The Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest short film festivals and the first stop on the campaign trail for Oscar-qualifying shorts, announced its winners today, including director John Kelly‘s Retirement Plan, which was named “best of the festival” and received a $5,000 cash prize.
Awards were also given for best animated short, best documentary short, and best live-action short, as well as student shorts.
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Over 300 films were part of the official selection at the festival, which ran from June 24-30. The winners of the five Oscar-qualifying awards are eligible to submit their shorts for Academy Award consideration.
The complete list of winners includes:
Best of the Festival Award
Winner: Retirement Plan, Directed by John Kelly
Special Mention for Best Director: Passarinho, Directed by Natalia García Agraz
Special Mention for Best Acting: Beyond Silence, Directed by Marnie Blok
Best Animated Short
Winner: Budō (Sweden), Directed by Amanda Aagard and Alexander Toma
Special Mention: The Little Ancestor (Canada), Directed by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur
Best Documentary Short
Winner: Shanti Rides Shotgun (USA), Directed by Charles Frank
Special Mention: One Day I Will Hug You (Palestine/Sweden/Qatar), Directed by Mohammed Fares Al Majdalawi
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
Winner: Susana (Mexico/USA), Directed by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante
Special Mention: Nervous Energy (USA), Directed by Eve Liu
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under
Winner: Medusa (USA), Directed by Sarah Meyohas
Special Mention: Made From Leakproof Plastic (Canada/United Kingdom), Directed by Anastasiya Mykhaylova
Student Short Awards:
Best Student Animated Short & Best Student International Short
Student Animated Short:
Winner: Dragfox (United Kingdom), Directed by Lisa Ott
Special Mention: Ma Mao (Canada), Directed by Thanh Ngo
Student International Short:
Winner: Cura Sana (Spain), Directed by Lucía G. Romero
Special Mention: Crazy For You (Spain/USA), Directed by Greta Díaz Moreau
Best Student U.S. Short & Best Student Documentary Short
Student U.S. Short:
Winner: Nervous Energy (USA), Directed by Eve Liu and Breastmilk (USA/Nigeria) Directed by Ifeyinwa Arinze
Special Mention: Kisses and Bullets (USA/Iran), Directed by Faranak Sahafian
Student Documentary Short:
Winner: You Can’t See It from Here (USA/Colombia), Directed by Enrique Pedráza-Botero
Special Mention: Dancing in Tomorrowland (USA), Directed by Jakob Roston
Special Jury Awards:
Vimeo Staff Pick Award
Winner: You Know You Wanna Stay (USA), Directed by Alex Heller
Best International Short
Winners: Beyond Silence (The Netherlands), Directed by Marnie Blok and Kuchar (The Itch) (India), Directed by Vaidaangi Sharma
Special Mention: Goodbye Sun (France), Directed by Hakim Atoui
Best U.S. Short
Winner: Szypliszki (USA), Directed by Jordan Axelrod
Special Mention: Ragamuffin (USA), Directed by Kaitlyn Mikayla
Best Comedy Short
Winners: How Was Your Weekend (USA), Directed by Cam Banfield and Your Own Flavor (USA), Directed by Alisha Ketry
Special Mention: Blood Ties (France/Belgium), Directed by Hakim Atoui
Best LGBTQ+ Short
Winners: Chico (France/Belgium), Directed by Théo Abadie and Hold Me Close (USA), Directed by Aurora Brachman and LaTajh Simmons-Weaver
Special Mention: It Will Always End In The End (Canada), Directed by Nancy Pettinicchio
Best Midnight Short
Winner: Mango (United Kingdom/France), Directed by Joan Iyiola
Special Mention: Real (France), Directed by Rodrigue Hart
Local Jury Awards:
Desert Views Local Jury Award
Winner: Big Bass (USA), Directed by Drew Dickler
Special Mention: The Devil Is Busy (USA), Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton
Young Cineastes Award
Winner: Énouement (USA), Directed by Angel Lu
Special Mention: Dandelion (USA), Directed by Fiona Obertinca
Kids’ Choice Award
Winner: Wednesdays with Gramps(USA), directed by Chris Copeland and Justin Copeland
Special Mention: Forevergreen (USA), directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
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