Film lovers from all over have been enjoying Aspen Shortsfest, our celebration of short films and filmmaking for seventeen years now. Aspen Shortsfest is widely recognized as one of the premier short film and video festivals in North America. We're proud of how this event has grown into an international incubator for filmmaking talent. Shortsfest enjoys a reputation for the quality of our programs and the warmth of our audiences. We are embraced as an intimate and vibrant festival distinguished by the friendship of an international community of filmmakers who travel to join us. A reputation we have garnered, to a large extent, thanks to the support of our welcoming audiences.

Over the years, Shortsfest has received many enthusiastic reviews from guests, filmmakers and audience members alike. As Shortsfest 2005 jury member Alexander Payne (Sideways) said: "It's unfair to judge a festival this good. It was a constant Sophie's Choice. We were only unanimous in picking one winner - Aspen Shortsfest itself, a brilliantly conceived miracle of a festival."

We invite you to join us this coming April for another journey of discovery - from experiencing the great filmmakers of tomorrow, to sampling a rich variety of current productions from around the world. Aspen Shortsfest will offer more opportunities than ever to interact with visiting film guests. Question and Answer sessions following each evening's International Competition screenings allow you to learn more about the films and their makers. Our popular MasterWorks program offers a high-profile panel whose insights highlight the mentoring element Shortsfest is famous for industry-wide. Each year our public screenings include Special Programs (Planet Cinema, Director Spotlight) designed to provide a more in-depth look at the film artistry of a filmmaker, film genre or country. And of course you'll want to mix and mingle with all of our guests at the Meet the Filmmakers event. The Festival Lounge is Shortsfest's headquarters. Open to everyone, it's a great place to hang out with the artists, and catch a number of informal presentations. Join industry professionals for one of our informative Lounge Events, or bring a brown bag lunch and enjoy a CineCafe roundtable. We hope you'll take advantage of all of these great opportunities that celebrate everything short.

International Competition
Shortsfest's heart is the International Competition featuring outstanding short films and videos from around the world. A unique blend of internationally-acclaimed award-winners and new discoveries, each year's finalists are carefully selected and programmed to showcase a host of artistic voices from Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, Asia, and the Pacific. Selected from a worldwide offering of over 2,000 short comedies, dramas, animation, and documentaries, Aspen Shortsfest's International Competition includes approximately 60 short films and videos, many of them premieres.

A jury of industry luminaries determines the International Competition Award-winners. Recent jurors have included Oscar-nominated documentary filmmakers Cecilia Peck (Shut Up and Sing) and Adrian Belic (Beyond the Call, Genghis Blues); Oscar-winners Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (Sideways); directors Lewis Teague (The Jewel of the Nile); Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking); Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves); Jon Bloom (Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Academy board member); cinematographer John Bailey (Ordinary People, Groundhog Day, The Anniversary Party); film critic Bob Denerstein; producer Jason Blumenthal (The Weather Man); short film distributor Megan O'Neill (Atom Films); noted festival programmers Roger Gonin (Director, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival), John Cooper (Associate Director, Sundance Film Festival); director Vicky Jenson (Shrek); cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, A.S.C. (November); documentary filmmaker Aviva Slesin (Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII); and many others.

Competition finalists are also eligible for other special prizes, including The Ellen Award for Most Original Film, named in honor of Aspen Filmfest's founder Ellen Hunt, and the BAFTA-LA Award for Excellence, presented by the Los Angeles chapter of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Aspen Shortsfest is also a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards®. In recent years, several Aspen Shortsfest award-winners have garnered Oscar Awards or nominations (The Danish Poet, Eramos Pocos, Our Time is Up, Wasp, Two Cars, One Night, Asylum, Squash, among others).

Fair Trade, Germany/Morocco
Best Drama SF2007

Alexander Payne
Masterworks Panel and Jury
SF 2005

The Danish Poet, Canada/Norway
Animated Eye & Ellen Awards
SF2006

International
Competition

Tanghi Argentini, Belgium
Audience Favorite Award SF2007

MasterWorks
Featuring an all-star panel of highly acclaimed filmmakers, Shortsfest's annual Masterworks seminar is designed to deepen audience and filmmaker's appreciation of film through the insight and perspective of those who create it, Past MasterWorks topics have included Editing,Screenwriting, Cinematography, Directing and Creative Collaboration. Past Masterworks program participants include director-writer Paul Hagis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby); director-screenwriter team Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (Sideways, About Schmidt, Election); directors and screenwriters Frank Pierson (Cool Hand Luke, Dog Day Afternoon); Peter Segal (Anger Management, The Longest Yard); Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho, Northfork); Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Quiet American); Paul Mazursky (An Unmarried Woman, Down and Out in Beverly Hills); Audrey Wells (The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Under the Tuscan Sun); Julie Taymor (Titus, Frida) and Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies); actor-director Peter Riegert (Traffic, Crossing Delancey); cinematographers John Bailey (Groundhog Day, The Big Chill), Allen Daviau (E.T., The Color Purple), and Amy Vincent (Eve's Bayou); editors Carol Littleton (The Big Chill, E.T.), Ron Bochar (Hollywoodland, Capote, Angels in America), Tim Squyres, A.C.E. ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gosford Park, Syriana); and many others.

Director Spotlight
Focusing attention on filmmakers who have transitioned from shorts to longer work, past Director Spotlights have honored such film artists as Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking); Oscar-winning animator Adam Elliot (Harvie Krumpet), Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas), John McKay (Crush), Todd Field (In the Bedroom), Bob Sabiston & Tommy Pallotta (Waking Life), Christina Andreef (Soft Fruit) among others.

Planet Cinema
Special presentations by noted film scholars and curators, highlighting different aspects of short cinema. Past Planet Cinema programs have included recent French shorts, African films, Early Disney, Animation and Documentary, and many other topics.

Off-Screen Events
The extra fun that puts the "festive" in festival! All special events are open to everyone and offer a chance to meet fellow film enthusiasts, filmmakers, and guests from far and near. Make the most of your Shortsfest experience by planning to attend these fun and friendly occasions! Kick Off Reception Ticket holders for Shorts Program I are invited to a post-screening celebration. Meet the Filmmakers This informal reception offers a great chance to mix and mingle with Shortsfest's invited guests and enjoy a quick nosh before heading off to each evening's first screening.

Festival Lounge
Shortsfest's HQ! The Festival Lounge is the place to be if you're looking to chat cinema, talk technique, or just rub elbows with a host of international filmmakers and film lovers in a low-key, casual atmosphere. The Lounge is also the setting for programs that address topics of interest to both aspiring filmmakers and appreciative audiences. Festival Lounge programs include:

CineCafe
Enjoy more in-depth dialogue with filmmakers in moderated panel discussions centering on artistic and cultural issues that affect short filmmaking.

Focus on Filmmaking
Professional presentations providing useful information focusing on important issues facing filmmakers of all levels. Led by invited industry professionals, these presentations offer plenty of Q&A and sharing of experiences amongst peers. Focus on Filmmaking presentations are open to all and require no tickets or pre-registration. Recent industry panelists include representatives from Kodak, Atomfilms, KQED Public Television, ITVS (Independent Television Service), Movieola - The Short Film Channel, Shorts International, IFILM, Apollo Cinema, and many others.

MasterWorks Panel SF2004

The Fighting Cholitas, Bolivia/USA
Best Documentary SF2007

Motodrom, Germany
Best Cinematography SF2007

Clear Cut, Simple, USA
Best Student co-winner SF2007

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
Aspen Filmfest's year-round educational program serves local communities from Aspen to Rifle.
For more information on Aspen Filmfest's year-round Educational Outreach programs, please see our Education section.
Educational Outreach programs offered at Shortsfest include:

Family Film Program
Something special for young movie buffs and of course, the young at heart! Aspen Shortsfest presents live action and animated films chosen especially for their appeal to young people, providing an enriching experience for the whole family.

Local Filmmaker Showcase
The Local Filmmaker Showcase celebrates the Aspen Valley's home-grown talent with a free community screening featuring Shortsfest's Local Filmmaker Competition entries and other films with hometown roots.

Hands-on Workshops
Filmfest offers accessible and affordable opportunities for area youth and adults to learn the exciting arts of animation and video production, fostering artistic expression, discerning viewing habits, critical thinking, and further understanding of our world and ourselves.

Schools to the Theater
Provide area young people with age-appropriate screenings and in-depth exploration of relevant issues.

Filmmakers to the Classroom
Shortsfest's guest filmmakers from around the world visit classrooms throughout the valley, offering a unique opportunity for local youth to meet filmmakers in person, view films, ask questions, and learn about screenwriting, film production, the film industry, and foreign language films.