ShortFest Programs

Back to ShortFest Programs

-->

Films

ALL IN THE FAMILY
96 min.
Families provide abundant fodder for creative storytelling, and in this selection of six engrossing new shorts, the stories add up to a whole lot more than the sum of each family's parts.... more

ANIMAL ATTRACTION
88 min.
Animals of every stripe are a staple of filmmaking plots, and in each of these striking new shorts, animals (and the occasional bug) make the world go round and round.... more

(ANYTHING BUT) FAIRY TALES
94 min.
A striking selection of edgy, twisted tales about the further reaches of gay experience, with one goofy parody of a famed horror movie thrown in for good measure.... more

ART ATTACK
85 min.
The beauty of art isn't always easily accessible, no matter what the perspective.... more

AWARD-WINNING DOCS
87 min.
An all-star collection of diverse documentaries, wide-ranging in style and substance, that have been collecting audience and jury prizes from top film festivals around the world.... more

THE BATTLE FIELD
96 min.
It's not just war that gets fought on the front line.... more

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
82 min.
The old cliché provides that everything has a beginning and ending. This striking collection challenges the notion and offers up a new perspective about where the start and finish lines really are.... more

BOY MEETS GIRL
87 min.
Boy meets girl meets boy, and sometimes meets another girl. The never-ending Rubik's Cube of relationships and close connections.... more

CROSSING THE LINE
94 min.
There's always a line. The question is, do you cross it? Well, do you?... more

DAY SHIFT
90 min.
It's anything but a 9-5 existence for these laborers on the job market.... more

DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS
80 min.
Venus? Mars? Doesn't matter what happens on other planets -- here on Earth, it's different for girls.... more

DREAMS AND DESIRES
87 min.
What we dream and what we desire are rarely what we need, or ever what's good for us...but the siren's call is hard to resist.... more

FAMILY MATTERS
95 min.
You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family...or can you?... more

FANTASTIC ANIMATION
93 min.
Amazing stories from the animated imaginations of filmmakers who let their fingers do the talking.... more

FATHER KNOWS BEST?
94 min.
There comes a time in every child's life where he realizes that Dad is just a dad and not a superhero. Although for some, that moment comes at just the wrong time.... more

FILMS FOR FAMILIES
84 min.
Stories you can bring your kids (age 8 and up) to watch and enjoy!... more

FIRST PERSON, SINGULAR
86 min.
From one perspective to the next, no two people see the same story in the same way. In these short tales, the stories take on more than one personae.... more

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
97 min.
Portrayed with dignity and beauty, the subjects in these extraordinary documentaries face down tremendous political and cultural challenges with courage and insight.... more

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
85 min.
These games have different rules than your average game of pick up sticks or tiddlywinks, and the stakes are markedly higher.... more

GAY GOODBYES
83 min.
Each of the central characters in this stunning collection of new gay-themed shorts is saying goodbye in some way, shape or form, whether to a person, a way of life or simply a dream.... more

THE GAY!LA: COUPLE UP
86 min.
Good things come in pairs, and these stunning new short films prove that when gay men couple up, their stories are twice as entertaining.... more

IDIOT'S DELIGHT
90 min.
These guys are like a train wreck you can't look away from -- idiots who can barely get themselves dressed in the morning much less get through life in one piece!... more

LAW AND ORDER
89 min.
You won't see these stories on any TV show. Ripped not from the headlines, but straight from the heart and brought to you without commercial interruptions.... more

LES GIRLS
87 min.
Around the world and back, this collection of great new shorts about life outside of the Dinah is alternately entertaining, provocative and packed with girl power.... more

LOCAL COLOR
84 min.
A striking collection of new work from local filmmaking talent.... more

LOVE AND MARRIAGE
91 min.
Everyone has their own definition of love and marriage, but for our happy (and hapless) couples, love and marriage may take their relationships to brand new extremes.... more

LOVE GONE BAD
84 min.
First, comes love. What follows next (all too quickly for some of us) is love gone bad. And for these misbegotten lovers, when love goes bad, it goes really bad.... more

MEMORY LANE
90 min.
A trip down this lane isn't always sweet recollections and smiles. An eclectic mix of the eccentric and the everyday, as seen through the prism of a world already gone by.... more

MOTHERHOOD
90 min.
Each of these mothers has their own way of traversing the emotional roller coaster ride with their children, including just turning the ride off.... more

ODD (WO)MAN OUT
80 min.
The theme of women coming to grips with whatever predicament life may hand them forms the basis for this package of six remarkable short films with women as their central characters.... more

ON THE ROAD
92 min.
With the horizon ahead of you and a road below you, all your cares seem to fly out the window. Well, at least momentarily.... more

ON TOP DOWN UNDER
85 min.
Each year we welcome dozens of Aussie filmmakers with top notch films showcasing extraordinary talent from the land down under. This year is no exception as we celebrate and profile these grand cinematic adventures from Oz!... more

OPENING NIGHT: FOR LAUGHING OUT LOUD
82 min.
A selection of great new comedy shorts shares the bill on ShortFest's Opening Night kickoff, followed by a fabulous party at Wangs. No shortage of big time entertainment here!... more

PARLEZ VOUS?
80 min.
French language shorts are one of the highlights of this year's ShortFest viewing, and this terrific selection of great new shorts from France, French-speaking Switzerland and Quebec provide vivid proof.... more

PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
87 min.
Envisioning yourself naked just isn't enough for our intrepid (or is it inept) players on the grand stage of life.... more

PHILOSOPHY 101
86 min.
These five short films revolve around the theme that life is much easier to handle if you approach it with the right attitude, basing your actions on a set of essential beliefs.... more

PROUD AND LOUD
82 min.
A cornucopia of great new gay shorts spanning a gamut of experiences from go-go dancing to makin' babies, from beauty contests to trailer camp barbecues, and from an Indian adventure to an awkward roll in the hay.... more

RITES OF PASSAGE
89 min.
The tough part about growing up is, frankly, growing up. Most of us have a threshold we've crossed when making that transition, but not anything like the travails of these teens turning adults.... more

SAME PLANET, DIFFERENT WORLDS
86 min.
From creepy crawly things in Cambodia to broken down boats in Britain, this wide-ranging collection of documentaries shows us things we may never have known about or will see in a whole new light.... more

SCENES OF THE CRIME
97 min.
Crimes of passion. Crimes of the heart. Crimes of convenience. Crimes just aren't crimes without a good location.... more

SERIOUSLY TWISTED TALES
81 min.
No, really seriously twisted. This is the stuff nightmares are made of, so be prepared and don't come if you're weak in the knees or easily offended.... more

SHOOTING STARS
80 min.
This year's crop of new shorts featuring well known stars both in front of and behind the camera includes work from Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alicia Witt, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker, AnnaLynne McCord, David Morse and Mathew Rhys.... more

SHORT ENCOUNTERS: James Franco in Conversation with Peter Bart
90 min.
Actor/Screenwriter/Director James Franco has written and directed three remarkable short films in the course of this last year, and will discuss his work with Variety Editor-in-Chief Peter Bart.... more

SIX OR SEVEN DEADLY SINS
80 min.
We may not have all seven deadly sins but really, who's counting? At this level, a sin is a sin, so let this be a cautionary tale about lust, greed, envy, gluttony and a few others thrown in for good measure.... more

A SPORTING CHANCE
80 min.
Ride the thrill of the competitive edge as it exists in the heart of champions across the world.... more

SWING SHIFT
91 min.
Those who work on the fringe often find that their jobs take on different faces of mythic proportions.... more

TABLE TALK
84 min.
Many of life's most interesting encounters happen around a table, and in this selection of short films set at various tables, entertainment is being served up fresh and steaming hot!... more

TOO CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
83 min.
Be ready to have your boundaries breached and your comfort level twisted. These stories are a little too close for comfort.... more

TWIST OF FATE
89 min.
One small twist of fate can change the course of the world.... more

TWO TOO MUCH
89 min.
One may be the loneliest number, but for some of us even two is one too many.... more

WHEN STRANGERS MEET
96 min.
If attraction is instinctual than the reverse must be true as well. When these strangers meet, it's even odds which side of the magnet they will fall on.... more

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE JEWISH
90 min.
Tales from the homeland and around the world about living life Jewish.... more