Palm Springs International ShortFest has selected 332 short films in their Official Selection of the 26th edition that will be eligible for jury award consideration. These films represent 69 countries and were selected from more than 6,000 submissions received this year. 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, 2020.
The selection of short films featuring celebrated film and TV actors include Melora Walters in Adeline, the Great; Danny Pudi and Karan Soni 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; Gayle Rankin in Jane; Kevin Dunn in Josiah; Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat in The Letter Room; Lily Gladstone in Little Chief; Rachel Dratch in Marcy Learns Something New; Maya Rudolph, Jay Ellis and LaRoyce Hawkins in Thirsty; John Gemberling in Uprising; Nicholas Braun in Victor in Paradise; and Sarah Steele in We Want Our Money Back.
We’re proud to share all the work filmmakers have put into making their films and all of the work our staff has put into making ShortFest happen,” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “No one ever imagines launching a film festival during a pandemic, let alone launching one during such politically charged and urgent times. We remain firm believers that movies are empathy machines and stay committed to sharing cinema from different parts of the world, from different and diverse perspectives.”
“We are thrilled to be able to mount ShortFest virtually during these challenging times,” said 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.”
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. 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 available on the website.
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
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
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
Night Factory (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