ShortFest to Showcase Shorts Featuring Beck Bennett, Steve Buscemi, Robert Emms, James Franco, Tyrese Gibson, Jennifer Hudson, Oscar Isaac, Connor Jessup, Richard Kind, Jane Krakowski, Caroline Lagerfelt, Neil LaBute, Zosia Mamet, Jack O’Connell, Sarah Parish, Guy Pearce, Abigal Spencer, Kristen Wiig and Ray Wise

Palm Springs, CA – Now in its 22nd year, Palm Springs International ShortFest will showcase 327 films including 46 World Premieres, 63 North American Premieres and 13 U.S. Premieres. The selection of films for screening and competition features star-studded casts and award-winning films from 54 countries around the world. There are 56 curated programs, which will screen June 21-27, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs. More than 4,100 of the festival submissions are available in the Film Market for industry attendees to view.

Festival Director Helen du Toit says, "After a 31% jump in submissions this year, our programing team, led by the sharp-minded and quick-witted Penelope Bartlett, is exhausted but exhilarated. Our audiences will see a broader international representation of stories than ever before. Much like with their feature films, Romania appears to be breeding especially bold and original filmmakers while France’s long entrenched policy of supporting the arts, continues to bear fruit as well. With the new crop of talented filmmakers emerging around the world, the future looks bright indeed."

Programming Director Penelope Bartlett is excited to be embracing some of the evolving trends in world cinema, “We are showing more documentaries, more experimental films, and more of the hard to categorize, hybrid films which play with film form in exciting ways. We cast the net far and wide to ensure we had more films from less represented regions, like Africa and the Middle East, and films by indigenous filmmakers and filmmakers of color. In terms of female director representation, although there is still a ways to go to achieve parity, we are heartened to see that a third of our program is by female directors.”

This year’s star-studded shorts feature Academy Award® winners and nominees, as well as film and television stars including Richard Kind in Black Swell (USA); Boy (Canada) directed by Connor Jessup; Aitana Sánchez-Gijón in Disco Inferno (Spain); Robert Emms and Sarah Parish in Dunroamin (UK); Jack O’Connell in Home (Kosovo/USA); Beck Bennett and a cameo by Conan O’Brien in How To Lose Weight In 4 Easy Steps (USA); The Lagoon (Mexico/USA) directed by PSIFF alumnus Aaron Schock; Oscar Isaac and the voice of Kristen Wiig in Lightningface (USA); Guy Pearce in Lorne (Australia); Steve Buscemi, Jane Krakowski and Zosia Mamet in Mildred and the Dying Parlor (USA); the US premiere of A Most Peculiar Man (USA) directed by Dan Ireland; The Mulberry Bush (USA) directed by Neil LaBute; Caroline Lagerfelt in Napoleon in Exile (USA); Randy Harrison in Photo Op (USA); Tyrese Gibson and Jennifer Hudson in Shame (USA); Kevin Rahm and Ray Wise in Taking Flight (USA); Aiden Guillen in Violet (Ireland) and James Franco, Jack Kehler and Abigail Spencer in A Walk in Winter (USA).

ShortFest jurors include: Peter Bart (Deadline), Jeremy Boxer (Vimeo), Zorianna Kit (Huffington Post), Molly Parker (actress House of Cards), Rachel Samuels (Conde Nast) and Alison Willmore (Buzzfeed). Over $115,000 in prizes, including $20,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 21 categories to this year’s short films in competition. The Panavision Best North American Short Award winner will receive a camera package valued at $60,000. First place winners in four categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for a possible Academy Award® nomination. Over the course of 22 years, the Festival has presented 101 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations. Winners will be announced on Sunday, June 26 at a Closing Night screening and reception.

Also, submissions are still being accepted for the 60 Seconds to Impact film competition, a collaboration between the Palm Springs International ShortFest and the University of California, Riverside, designed to inspire young people to vote. To submit a video or find out more, visit www.60secondstoimpact.com. Throughout the campaign, the public is encouraged to view videos and vote for their favorites at www.60secondstoimpact.com.

About Palm Springs International ShortFest:

Designated by AMPAS, BAFTA and BIFA as an award-qualifying festival, and accredited by the International Short Film Conference, the Palm Springs International ShortFest & Short Film Market, one of the most acclaimed short film showcases in the world, will take place in Palm Springs on June 21-27. Now in its 22nd year, ShortFest will showcase over 327 short films from 54 countries. The concurrent Short Film Market will feature a library of more than 4100 films available to film buyers, industry and press, the only Short Film Market in North America. The ShortFest Forum programs are a four-day schedule of seminars, panel discussions, roundtables and master classes staged free of charge for attending filmmakers.

For more information, visit the website: http://www.psfilmfest.org.