Palm Springs ShortFest unveils official 2026 poster
Palm Springs, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return for its 32nd edition from June 23-29, 2026.
ShortFest will be presented at the Festival Theaters in Palm Springs. Awards and cash prizes worth $25,000, including five Academy Award-qualifying awards, will be announced on Sunday, June 28, with the Best of the Fest program screening on the final day, Monday, June 29.
Designated by AMPAS, BAFTA, BIFA and Goya Awards as an award-qualifying festival, the Palm Springs International ShortFest and Short Film Market is one of the most acclaimed short film showcases in the world.
Last year, standout selections featured at ShortFest ranged from the Oscar-winning live action short The Singers, Oscar-nominated live action short Jane Austen’s Period Drama, Oscar-nominated documentary short The Devil Is Busy, and the Oscar-nominated animated shorts Forevergreen and Retirement Plan. Talent in attendance included Haley Joel Osmont, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Pauline Chalamet, and Ryan Simpkins, among others.
Other notable films that have screened at ShortFest include Oscar-winning documentary short The Queen of Basketball, Oscar-winning live action short The Long Goodbye with actor Riz Ahmed, Oscar-nominated documentary short Nai Nai & Wài Pó, live-action short I’m Not a Robot, and more.
Over the past three decades, ShortFest has also been an early platform for famed filmmakers, with alumni such as Ava DuVernay (2006), A.V. Rockwell (2019), Bryce Dallas Howard (2006), Cary Joji Fukunaga (2005), Chiwetel Ejiofor (2014), Dee Rees (2005), Denis Villeneuve (2008), Emerald Fennell (2018), Francesca Scorsese (2024), Janicza Bravo (2015), Jason Reitman (2016), Jim Cummings (2016), Julia Ducournau (2012) Kirsten Dunst (2008), Lukas Dhont (2012), Lulu Wang (2015), Meg Stalter (2024), Taika Waititi (2004), and many others.
For additional information and tickets, call the festival headquarters at (760) 778-8979 or visit the website at psfilmfest.org/shortfest.
