The Palm Springs Shorts festival is an online awards festival that awards short films. Out of the 82 submissions for the summer submission window, 23 films were awarded. The awarded films ranged from micro-shorts at 3:14 to shorts bordering on short feature length at 39:59. There were also unproduced short scripts awarded. While most entries were from the United States, there were also awardees from Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, France, and Spain. Some of the highlights include:
Timeless: Alan the Musical (USA): The animation in this short wowed me. It is a musical/music video style short that shows the connection between humans and inanimate objects, but the star of this project is the stunning and imaginative animation. I always seek out animation work when I’m looking at festivals because so many people are creating wonderful examples of the form that I otherwise don’t get to see. This one is delightful and if you have the opportunity to check it out, treat yourself. It’s also only 3:37, so it won’t take much time if you don’t like it, and if you do, you can watch it again.
Creative Team: Susan Mey Lee Lim, Samudra Kajal Saikia, Christina Teenz Tan
Counterpoint (Spain): I personally am not a fan of experimental films, and this one is very much an experimental film. However, I did enjoy that it utilized many classic film techniques. If you are a fan of experimental films, this one is probably worth checking out.
Writer/Director: Alberto Martín-Aragón
Dreamer (Bulgaria): Another animated film but in a very different style. A much more familiar style. In fact, I wasn’t surprised when I looked down at the credits for Vladimir Todorov, I discovered he’s worked as an animator on numerous animated films. He even served as lead animator on some, like Space Jam,” “Lost in Space,” and “The Quest for Camelot.” While the character animation in this was great, I was most taken with the details in the set animation. From the billboards to the graffiti puns. Every detail really filled in the world of the story.
Writer/Director: Vladimir Todorov
In the Shadow (France): This film is a tough one and leaves me very conflicted. It was inspired by the lockdowns and envisions a world where artists/creatives are now fugitives, not allowed to congregate or create. I worked in a live theatre. We shut down. The show was gone for over a year and didn’t even stay open a week before closing down for good when it returned. But the thing is, as much as we hated it, we also understood the reasoning. And artists still found a way to create online. In fact, art and theatre became more accessible than ever, with shows broadcasting online taped versions for consumption. As much as artists love to create collectively, they also adapt and find a way. That said, this short takes the concept of the illicit meeting and runs with it really well. The code names to start with “Colette” already being taken, really grounded the short in France.
Directors: Ophélie Koering & Sophie Bacry Picciotto
Writer: Laura Pelerins
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