome! Our industry guests will show you the ropes to a successful pitch, and share stories on the do’s and don’ts. They will share some insight and then break in to groups to workshop some of your pitches.
Participants: Peter Trinh, ICM Partners; Mia Di Pasquale, Super Deluxe; Katie Krentz, CBS TV Studios
1:30PM – Interactive: Funding a Filmmaking Career – 60 minutes
The industry is a business – but it is a business full of creation and collaboration. From the time a project is greenlit in your head or in a creative executive’s office, the planning begins. One of the most important aspects of planning is budget and management – the business. Making every dollar count on a production is an art in itself! It pays to know how to move dollars around to make the most of your total budget, human capital included. Producers and filmmakers share inside knowledge and tricks of the trade to get your budget to “that’s a wrap.”
Participant: Ben Proudfoot, Breakwater Studios
3:30PM – Panel: The International Landscape – 60 minutes
We’ll take a quick tour to major festivals around the world! Our global festival programmers will give an international bird’s eye view of opportunities abroad to showcase your film. Considering major festivals outside the US will open your films to new audiences and gives a fresh take on the festival circuit. Audiences around the world will be glad you attended this panel!
Participants: Francois Morisset, Salaud Morisset; Marie-Elaine Riou, Festival REGARD; Felipe Montoya, BOGO Shorts; Sydney Neter, SND Films
FRIDAY JUNE 22
10:30AM – Roundtable #2: Festivals, Strategy, and Programming, Oh My! – 60 minutes
There are new festivals and opportunities for your short film around every year! Why should you pick a certain festival, platform or journalist to bring your film to? Find out at this “reverse” roundtable, where programmers and industry will pitch you their best opportunities.
Participants: Bojana Sandic, NFMLA; Marie-Elaine Riou, Festival REGARD; Paul Sloop, Cleveland International Film Festival; Kathryn Spitz-Cohan, Film Pittsburgh; Penelope Bartlett, The Criterion Collection; Tom Oyer, AMPAS; Felipe Montoya, BOGO Shorts; Linda Olszewski, ShortsTV
12:00PM – Class: How To Pitch Like a Pro #2 – 60 minutes
We know you have another idea or script you’re ready to pitch – feature, episodic, VR or short form, all are welcome! Our industry guests will show you the ropes to a successful pitch, and share stories on the do’s and don’ts. They will share some insight and then break in to groups to workshop some of your pitches.
Participants: Emily Best, Seed&Spark; Nick Ogiony, CAA; Steven Liang, Stage 13; Kate Hurwitz, USUAL
1:30PM – Interactive: Speed Pitching #1 – 75 minutes
It’s time to test out those pro pitching skills! Our diverse group of industry professionals – agents, studio executives, financiers, producers and filmmakers – are ready to meet with you one-on-one. You pitch. They respond.
Participants: Matthew Lessall, CSA; Luke Rivett, Anonymous Content; Nick Ogiony, CAA; Varun Bhargava, APA Agency; Abby Davis, Breakwater Studios; Peter Trinh, ICM Partners; Kaylon Hunt, JuVee Productions; Steven Liang, Stage 13; Barbara Crawford, FX Networks; Ben Proudfoot, Breakwater Studios; Peter Van Steemburg, NBCUniversal
3:30PM – Panel: The Release Relief: Releasing Your Film to the Audience – 60 minutes
There are more opportunities than ever to release a film to your audience. Festivals, theaters, streaming, and distribution each offer options for more people to put eyeballs on your film. Learning the ropes with your most recent short film will be valuable when strategizing for your future projects. What choices and opportunities might present themselves and where? How can filmmakers best capitalize on these? Planning for the release of your film is imperative for the best return on these opportunities. Our panelists will discuss steps for releasing your film from planning to distribution!
Participants: Abby Davis, Breakwater Studios; Kaylon Hunt, JuVee Productions
SATURDAY JUNE 23
10:30AM – Roundtable #3: Victory Lap: Film Postpartum – 60 minutes
After the festival run and premieres, where do the best opportunities lie for your film and your next project? Ask our agents, press, platform programmers and acquisitions specialists the best way to get opportunities for your film to live on and be your calling card for your next project.
Participants: Clay Pruitt, Seed&Spark; Larry Laboe, NFMLA; Moritz Schneider, CUT-UP; Ina Pira, VIMEO; Jeff Deutchman, NEON; Amanda Salazar, SFIFF; Rebecca Ford, The Hollywood Reporter; Malina Saval, Variety; Paul Szynol, Focus Media Law Group
12:00PM – Class: Networking Like a Seasoned Pro – 75 minutes
Your network is not only who you know but who knows your network. Chances to build a network can sometimes be elusive – we take the guesswork out of it! Build a new network at ShortFest forum. Whether it’s approaching actors to read your new script or attracting coverage of your current short film, let our industry guests tell you how to best network when meeting someone new!
Participants: Allen Maldonado, Everybody Digital; Bojana Sandic, NFMLA; Larry Laboe, NFMLA; Joshua Brady, Actor; Aaron Moorhead, Rustic Films; Justin Benson, Rustic Films; Katherine Tulich, Hollywood Foreign Press; Landon Zakheim, Sundance/Aspen Shortsfest; Paul Szynol, Focus Media Law Group; Sam Lansky, TIME Magazine; Jeremy Kay, Screen International; Karilynn Thompson, Calgary International Film Festival; Pat Saperstein, Variety
2:00 PM – Interactive: Speed Pitching #2 – 75 minutes
It’s time to test out those pro pitching skills! Our diverse group of industry professionals – agents, studio executives, financiers, producers and filmmakers – are ready to meet with you one-on-one. You pitch. They respond.
Participants: Allen Maldonado, Everybody Digital; Emily Best, Seed&Spark; Kim Sherman, Stage 13; Aaron Moorhead, Rustic Films; Justin Benson, Rustic Films; Kate Hurwitz, USUAL; Howard Barish, Kandoo Films
3:45 PM – Panel: Meet the Programmers – 60 minutes
Let’s take a quick trip to top festivals and meet their programmers. Our panelists will provide candid insights into the programming process, deciding which festivals are best for your project, and making sure you make the most of your festival experience.
Participants: Landon Zakheim, Sundance/Aspen Shortsfest; Amanda Salazar, San Francisco International Film Festival; Brennan Tilley, Calgary Film Festival
About Palm Springs International ShortFest
Designated by AMPAS, BAFTA and BIFA as an award-qualifying festival, and accredited by the International Short Film Conference, the Palm Springs International ShortFest & Short Film Market, one of the most acclaimed short film showcases in the world, will take place in Palm Springs on June 19-25. Now in its 24th year, ShortFest will showcase 333 short films from 62 countries. The concurrent Short Film Market, the only one in North America, will feature a library of more than 5,400 films available to film buyers, industry and press. The ShortFest Forum programs are a four-day schedule of seminars, panel discussions, roundtables and master classes staged free of charge for attending filmmakers.
For more information and tickets, call (760) 778-8979 or visit the website at www.psfilmfest.org.
