Palm Springs International ShortFest

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 until Monday, 30 June 2025

Oscar Qualifier

Best of the Festival Award
Best Animation
Best Live Action (15 minutes and under)
Best Live Action (over 15 minutes)

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America. The seven-day competitive festival is Academy Award, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying, screening annually more than 330 shorts from approximately 60 countries. ShortFest accepts submissions up to 40 minutes in duration, in the form of both fiction and non-fiction shorts. Categories include Animation, Documentary, and Live Action.

Official Selection
The ShortFest Official Selection comprises the 330+ shorts curated thematically into programs of approximately 90 minutes in duration which aim to bring together a diverse cross-section of contemporary cinema. Distinct works from filmmakers of various international backgrounds come into conversation with one another in unexpected and exciting ways. ShortFest maintains an inclusive attitude toward presenting short-form moving image work, with a variety of genres and forms converging throughout the Official Selection.

Awards & Prizes

First-place winners in the Non-student Animation, Non-student Documentary and Non-student Live-Action categories, as well as the Best of the Festival Award winner will automatically become eligible to submit their shorts to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscars consideration.

Oscar® Qualifying Awards:
Best of the Festival Award
Best Animated Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under

Special Jury Awards:
Best International Short
Best U.S. Short
Local Jury Award
Young Cineastes Award
Best Comedy Short
Best LGBTQ+ Short
Best Midnight Short

Student Short Awards:
Best Student Animated Short
Best Student Documentary Short
Best Student International Short
Best Student U.S. Short