The Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the world’s largest short film festivals and a key stop for Oscar-qualifying shorts, announced its winners today. The festival, held from June 24-30, featured over 300 films and celebrates excellence in short filmmaking across diverse categories.
The top honor, Best of the Festival Award, went to Retirement Plan, directed by John Kelly, which also received a $5,000 cash prize. Special mentions included Passarinho for Best Director and Beyond Silence for Best Acting.
Other major winners included:
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Best Animated Short: Budō (Sweden), directed by Amanda Aagard and Alexander Toma
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Best Documentary Short: Shanti Rides Shotgun (USA), directed by Charles Frank
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Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes: Susana (Mexico/USA), directed by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante
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Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under: Medusa (USA), directed by Sarah Meyohas
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The festival also honored outstanding student shorts, recognizing talent in animation, documentary, and international categories. The Student Animated Short winner was Dragfox (UK), while the Student International Short award went to Cura Sana (Spain).
Special jury awards included the Vimeo Staff Pick Award for You Know You Wanna Stay (USA), and distinctions for the Best International Short, Best U.S. Short, Best Comedy Short, Best LGBTQ+ Short, and Best Midnight Short.
Local jury awards also spotlighted emerging filmmakers with honors such as the Desert Views Local Jury Award and the Young Cineastes Award.
As an Oscar-qualifying festival, winners from Palm Springs ShortFest are eligible to submit their films for Academy Award consideration, making it a crucial event in the short film circuit.
