The 31st Palm Springs International ShortFest wrapped up its 2025 edition with the announcement of this yearโs juried and audience award winners during a brunch event held at the Renaissance Hotel Palm Springs. The festival, which ran June 24โ30 and was backed by the City of Palm Springs, presented $30,000 in awards and cash prizes, including five Oscar-qualifying honors. The prizes were selected from a lineup of 311 short films featured in the official selection.
This yearโs winners in the Oscar-qualifying categories are ‘Retirement Plan' for Best of the Festival Award; ‘Budล' for Best Animated Short; Shanti Rides Shotgun for Best Documentary Short; ‘Susana' for Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes; and ‘Medusa' for Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under. These honors make the short films eligible for submission to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscarยฎ consideration.
Best of the Festival Award
‘Retirement Plan,' directed by John Kelly, won the Best of the Festival Award and received a $5,000 cash prize. The jury also gave special mentions to ‘Passarinho,' directed by Natalia Garcรญa Agraz, for Best Director, and ‘Beyond Silence,' directed by Marnie Blok, for Best Acting.
The jury for this category included Caroline Lindy (director, Your Monster), Carolina Groppa (producer, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul), and Cooper Raiff (director, Cha Cha Real Smooth).
Best Animated Shortย
‘Budล' from Sweden, directed by Amanda Aagard and Alexander Toma, received the award for Best Animated Short along with a $1,000 cash prize. A special mention was given to ‘The Little Ancestor' (Canada), directed by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur.
This categoryโs jury included Ahkeyah Andrada (Director of Development, Lord Miller), Mireia Vilanova (producer, Cartuna), and Ramin Zahed (Editor-in-Chief, Animation Magazine).
Best Documentary Short
‘Shanti Rides Shotgun' (USA), directed by Charles Frank, took home the Best Documentary Short award and a $1,000 prize. The jury awarded a special mention to ‘One Day I Will Hug You,' a co-production from Palestine, Sweden, and Qatar, directed by Mohammed Fares Al Majdalawi.
Jury members included Lauren Cioffi (documentary producer), Isis Masoud (casting director, filmmaker, and actress), and Lauren Thelen (programming director, Nashville Film Festival).
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
‘Susana' (Mexico/USA), directed by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante, won Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes, with a $1,000 cash award. A special mention was given to ‘Nervous Energy' (USA), directed by Eve Liu.
The jury consisted of critic Manuel Betancourt (FilmWeek), film programmer Imani Davis (American Cinematheque), and Lucas Ford (Ford Films).
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under
‘Medusa' (USA), directed by Sarah Meyohas, received Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under, and a $1,000 prize. The jury also gave a special mention to ‘Made From Leakproof Plastic' (Canada/UK), directed by Anastasiya Mykhaylova.
Jury members for this category included Julien Levesque (agent, The Gersh Agency), Peter Debruge (chief film critic, Variety), and filmmaker Karsten Runquist.
Student Awards
In the student categories, ‘Dragfox' (UK), directed by Lisa Ott, won Best Student Animated Short with a $1,000 cash prize. A special mention went to ‘Ma Mao' (Canada), directed by Thanh Ngo.
The jury included Pasqual Gutierrez (director/writer, Cliqua), Sue-Ellen Chitunya (producer/filmmaker), and Kate Sharp (literary manager/producer, Bellevue Productions).
‘Cura Sana' (Spain), directed by Lucรญa G. Romero, received Best Student International Short and a $1,000 award. ‘Crazy For You' (Spain/USA), directed by Greta Dรญaz Moreau, earned a special mention.
The jury was the same as that of the student animation category.
In the U.S. student short section, ‘Nervous Energy' (USA), directed by Eve Liu, and ‘Breastmilk' (USA/Nigeria), directed by Ifeyinwa Arinze, tied for Best Student U.S. Short, splitting the $1,000 prize. A special mention was awarded to ‘Kisses and Bullets' (USA/Iran), directed by Faranak Sahafian.
The jury for this category included Debra Birnbaum (Editor-in-Chief, Gold Derby), Jaqueline Mosher (manager, Rain Management Group), and Brock Williams (producer, Boxcar Films).
‘You Canโt See It from Here' (USA/Colombia), directed by Enrique Pedrรกza-Botero, won Best Student Documentary Short and was awarded $1,000. ‘Dancing in Tomorrowland'ย (USA), directed by Jakob Roston, received a special mention.
The jury for this category was also composed of Birnbaum, Mosher, and Williams.
Special Jury Awards
Vimeoโs Staff Pick Award, which includes a $5,000 prize, was awarded to ‘You Know You Wanna Stay' (USA), directed by Alex Heller.
‘Beyond Silence' (The Netherlands), directed by Marnie Blok, and ‘Kuchar (The Itch)' (India), directed by Vaidaangi Sharma, were named co-winners of Best International Short. A special mention went to ‘Goodbye Sun' (France), directed by Hakim Atoui.
The jury included Sola Fasehun (Founder, Co-Director, The Diversity & Inclusion Film Festival), Roberto Larios (TV Literary Agent, Verve Talent & Literary Agency), and Ritesh Mehta (Story Consultant, Programmer, Freelance Journalist & Critic).
โ'Szypliszki' (USA), directed by Jordan Axelrod, received the award for Best U.S. Short and a $1,000 prize. The jury gave a special mention to ‘Ragamuffin' (USA), directed by Kaitlyn Mikayla.
Jurors for this category were Marvin Lemus (Writer/Director), Craig Parish (Senior Programmer, Slamdance Film Festival), and Mia Vicino (West Coast Editor, Letterboxd).
Two titles shared the Best Comedy Short award: ‘How Was Your Weekend' (USA), directed by Cam Banfield, and ‘Your Own Flavor' (USA), directed by Alisha Ketry. Both received $500 awards. A special mention went to ‘Blood Ties' (France/Belgium), directed by Hakim Atoui. This jury included Sarah Carbiener (Writer/Producer), Aanch Khaneja (Producer), and Matt Klasco (Manager/Producer, Adventure Media)
‘Chico' (France/Belgium), directed by Thรฉo Abadie, and ‘Hold Me Close' (USA), directed by Aurora Brachman and LaTajh Simmons-Weaver, received the Best LGBTQ+ Short, along with $500 prizes. A special mention was awarded to ‘It Will Always End In The End' (Canada), directed by Nancy Pettinicchio.
Jury members were Tracy Gilchrist (VP, Editorial & Special Projects, EqualPride) and Daniel Talbott (Screenwriter/Director/Producer).
‘Mango' (United Kingdom/France), directed by Joan Iyiola, received the Best Midnight Short award, which comes with a $1,000 prize. ‘Real' (France), directed by Rodrigue Hart, received a special mention.
The jury included Lauren Botchan (Coordinator Creative Development, New Line Cinema), Meera Menon (Director), and Brandt Wrightsman (VP Production & Development US Film & TV, Anton Corp).
Local Jury Awards
The Desert Views Local Jury Award went to ‘Big Bass' (USA), directed by Drew Dickler, which received a $1,000 prize. A special mention was given to ‘The Devil Is Busy' (USA), directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton.
Jurors includedย Anne Grey, Margaret Merciera, Ed Morznik, Lucinda Perez, Peet Smith, and Kathryn Tomasino.
The Young Cineastes Award, also accompanied by a $1,000 prize, went to ‘รnouement' (USA), directed by Angel Lu. ‘Dandelion' (USA), directed by Fiona Obertinca, received a special mention.
The jury was made up of Sophia Alejandre, Pauline Amariah Brack, RyanBlayse C. Bromley, Carolina Cruz-Herrera, Mariana Macias Gonzalez, Vivica Christine Ramirez, and Luiz Valdez.
The Kidsโ Choice Award was given to ‘Wednesdays with Gramps' (USA), directed by Chris Copeland and Justin Copeland. ‘Forevergreen' (USA), directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears, received a special mention.
The youth jury for this award included Ella Rose Brown, Emmett Jackson, Marion Jackson, and K.J. Presswood.
Audience Awards
The Audience Awards included several $1,000 cash prizes across different categories. ‘Wednesdays with Gramps' (USA), directed by Chris Copeland and Justin Copeland, won Best Animated Short. The award for Best Documentary Short went to ‘The Devil Is Busy' (USA), directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton. ‘Beatrix Is Invisible' (USA), directed by Alex Farias, received the prize for Best Live-Action Short. In the student category, ‘Dandelion' (USA), directed by Fiona Obertinca, was awarded Best Student Short.