Celebrating over three decades of presenting great shorts, Shortsfest is one of only four Oscar®-qualifying festivals in the US strictly dedicated to short film in the fields of animation, documentary, and live-action narrative. Featuring new works from over 33 countries, with 11 programs, 79 short films, and 74 premieres, each program contains a variety of shorts, from comedy to drama and documentary to animation. This year’s Oscar®-qualifying competition will introduce viewers to a hugely diverse array of fast-rising filmmakers.

Aspen Shortsfest, voted one of “THE COOLEST SHORT FILM FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD 2022” by Moviemaker Magazine, is recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in North America. An esteemed Industry Jury deliberates on six competitive awards which all come with cash prizes. In addition, a Youth Jury cash prize is awarded by a panel of primarily local teen judges, and our Ellen Award, in honor of our beloved and late founder Ellen Kohner Hunt, is bestowed by a group of Ellen's friends for artistic merit and originality to a distinguished filmmaker. 

Aspen Shortsfest continued its tradition of Oscar® success with The Martha Mitchell Effect, directed by Anne Alvergue + Debra McClutchy, which screened at Shortsfest 2022 and was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the 2023 Academy Awards. Prior to that, Joanna Quinn and Les Mills’ Affairs of the Art – the jury prize winner for comedy at Shortsfest in 2021 – was nominated for Best Animated Short at the 2022 Academy Awards. Other recent Shortsfest selections that have garnered Oscar® nominations include Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva, Sister by Siqi Song, Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur (also a jury member at Shortsfest in 2020), and Nefta Football Club by Yves Piat.

Click here to View the More Information About Aspen Filmfest : Announcing the stellar program for Shortsfest 2023!