Palm Springs International Shortfest 2026 Wrap-Up and Winners

The only thing that could be hotter than the sun in the desert for a film lover is the Palm Springs International ShortFest. This year’s edition took place from June 23-29, 2026, and featured hundreds of shorts from over sixty countries. 

This is the only festival that I have ever been to that is dedicated to what is usually the overlooked red-headed stepchild at other festivals, the short film. I’m always amazed at how much story and emotion can be packed into such a limited time, when done by a masterful filmmaker. 

There are plenty of stellar filmmakers and films at the fest every year, especially this time around. I was in town for Thursday and Friday nights of ShortFest, so I attended the “Modern Romance,” “Like & Subscribe,” and “Thrills and Chills” short-film blocks. Each block features a theme described in the title and includes around seven shorts, followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers who attended the festival. 

My favorite films in each block were, respectively, Starflyer, Following, and Scissors. Filmmaker Maria Hatzakou’s Starflyer follows a lesbian couple who meet at the largest theme park in Athens, where they soon discover a supernatural ability in common that shifts the vibe to combine romance with some fun horror. Writer/director Briana Pozner’s Following is about a nerdy guy who doesn’t have many friends in real life or on social media, so he flips out when celebrity Melissa Joan Hart starts following him online. It’s a very funny commentary on both what celebrity and social media have done to us as a society. Last but not least is screenwriter Hannah Aslesen and director Hannah Alline’s meta comedy/horror short Scissors, starring Ethan Embry as a hillbilly slasher who meets his match when he follows an attractive blonde right into a queer friend group who act as if he isn’t there trying to kill them (because they’re so wrapped up in their own group dynamics). It’s hilarious and horror-tinged in a queer version of Scream kind of way, while bringing on the loudest audience applause of any film that I saw during those two nights. 

At night, ShortFest holds filmmaker parties at various venues, which I attended. Thursday night was the “Gay!LA” celebration at the Sonoran Palm Springs, featuring acrobatic drag-queen performances, a DJ, and delicious snacks such as vegetable egg rolls and lemon chicken skewers. I talked to filmmaker Sophia Conger, producer Allison Joy Gale, and star Nanouli Shevardnadze about their uproarious comedy Big Nose, about a high schooler who gets made fun of for her nose, so she makes a hilariously drastic change to it. Conger based it on her experience growing up, turning pain into comedic gold. 

The Friday night party was at a warehouse club called Altitude, where the music was pumping to deafening decibels. It was also jam-packed with filmmaker interviews for me. I first met with filmmaker SM Goldberger for her film Hi Mom, about a woman who struggles to come out to her mother and then finds out it may be too late. This is sadly another autobiographical story, but we discussed how getting it out there is cathartic, and SM is working on a feature based on this short that I can’t wait to see.

Next up was the brilliant first-time director Zéré Turlykhanova, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker originally from Kazakhstan, who wrote and directed the biting dark comedy/satire Coffin Therapy. I absolutely love this film and filmmaker, who comes from a long line of therapists in her family, and conceived the story by wondering what a narcissist would do in the odd world of planning one’s own funeral. Shiva Baby was a big inspiration for Zéré in setting the tone, and after overcoming some production difficulties in Kazakhstan, she nailed it.

My final interview of the night was with the excellent duo of writer/actor/ Robert R. Palmer and director Hazel McKibbin of the compelling short Last Man Up. The film explores the toxic masculinity of a Jackass-type group of young men who race through a bender in the forest, which Palmer stated was inspired by the movie American Honey. It’s a complete departure from the type of film that McKibbin usually directs, so that was refreshing for her. Also, there were some logistical challenges, but Hazel made sure that it was smooth sailing for the cast, which is the quiet mark of a great director. 

All of these short films I wrote about were fantastic in their own ways and deserve the kind of captive, packed-theater audience I witnessed for the Thrills and Chills block. As Hazel and I pontificated over at the party, Palm Springs International ShortFest is a place where true independent filmmakers and fans can appreciate the art form at its purest. 

2026 Palm Springs International ShortFest Award Winners

The following films were honored at the 2026 Palm Springs International ShortFest. Winners of Oscar-Qualifying Awards may be eligible to submit their short to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.

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🏆 Oscar-Qualifying Awards

Best of the Festival Award — $5,000 cash prize

Jury: Dana Ledoux Miller (Moana 2), Gus Van Sant, Julia Aks (Jane Austen’s Period Drama), Kayla Foster (Your Monster)

• Winner: Fruit (Singapore), Directed by Jen Nee Lim
• Special Mention: Hyena (USA/China), Directed by Altay Ulan Yang

Best Animated Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: John Kelly (Director at Dolphin’s Barn Pictures), Wilson Chapman (Animation Editor at IndieWire), William D. Caballero (Director/Producer at Colibri Creative Media)

• Winner: Fačuk (Croatia/Slovenia), Directed by Maida Srabović
• Special Mention for Craft: Venezia Diorama (Belgium), Directed by Nicolas Piret

Best Documentary Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Ash Cook (Founder, Video Store•Age), Micah Gottlieb (Artistic Director at Los Angeles Festival of Movies), Rebekah Louisa Smith (Film Festival Strategist at The Film Festival Doctor)

• Winner: Water Cooler (USA), Directed by Emma V.F.
• Special Mention: Plumped (USA), Directed by Faye Tsakas & Nora DeLigter

Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Jesy Odio (Production Manager at FUJIFILM), Maura Towey (Director of Development at Love & Squalor Pictures), Talia Shea Levin (Director, Writer, Producer)

• Winner: Marga en el DF (Mexico/USA/Dominican Republic), Directed by Gabriela Ortega
• Special Mention: Concrete Kids (Lithuania), Directed by Saulius Baradinska

Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under — $1,000 cash prize
Sponsored by SAGindie

Jury: Alana Ford (Agent at Gersh), Mia McNiece (Senior Editor, News and Awards at Gold Derby), Peter Van Steemburg (Talent Manager at XYZ Films)

• Winner: We Were Here (India), Directed by Pranav Bhasin
• Special Mention: Captive Audience (Singapore), Directed by Kew Lin

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🎓 Student Short Awards

Best Student International Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Adam Keresztes (Lead Shorts Programmer at Calgary International Film Festival), Séverine Tibi (Co-Founder, Producer at Sevana Films), Zegan Doyle (Programmer at AQUA Film Club, SXSW, Film Independent)

• Winner: Daddy’s Little Meatball (Australia/USA), Directed by Yael Grunseit
• Special Mention: Orla (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Directed by Marie Lukáčová

Best Student U.S. Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Ambriehl Turrentine (Programming Manager at Denver Film), Edda Manriquez (Program Director, Femtastia Fest), Noah Baldwin (Executive Assistant/Internship Coordinator at Tremolo Productions)

• Winner: Pankaja (USA/India), Directed by Anooya Swamy
• Special Mention: Not Valid for Travel (USA), Directed by Jiaying Lin

Best Student Animated Short — $1,000 cash prize

• Winner: The Undying Pain of Existence (Germany), Directed by Oscar Jacobson
• Special Mention: Hunting (Switzerland), Directed by Lea Favre

Best Student Documentary Short — $1,000 cash prize

• Winner: Sole (USA), Directed by Haneol Lee
• Special Mention: California is Burning (USA), Directed by Bennett Curran

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⭐ Special Jury Awards

Vimeo Staff Pick Award — $5,000 cash prize provided by Vimeo

• Winner: A Crime Across Four Landscapes (USA), Directed by Aidan Weaver

Best International Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Ernie Quiroz (Film Programmer, Santa Barbara, the Loft, Phoenix Art Museum), Irene Suico Soriano (Short Film Programmer at Sundance Film Festival), Eleanor Wilson (Writer/Director)

• Winner: Agapito (Philippines/France), Directed by Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Romero
• Special Mention: The Last Song (Spain), Directed by María Lorente-Becerra

Best U.S. Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Steven Snyder (Producer at Cienega Films), Hayley Marie Norman (Filmmaker), Daniel Cardone (Senior Manager, Nonfiction Programs & Fiscal Sponsorship at Film Independent)

• Winner: See You, Soon (USA), Directed by Jay Pendarvis Jr.
• Special Mention for Linus the dog: XOLO (USA), Directed by Matthew Serrano

Best Comedy Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Max Geschwind (Media Finance Coordinator at CAA), Rika Dharmesh Bhakta (Independent Producer), Alex Huston Fischer (Writer/Director)

• Winner: We Were Here (India), Directed by Pranav Bhasin
• Special Mention for Ensemble: Borderline (Norway/Finland/Sweden), Directed by Johannes Vang

Best LGBTQ+ Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Abby Wright (Founder/Festival Director at Femme Filth Fest), Dino-Ray Ramos (Founder, Diaspora), Ro Haber (Director)

• Winner: Delay (China), Directed by Wang Han-Xuan
• Special Mention: Sandra (Brazil), Directed by Camila Márdila

Best Midnight Short — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Ashleigh Snead (Producer), Pip Ngo (EVP of Sales and Acquisitions at XYZ Films), Yulissa Morales (VP of Distribution and Creative at Epic Pictures | Dread)

• Winner: Hyena (USA/China), Directed by Altay Ulan Yang
• Special Mention: Flock (United Kingdom/Wales), Directed by Mac Nixon

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🌵 Local Jury Awards

Desert Views Local Jury Award — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Kendall Balchan, Yvonne Buchanan, Craig Canestrari, Valerie Fury, Elizabeth Reyes

• Winner: Agapito (Philippines/France), Directed by Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Romero
• Special Mention: The Barbershop (Denmark), Directed by Diêm Camille

Young Cineastes Award — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: Carolina Ava Hyatt, Lillian Lorraine Lynd, Bethany Mikrut

• Winner: La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) (USA), Directed by Cristina Costantini
• Special Mention: Guardian’s Grove (USA), Directed by Rachel Moss

Kids’ Choice Award — $1,000 cash prize

Jury: The Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City

• Winner: Four Square (USA), Directed by Eli Staub

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👥 Audience Awards

Best Animated Short — $1,000 cash prize

• Winner: i have a (United Kingdom), Directed by Rory Waudby-Tolley

Best Documentary Short — $1,000 cash prize

• Winner: I Got My Brother (USA), Directed by Victor Gabriel

Best Live-Action Short — $1,000 cash prize

• Winner: América (Peru), Directed by Javier Arias-Stella

Best Student Short — $1,000 cash prize
Sponsored by U.S. Bank Foundation

• Winner: Half-Moon (Switzerland), Directed by Hae-Sup Sin