Palm Springs ShortFest Kicks Off With 310 Films From Around The Globe

PALM SPRINGS, CA — The Palm Springs ShortFest kicked off Tuesday with screenings of 38 short films.

Broken down into themed batches of five to seven shorts each, the 30th annual edition of the weeklong short film festival premiered at 11 a.m. with the "On the Job" set of entries, including "Deep in my Heart is a Song," "Linda," "Officer Stanley," "Pavane," "Shadow," and Yaya.

The full lineup includes 310 live-action, animated, and documentary shorts representing 63 countries and territories. That figure includes 49 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 28 North American premieres, nine United States Premieres, and 106 California premieres.

Films later in the week include "ALOK" directed by Alex Hedison and executive produced by Jodie Foster; "Fish out of Water" directed by Francesca Scorsese; "ILY, BYE" starring Meg Stalter, Kanoa Goo and Rainn Wilson; "Loser" starring Angourie Rice; "Mog's Christmas" with voices by Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy; and "The One Note Man" starring Ian McKellen.

Other festival entries include the world premiere of "Unsettled," directed by Bella Thorne; the world premiere of "Speed Queen 51" starring Rory Culkin; and the international premiere of "How Can I Help You" starring Thomasin McKenzie and directed by Eliza Scanlen.

This year's batch of films will play at the Regal Palm Springs from June 18-24.

"Year after year, short filmmaking continues to gain recognition, reaching broader audiences and offering filmmakers a striking canvas from which to experiment, innovate and explore the stories which make them dream," said Lili Rodriguez, Artistic Director of the Palm Springs International Film Society. "We have both the unique gift of looking back toward the creativity which has sprouted at ShortFest across its significant tenure, as well as the still rich environment from which to see emerging creatives grow."

The selection committee received more than 6,300 submissions from 130 countries this year, according to organizers. Almost half (153 of 310) of the chosen short films credit at least one woman as a director.

After the United States, France has the most movies among this year's roster with 29. The United Kingdom (28), Canada (19), and Belgium (10) are also well-represented.

The ShortFest has provided a litmus test for past awards seasons, with more than 100 films shown that eventually became Oscar-nominated. "Ivalu," "Ice Merchants," "The Flying Sailor" and Nai Nai & Wài Pó all received Academy Awards nominations and played at last year's festival.

Juried awards, including five Academy Award-qualifying designations, will be announced Sunday. In addition to being collectively screened on the festival's final day, the selected Best of the Fest shorts will be available online from July 10-14.

To view the full lineup and ticket information, visitors can go to https://psfilmfest.org/.