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Put on your shorts and stay cool this summer at the 2006 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market (ShortFest), held from August 24-30, 2006 at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, CA. Now in its 12th year, the Festival has announced its roster of 333 films, selected from more than a record-setting 2,500 worldwide entries. The Festival will showcase 73 World Premieres, 56 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres. The selection of films for screening and competition features star-studded casts as well as award-winning films from 43 countries around the world. All selections have been structured into 48 themed programs covering a wide array of issues for specific and general audiences to enjoy (visit www.psfilmfest.org for a complete list of this year's film programs).
Festival Director Darryl Macdonald commented, "The vitality and growing commercial viability of the short film format is amply demonstrated by this year's ShortFest line up, providing vivid evidence that the field has become much more than simply a training ground for blossoming feature filmmaking talent. It's a great year for short films - which means that it's a great year for Palm Springs' ShortFest."
"The short films we viewed this year were extraordinary," said ShortFest programming director Anita Monga. "The high quality of work coming from every part of the globe made it an easier-than-expected task to view our 2,500 submissions-although it made it a harder task to make our final selection of 333 films."
The selected short films have been organized into 48 themed programs covering a variety of topics including gay and lesbian lifestyles, animals, show business, relationships, 9/11, body language, crime, families, happiness, true stories, memories, high school, table manners, war, Jewish experiences, road trips, marriage, the Middle East, experimental work, a spotlight on both women directors and Canadian short films as well as the world premiere of a collection of shorts from the creators at Nickelodeon.
This year's opening night screening will be highlighted by award-winning live-action and animated films from the Cannes, Berlin, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Aspen, and Toronto Festivals and the European Film Award winner for Best Short Film and many others followed by an opening night reception at the Hilton Palm Springs Resort. The films include The Danish Poet, Mother, Never Like the First Time, Sniffer, Tragic Story with Happy Ending, Transaction and Undressing My Mother.
Festival attendees will be able to see a roster of films featuring familiar faces from film including "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier in Across the Hall, Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton and Melissa Leo in Falling Objects, Andy Serkis and Dominic West in Stingray, Brandon Routh in Denial, Wilmer Valderrama, Ryan Seacrest and Rick Dees in Longtime Listener directed by "Access Hollywood's" Maria Menounos, David Strathairn in The Shovel, Debbie Harry in Honey Trap, Garrison Keillor in Afraid So, Emmy nominee Jon Cryer in End of a Dog, Milo Ventimiglia in Intelligence, Olivia Williams in Mockingbird, Richard Karn in The Fast One, Ru Paul in Zombie Prom and the world premiere and directorial debut of Sylvester Stallone's son Sage Stallone's film Vic featuring Clu Gulager, Carole Lynley and John Phillip Law.
A jury of five industry professionals will screen this year's short films selected for competition in nine categories for a total of $14,000 in cash prizes including Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Live Action, Best of Festival and the Future Filmmaker Award. The Festival will continue to present a special prize called the Alexis Award, named in honor of Alexis Echavarria, who died suddenly upon returning from volunteer work in Thailand a year ago, just as the Festival had accepted his film. The Alexis Award will recognize emerging student filmmakers who show great potential in honor of Echavarria's promise that was untimely extinguished. The recipient will receive a Final Cut Pro package, courtesy of Apple Computer, valued at $2,500. The Panavision Grand Jury Award winner will receive a digital or film camera package valued at $30,000 and two days studio time courtesy of Casablanca Studios. An additional $7,500 in Kodak film stock will be presented to the film winners in the student award categories. Other prizes will include filmmaking software from Avid Technology, Entertainment Partners, the Showbiz Software Store and Jungle Software.
Jury members include Sharon Badal, Short Film Programmer of Tribeca Film Festival; Borys Kit from "The Hollywood Reporter"; Kathleen McInnis, Festival Specialist for Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television; Jason Reitman, director "Thank You for Smoking"; and Shane Smith, Director of Programming for Channel Zero. First place winners will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a possible Academy Award nomination. Over the past eleven years, the Festival has presented 49 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations.
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 and Short Film Market is the largest and most prominent short film showcase in North America. The Festival and its concurrent 2,400-film Film Market 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.
Several seminars and panels comprised of industry representatives will be assembled to discuss trends and provide advice on short filmmaking. "Who's Getting Rich Showing Shorts on Cell Phones" is a panel of short film sales agents and exhibitors who will examine the financial pros and cons of the many distribution outlets available in the new technology era. "Conquering the International Festival Circuit" is a panel of festival veterans prepared to share their personal lists of the best fests in the world and their strategy for getting a film accepted. "Shorts as Calling Cards" industry insiders will shed light on what works, what doesn't and what to do to prepare for your big break. "Putting the "U" in User Generated Content" is a panel discussion on how major media establishments are desperately competing for your rival content. "We Are Women in (Short) Film: Hear Us Roar" is a panel discussion on women who thrive in the short film arena and the steps that can be taken to extend the success into other arenas. "The Sound of Music," is a panel that will illustrate how music can elevate short films.
For those who prefer a more personal environment, the Festival organizers have created the "One-on-One Program," an opportunity for participants to meet individually with publicists, agents, distributors, exhibitors and festival programmers to answer any questions filmmakers may have. In addition, the Festival will spotlight the career of director Jason Reitman and his transition from shorts to features and offer a "Master Class: Animating the DreamWorks Way" featuring animators Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson discussing their directing-debut, First Flight.
The Festival offers four special ticket plans. The Insider's Pass for $200 includes complete access to all screenings and events. A 6-Ticket Coupon Book for $45 offers six movies for the price of five. Tickets to the Opening Night Program and Party or the Awards Night Program and Reception are $25 each. Single tickets for the Festival are currently on sale at the Camelot Theatres for $9 per screening before 5:00 p.m., and $10 for screenings after 5:00 p.m. Advance tickets and passes can be purchased online at www.psfilmfest.org or by calling (800) 778-8979.
The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films is supported by a growing number of local and national sponsors. Renewing their support of this year's Festival is the Title Sponsor, The City of Palm Springs and Presenting Sponsors including Spencer's Restaurant, The Desert Sun, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and Wessman Development. This year's major sponsors include Kodak, Las Casuelas Terraza restaurant, the Palm Springs Mall, Panavision, Dale's Lost Highway, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, CBS2 Television, The Bottom Line, Crazy Bones Restaurant, MySpace.com., Tourism tv., Morris Desert Media, KMIR-TV, KESQ-TV and Time Warner Cable. Additional sponsors include Greater Palm Springs Pride, Subway, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starz Entertainment Group, Metromint, Palm Springs Women in Film & Television and Toucan's Tiki Lounge. This year's official Host Hotel is the Hotel Zoso.
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Gregg Schwenk is a writer, educator, and entrepreneur. He reports on a number of various subjects including: film, art, technology and politics. Mr. Schwenk is an adjunct professor at CSUF's Center for Entertainment and Tourism located in Orange County, California. He is also a consultant and advisor to several entertainment and technology firms. In 2005, Mr. Schwenk was appointed by the US Secretary of Commerce, to the District Export Council. He has a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and completed the Advanced Management Program at USC.
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