AWARDS

OSCAR® QUALIFYING

Best of the Festival Award

$5,000 Cash Prize

Best Animated Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Documentary Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Min.

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Live-Action Short 15 Min. and Under

$1,000 Cash Prize

Special Jury

Best International Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best U.S. Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Comedy Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best LGBTQ+ Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Midnight Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award

$1,500 Cash Prize

Awards

Student

Best Student Animated Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Student Documentary Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Student International Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

Best Student U.S. Short

$1,000 Cash Prize

LOCAL JURY Local Jury Award

$1,000, awarded by the Local Jury to a short that, in the spirit of neighborliness, promotes understanding and acceptance between people.

Youth Jury Awards

Awarded by ShortFest youth juries composed of local students interested in cinema and the arts.

Kids’ Choice (students aged 8-13): $1,000 cash prize Young Cineastes (students aged 14-17): $1,000 cash prize

Audience

Best Animated Short

$600 Cash Prize

Best Documentary Short

$600 Cash Prize

Best Live-Action Short

$600 Cash Prize

Best Student Short

$600 Cash Prize

Thank You Patrons For Your Generous Support

Nachhattar Singh Chandi

Clara DiFelice

Gina Kakos

Lawrence Kaplan

Krista Levitan

Harold Matzner

Jake Navarro

Marcella Ruble

Cinematic Odes

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 11:00 AM

CAMELOT 1, 90 MINUTES

Experience the profound capacity of cinema to give shape to the nuances of life – including love, memory, loss, and everything in between – through this distinctive collection of personal and poetic films.

Beneath The Surface

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 11:30 AM

CAMELOT 2, 90 MINUTES

Whether encouraged or denied, with intention or by accident, something is brewing and bubbling up beneath the surface of these films.

Animal Transport

Argentina, Iván Bustinduy, 18 min.

A man returns to his job in a company that transports animals. On his first trip, one of the cages doesn’t seem to be carrying what it should. The mystery lurking in his truck pushes him to the limit of his own sanity.

At Dusk

Canada, Miryam Charles, 17 min.

On a class trip into the woods, Charlotte is confronted with her inner demons. Venturing alone into the icy forest, away from the peering eyes of the group, Charlotte will have to face her darkest demon yet—her eating disorder.

It Turns Blue

Blue Veil

USA, Shireen Alihaji, 6 min.

In the wake of 9/11, first-gen Muslim teenager Amina discovers her mother’s record collection, unlocking memories and reminding Amina of who she is. In a world that is watching, Amina chooses how she sees herself.

Daughter of the Sea

USA, Alexis C. Garcia, 19 min.

After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea.

Hills and Mountains

Afghanistan, Salar Pashtoonyar, 8 min.

Shot on location in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a thought-provoking and humane hybrid of documentary and fiction that delves deeply into the experience of a woman forced to the edge of her society.

Lay Me by the Shore

Canada, David Findlay, 19 min.

Drenched in the warm light of long June days and with the intimidating spectre of an uncertain future looming, a trans boy comes to terms with his best friend’s recent passing.

The Silent Whistle

China, Yingtong Li, 18 min.

Ming is a 19-year-old loner who works the night shift in a convenience store. One day, as the Spring Festival approaches, her neighbor Rui invites her for a “special” dinner, which summons up the secrets of her hidden past.

Will You Look at Me

China, Shuli Huang, 20 min.

As a young Chinese filmmaker returns to his hometown in search of himself, a long overdue conversation with his mother plunges the two of them into a quest for acceptance and love.

Iran, Shadi Karamroudi, 15 min.

An abusive father attacks his 3-year-old daughter during her weekly custody visit. In the aftermath, his older sister steps in, attempting to gently manipulate her niece’s mind so that she remembers the incident as just a game with her father.

Salt In The Air

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 12:00 PM

CAMELOT 3, 82 MINUTES

From seaside locations in Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Israel amongst others, this diverse selection of animated and live action films finds characters exposed to the elements and dreaming of distant shores.

The Flying Sailor

Canada, Wendy Tilby, Amanda Forbis, 8 min.

A bold blend of comedy, suspense and philosophy, The Flying Sailor is an exhilarating contemplation of the wonder and fragility of existence, based on the true story of two ships colliding in a harbor.

Junglefowl

Canada, Kalainithan Kalaichelvan, 15 min.

In a small village in northern Sri Lanka, a young girl is forced to confront the consequences of a deadly civil war as a wounded freedom fighter is brought in to into their home.

Lot’s Wife

Israel, Ori Birger, 19 min.

Nina treats her son’s Psoriasis disease in the Dead Sea. During the long hours her son is in treatment, Nina is left by herself and begins to drift away into a hazy voyage, daydreaming of another life.

The Sea on the Day When the Magic Returns

South Korea, Hang Luong Jiwon, 24 min.

Sejin once had the power to have anything she wanted just by thinking about it. But now she has lost her magic, perhaps because she can’t think of what she wants. Six hours before her interview to be a tourist interpreter, Sejin heads to the weary sea to save her father.

The Key

Belgium, Rakan Mayasi, 18 min.

An Israeli family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as the mysterious sound of a key is heard every evening in the door of their apartment.

Snow White

Croatia, Lana Bari , 14 min. Željka is a 40-year-old woman, living a quiet life in an isolated village. An unexpected visit will take her back to the past, shaking up her daily routine.

Sub Terra

Canada, Jeffrey Zablotny, 8 min.

A tree inspection unexpectedly gives way to a journey into the deep with a haunting and mysterious first-person perspective set below the Earth’s surface.

The Swimmer

Denmark, Máté Boegi, 16 min.

When a sound-recordist brings his girlfriend on a trip to the Danish west coast to record atmospheres, he picks up a disturbing sound that begins to torment his conscience.