29th Palm Springs International Shortfest Winners

Last night the 29th Palm Springs International Shortfest held it's closing awards ceremony and awarded 5 films with Oscar-Qualifying Awards. With the calibre of competition at Palm Springs it has gotten many films onto the Oscar shortlists throughout the last few years, including Sierra and The Right Words at last years competition. Below are the list of winners from this years fest. Tickets are available for the virtual best of fest that will be held July 7th-13th.

Best of the Festival Award (Academy Award Qualifying) The Old Young Crow (Japan/USA), Directed by Liam LoPinto Special Mention: 48 Hours (Iran), Directed by Azadeh Moussavi Special Mention: Away (Hungary/Belgium/Portugal), Directed by Ruslan Fedotow

Note: Away is featured on our "10 Early Favourites for Documentary Short" article and is available to watch on The New York Times youtube channel. Check out the article here: https://shortstick.wixsite.com/shortstick/post/10-early-favourites-for-the-2024-documentary-shorts-oscar

Best Animated Short (Academy Award Qualifying) Way Better (Lithuania), Directed by Skirmanta Jakaitė Special Mention: Askhaska (Spain/Argentina), Directed by Lara Maltz Special Mention: Eeva (Croatia/Estonia), Directed by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov

Best Documentary Short (Academy Award Qualifying) Will You Look At Me (China), Directed by Shuli Huang Note: This will be ineligible for this years Academy Awards due to qualifying and submitting last year. Special Mention: Birdsong (UK/Laos), Directed by Omi Zola Gupta and Sparsh Ahuja

Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes (Academy Award Qualifying) Sèt Lam (France), Directed by Vincent Fontano Special Mention for Performance: Brenda Cullerton in Endless Sea (USA), Directed by Sam Shainberg Special Mention: The Newt Congress (Switzerland/Germany), Directed by Matthias Sahil and Immanuel Esser

Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under (Academy Award Qualifying) Mystic Tiger (Spain), Directed by Marc Martínez Special Mentions: I Have No Legs, and I Must Run (China), Directed by Yue Li

Best International Short Soleil de nuit (Canada), Directed by Fernando López and Maria Camila Arias Special Mention: Infantry (Brazil), Directed by Laís Santos Araújo Special Mention: Nocturnal Burger (India/USA), Directed by Reema Maya

Best U.S. Short Closing Dynasty (USA), Directed by Lloyd Lee Choi

Local Jury Award Under G-d (USA), Directed by Paula Eiselt Special Mention: Teacups (Australia/Ireland), Directed by Alec Green and Finbar Watson

Young Cineastes Award We Were Meant To (USA), Directed by Tari Wariebi Special Mention: Amara and Ry’Shauna (USA), Directed by Kate Cohen and A.D. Freese Special Mention: Ivalu (Greenland/Denmark), Directed by Anders Walter and Pipaluk K Jørgensen

Kids’ Choice Award Canary (Canada), Directed by Pierre-Hugues Dallaire and Benoit Therriault Mushka (USA), Directed by Andreas Deja

Best Student Animated Short The Rainbow Dung Beetle (USA), Directed by Ellen Moway and Cole Dupzyk

Best Student Documentary Short Kaamoksen Valossa (Finland), Directed by Niko Väistö Special Mention: Still Waters (USA), Directed by Aurora Brachman

Best Student International Short A Dead Marriage (Poland), Directed by Michel Toczek Special Mention: Between Her (Israel), Directed by Bar Cohen

Best Student U.S. Short SULAM (Ladder) (USA), Directed by Noam Argov Special Mention: Invasive Species (USA), Directed by Annie Ning

Best Comedy Short Flail (USA), Directed by Ben Gauthier Special Mention: Pennies From Heaven (USA), Directed by Sandy Hong

Best LGBTQ+ Short Blond Night (Canada), Directed by Gabrielle Demers Burial of Life as a Young Girl (France), Directed by Maïté Sonnet Special Mention: An Avocado Pit (Portugal), Directed by Ary Zara

Best Midnight Short Nian (USA), Directed by Michelle Krusiec Special Mention: Animal Transport (Argentina), Directed by Iván Bustinduy Special Mention for Performance: Raphaël Quenard in Meantime (France), Directed by Guillaume Scaillet

MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award Fata Morgana (Germany/Syria), Directed by Daood Alabdulaa Special Mention: Border Conversations (Germany), Directed by Jonathan Brunner Special Mention: I See Them Bloom (Spain), Directed by Nikita Gibalenko Special Mention: The Kidnapping of the Bride (Germany), Directed by Sophia Mocorrea