The selection of films in this year’s Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (August 6-12), 44 U.S. premieres, 69 world premieres and 16 North American premieres, will feature a cast of familiar faces, some you may want to kiss, some you may want to step on.
Some of the films selected at this year’s Festival will feature director Rod Laurie’s (The Contender, The Last Castle) “The Nazi” starring Academy Award nominee James Cromwell and Maura Tierney from “ER”. Emmy award nominated actresses Ellen Degeneres, Megan Mullaly and Lily Tomlin are featured in the “d**e”umentary “Lesbian Fashion?” Other stars include Josh Hartnett in “Member”, Mary-Louise Parker in “The Quality of Mercy”, John Cleese in the comedy “Taking the Wheel”, Taye Diggs in the satire “Media W***e” William Sadler in “Another Life” and Sandra Oh (“Arliss”) in “Barrier Device”.
This year’s opening night screening will be highlighted by eight award-winning live-action and animated entries from Canada, England and the United States. They include “For the Birds”, Academy Award winner for Best Animation; “The Heart of the World”, Genie Award (Canada) winner for Best Short Film; “Dog”, BAFTA (U.K.) winner for Best Animation; “At Dawning”, Golden Bear Winner for 2002 Berlin International Film Festival; “The Stone of Folly”, Palme d’Or Winner for 2002 Cannes International Film Festival, “About a Girl”, BAFTA Award (U.K.) winner for Best Short Film; “The Boy Who Saw the Iceberg” Genie Award winner for Best Animation; The Accountant Academy Award winner for Best Live Action Short. The screenings will be followed by an opening night reception at Las Casuelas Terraza.
Screenings will begin August 6 with short films organized into 39 themed programs covering a variety of topics including siblings, gay and lesbian lifestyles, obsession, growing up, love, war and remembrance, families, strange worlds, the media, dogs and cats, dating and mating, friendship and life’s lessons. The films will begin at 10:00 a.m. each day with a new short film package playing every two hours. The last showing each day will be at 8:30 p.m. with a late night showing on Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The closing night ceremony will be held August 11 at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, with prizes totaling $38,500 awarded to the film winners by a jury of nine members. The award-winning films will be screened the following day along with the audience favorites starting at 12:00 p.m.
Designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an award-qualifying festival and accredited by the International Short Film Conference, the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films is the largest short film showcase in North America. The Festival has captured Hollywood’s attention as a scouting ground for new filmmaking talent and is well attended by those in the business of buying and selling short films.
Visit the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films for more information.
