Columbia Filmmakers Head to Palm Springs for ShortFest 2023
The 29th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest will take place June 20–26, 2023. The festival is one of the most acclaimed short film showcases in the world, and Columbia filmmakers have had excellent success placing in past years. 2023 is no exception, with several films from Columbia alumni and students rising to the top to make the official selection from more than 6,000 short film submissions from 129 countries.
As reported by the filmmakers themselves, 125 out of 299 films (nearly 42%) feature women directors, and 139 films (47%) have filmmakers who identify as non-white. Further to the festival’s mandate to showcase film excellence worldwide, more than half of this year’s slate of films are from international filmmakers.
“We are so thrilled to be bringing such incredible talent to Palm Springs to celebrate film and the craft of short filmmaking” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez via press release. “We are honored to be sharing their work with our loyal Palm Spring audience and the world. We are looking forward to helping create the kind of experience only a film festival can provide.”
See below for a list of the films by Columbia filmmakers that will screen at the festival:
Coral
Sonia Oleniak ’21, Writer, Director
Creative Producing student Eda Çarikçi, Co-Producer
Constanza Majluf ’21, Producer
World Premiere
Playing June 22, 2023
In Coral, the whales have swallowed the moon and without it, people and animals and things have trouble digesting emotions. On this night, a family of strangers pass through a restaurant where their nightmares and dreams become more vivid.
Program: Fever Dream. Vivid imagery, distorted realities, provocative and mesmerizing stories—like a dream that you can’t shake, these films are made for unpacking.
Out of Water
Madi Stine ’22, Writer, Director, Producer
Meera Vaidya ’22, Producer
Playing June 21, 2023
When a disenchanted mermaid-for-hire is mistaken for a real mermaid, she plays along to disastrous consequences. You can watch the trailer here.
Program: Meeting People is Easy. Putting yourself out there can be hard, but as these films remind us, a stranger is just a friend, hookup, or life partner you've never met.
She Always Wins
Hazel McKibbin ’23, Writer, Director, Editor
Lauren Goetzman ’22, Producer
California Premiere
Playing June 24, 2023
When a young woman brings her new boyfriend to his first family visit, a complicated dance of dominance, deference and self-diminishment begins.
Program: Power Plays. Tense standoffs, risky gambits, and subtle manipulation characterize these stories about the lengths we go to control our own lives—and sometimes those of others.
Simone
Film student Aisha Amin, Writer, Director
World Premiere
Playing June 24, 2023
One hectic morning, a young mother attempts to navigate the New York City subway to get her baby to daycare on time.
Program: High Anxiety. With nervous laughter and charged moments, get ready to be on the edge of your seat with this selection of films that go deep.
So They Say
Natalia Luque ’22, Writer, Director
Donovan Tolledo ’22, Producer
Cecilia Otero ’22, Producer
World Premiere
Playing June 25, 2023
In this short, rumors spread like wildfire in a small Chilean town when an aborted fetus is found floating on the lake. A single mother's morals are put to the test when she discovers the culprit to be a young woman she knows. Watch the trailer here.
Program: Talk of the Town. Word gets around fast in these stories about small communities where it’s hard to avoid your neighbors and everyone knows your name.