Palm Springs International ShortFest kicks off with opening night screening, red carpet

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  - The 2025 31st annual Palm Springs International ShortFest opened Tuesday with a packed red carpet, a variety of short films and a celebration of global storytelling.

Nachhattar Singh Chandi, Chairman, said Palm Springs is a very inviting place for filmmakers.

"A lot of youngsters, they come, they learn about the magic of cinema," Chandi said.

311 short films from 64 different countries are apart of the program.

These have been selected from more than 6,200 submissions.

"It's really well-organized and I'm impressed, especially with what we just saw with the selection process," Eileen O'Brien, volunteer, said. "I had no idea there were over 6,000 films entered and they had to whittle that down to 300. Remarkable I don't know how they do that."

Hundreds of attendees including filmmakers, local leaders and cinema lovers gathering at Festival Theaters to kick off the week long festival.

Organizers said the opening night screening featured a curated selection of short films followed by a Q&A.

ShortFest runs through June 30 and includes multiple screenings and panels.