“Retirement Plan” Receives Best of the Festival
“Budō” Receives Best Animated Short
“Shanti Rides Shotgun” Receives Best Documentary Short
“Susana” Receives Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
“Medusa” Receives Best Live-Action Short Under 15 Minutes
PALM SPRINGS, CA (June 29, 2025) - The 2025 Palm Springs International ShortFest announced its Festival juried and audience award winners as part of the Awards Brunch at the Renaissance Hotel Palm Springs. Awards and cash prizes worth $30,000 including five Academy Award® qualifying awards were presented to the winners selected from the 311 short films that were part of the official selection. Sponsored by the City of Palm Springs, ShortFest took place June 24-30, 2025.
Oscar-Qualifying Awards:
The winner of these awards may be eligible to submit their short to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.
Best of the Festival Award—Winner received $5,000 cash prize.
Jury: Caroline Lindy (Director, Your Monster); Carolina Groppa (Producer, Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul); Cooper Raiff (Director, Cha Cha Real Smooth)
- Winner: Retirement Plan, Directed by John Kelly
- Special Mention for Best Director: Passarinho, Directed by Natalia García Agraz
- Special Mention for Best Acting: Beyond Silence, Directed by Marnie Blok
Best Animated Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Ahkeyah Andrada (Director of Development, Lord Miller); Mireia Vilanova (Producer, Cartuna); Ramin Zahed (Editor In Chief, Animation Magazine)
- Winner: Budō (Sweden), Directed by Amanda Aagard and Alexander Toma
- Special Mention: The Little Ancestor (Canada), Directed by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur
Best Documentary Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Lauren Cioffi (Documentary Producer); Isis Masoud (Casting Director/Filmmaker/Actress, the Nonfiction Hotlist); Lauren Thelen (Programming Director, Nashville Film Festival)
- Winner: Shanti Rides Shotgun (USA), Directed by Charles Frank
- Special Mention: One Day I Will Hug You (Palestine/Sweden/Qatar), Directed by Mohammed Fares Al Majdalawi
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Manuel Betancourt (Critic, FilmWeek); Imani Davis (Film Programmer, American Cinematheque); Lucas Ford (Ford Films)
- Winner: Susana (Mexico/USA), Directed by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante
- Special Mention: Nervous Energy (USA), Directed by Eve Liu
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Julien Levesque (Agent, The Gersh Agency); Peter Debruge (Chief Film Critic, Variety); Karsten Runquist (Filmmaker)
- Winner: Medusa (USA), Directed by Sarah Meyohas
- Special Mention: Made From Leakproof Plastic (Canada/United Kingdom), Directed by Anastasiya Mykhaylova
Student Short Awards:
Best Student Animated Short & Best Student International Short—Each winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Pasqual Gutierrez (Director/Writer, Cliqua); Sue-Ellen Chitunya (Producer/Filmmaker); Kate Sharp (Literary Manager/Producer, Bellevue Productions)
Student Animated Short:
- Winner: Dragfox (United Kingdom), Directed by Lisa Ott
- Special Mention: Ma Mao (Canada), Directed by Thanh Ngo
Student International Short:
- Winner: Cura Sana (Spain), Directed by Lucía G. Romero
- Special Mention: Crazy For You (Spain/USA), Directed by Greta Díaz Moreau
Best Student U.S. Short & Best Student Documentary Short—Each winner received a $1000 cash prize, ties split.
Jury: Debra Birnbaum (Editor-in-Chief, Gold Derby); Jaqueline Mosher (Manager, Rain Management Group); Brock Williams (Producer, Boxcar Films)
Student U.S. Short:
- Winner: Nervous Energy (USA), Directed by Eve Liu and Breastmilk (USA/Nigeria) Directed by Ifeyinwa Arinze
- Special Mention: Kisses and Bullets (USA/Iran), Directed by Faranak Sahafian
Student Documentary Short:
- Winner: You Can’t See It from Here (USA/Colombia), Directed by Enrique Pedráza-Botero
- Special Mention: Dancing in Tomorrowland (USA), Directed by Jakob Roston
Special Jury Awards:
Vimeo Staff Pick Award—Winner received a $5,000 cash prize provided by Vimeo.
- Winner: You Know You Wanna Stay (USA), Directed by Alex Heller
Best International Short— Each winner received a $500 cash prize.
Jury: Sola Fasehun (Founder, Co-Director, The Diversity & Inclusion Film Festival); Roberto Larios (TV Literary Agent, Verve Talent & Literary Agency); Ritesh Mehta (Story Consultant, Programmer, Freelance Journalist & Critic)
- Winners: Beyond Silence (The Netherlands), Directed by Marnie Blok and Kuchar (The Itch) (India), Directed by Vaidaangi Sharma
- Special Mention: Goodbye Sun (France), Directed by Hakim Atoui
Best U.S. Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Marvin Lemus (Writer/Director); Craig Parish (Senior Programmer, Slamdance Film Festival); Mia Vicino (West Coast Editor, Letterboxd)
- Winner: Szypliszki (USA), Directed by Jordan Axelrod
- Special Mention: Ragamuffin (USA), Directed by Kaitlyn Mikayla
Best Comedy Short— Each winner received a $500 cash prize.
Jury: Sarah Carbiener (Writer/Producer); Aanch Khaneja (Producer); Matt Klasco (Manager/Producer, Adventure Media)
- Winners: How Was Your Weekend (USA), Directed by Cam Banfield and Your Own Flavor (USA), Directed by Alisha Ketry
- Special Mention: Blood Ties (France/Belgium), Directed by Hakim Atoui
Best LGBTQ+ Short—Each winner received a $500 cash prize.
Jury: Tracy Gilchrist (VP, Editorial & Special Projects, EqualPride); Daniel Talbott (Screenwriter/Director/Producer)
- Winners: Chico (France/Belgium), Directed by Théo Abadie and Hold Me Close (USA), Directed by Aurora Brachman and LaTajh Simmons-Weaver
- Special Mention: It Will Always End In The End (Canada), Directed by Nancy Pettinicchio
Best Midnight Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Lauren Botchan (Coordinator Creative Development, New Line Cinema); Meera Menon (Director); Brandt Wrightsman (VP Production & Development US Film & TV, Anton Corp)
- Winner: Mango (United Kingdom/France), Directed by Joan Iyiola
- Special Mention: Real (France), Directed by Rodrigue Hart
Local Jury Awards:
Desert Views Local Jury Award—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Anne Grey, Margaret Merciera, Ed Morznik, Lucinda Perez, Peet Smith, and Kathryn Tomasino
- Winner: Big Bass (USA), Directed by Drew Dickler
- Special Mention: The Devil Is Busy (USA), Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton
Young Cineastes Award—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Sophia Alejandre, Pauline Amariah Brack, RyanBlayse C. Bromley, Carolina Cruz-Herrera, Mariana Macias Gonzalez, Vivica Christine Ramirez, and Luiz Valdez
- Winner: Énouement (USA), Directed by Angel Lu
- Special Mention: Dandelion (USA), Directed by Fiona Obertinca
Kids’ Choice Award—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
Jury: Ella Rose Brown, Emmett Jackson, Marion Jackson, and K.J. Presswood
- Winner: Wednesdays with Gramps (USA), directed by Chris Copeland and Justin Copeland
- Special Mention: Forevergreen (USA), directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
Audience Awards
Best Animated Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
- Winner: Wednesdays with Gramps (USA), directed by Chris Copeland and Justin Copeland
Best Documentary Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
- Winner: The Devil Is Busy (USA), Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton
Best Live-Action Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
- Winner: Beatrix Is Invisible (USA), directed by Alex Farias
Best Student Short—Winner received a $1,000 cash prize.
- Winner: Dandelion (USA), Directed by Fiona Obertinca
About the Palm Springs International Film Society
The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards in January and Palm Springs International ShortFest in June. In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards® and its Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Its Festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest the organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons. The City of Palm Springs is the title sponsor of both festivals. For additional information and tickets, call the festival headquarters at (760) 778-8979 or visit the website at psfilmfest.org.
