Columbia Filmmakers Honored at Palm Springs International Shortfest 2025
After a whirlwind weekend in the California desert, three Columbia filmmakers left the Palm Springs International Shortfest with special mentions for their student films. These films were recognized in a field of over three hundred shorts screened that weekend.
Crazy for You, written and directed by Greta Díaz Moreau ’25, had its world premiere at the festival and received a Special Mention for Best Student International Short. The film takes place in rural Spain at the turn of the millennium, where 16-year-old Alma is dealing with the agony of adolescent desire with her eyes fixed on José, the village heartthrob.
Kisses and Bullets, written and directed by Faranak Sahafian ’24 and produced by Yoko Kohmoto ’23, received a Special Mention for Best Student U.S. Short. The short captures two women across the world who both face their fears by protesting for the Iranian Women, Life, Freedom movement. The women connect across the world through a photo that brings hope for a better tomorrow.
Twenty one other Columbia filmmakers’ shorts screened at the Shortfest. For more information about those films, read below.
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Original: June 11, 2025
Columbia directors, writers and producers dominate the live action lineup at the 2025 Palm Springs International Shortfest, one of the world’s premiere festivals dedicated to short films.
The 31st annual Shortfest runs from June 24 to 30, 2025, and features screenings of films at Festival Theaters, glitzy parties and an educational Forum at the Renaissance Palm Springs. The Shortfest’s six headline awards, like Best of the Festival and Best Live Action Short 15 Minutes and Under, qualify for the Oscar nomination pool.
“Brimming with inspired storytellers and experimentation, this year’s ShortFest once again promises short films which push boundaries, spark conversations, and entertain audiences,” Lili Rodriguez, artistic director of the Palm Springs International Film Society, told Deadline.
This year, twelve live action shorts and one documentary short spearheaded by Columbia filmmakers will screen at the festival. Read on for more details about these films and their filmmakers.
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Aria
Written and directed by Federica Belletti ’18; co-produced by Nina Cochran ’23, Mahak Jiwani ’18; executive produced by Sasha John ’17, Katharina Otto-Bernstein ’92, Tony Yang ’20
A young woman in New York City learns how to stand her ground after a sexual encounter turns harrowing. The North American premiere of this film will be featured in the Modern Romance section of the festival.
Clean Slate
Produced by Yoko Kohmoto ’23
Two Asian nonbinary best friends and actors must make some sacrifices when they go up for the same breakout role. The California premiere of this film will be featured in the Under the Spotlight section of the festival.
Crazy for You
Written and directed by Greta Díaz Moreau ’25
In rural Spain at the turn of the millennium, 16-year-old Alma is dealing with the agony of adolescent desire with her eyes fixed on José, the village heartthrob. The world premiere of this film will be featured in the Talk of the Town section of the festival.
Heaven Is Nobody’s
Written and directed by Hector Prats ’23; produced by Heather Francis ’23
A boy journeys through a nightmarish maze of streets to find a cure for his mother as a dancing curse descends on the city. This film will be featured in the Parables, Fantasies & Fables section of the festival.
Kisses and Bullets
Written and directed by Faranak Sahafian ’24; produced by Kohmoto
During the Iranian Women, Life, Freedom movement, Anahita in NYC and Yalda in Tehran each face their fears by going to a protest. The women connect across the world through a photo that brings hope for a better tomorrow. This film will be featured in the Acts of Defiance section of the festival.
Meal Ticket
Written by Wes Goodrich ’23 and Patrick Nichols ’22; directed by Goodrich; produced by Nichols
A scrappy manager must decide what to do with life-changing news he receives about his client—a young hip hop star—just 12 minutes before he goes on stage for his debut tour. This film will be featured in the Face the Music section of the festival.
My Mother is a Cow
Co-written and directed by Moara Passoni ’21; produced by Katya Skakun ’20
Left in her aunt's care on a ranch at the edge of a burning wetland, 12-year-old Mia is desperate for her mother's touch. But in this volatile world, with the impending threat of a deadly jaguar, love comes in unexpected form. This film will be featured in the Parables, Fantasies & Fables section of the festival.
No Experience Necessary
Written and directed by Emily Everhard ’24; produced by Sharvari Bhat ’24
A grieving septuagenarian widow with two (literal) left feet rediscovers herself at a ballroom dance studio. The California premiere of this film will be featured in the Opening Night section of the festival. Its recent screening at the Aspen Film Shortsfest earned it the Jury’s Special Mention in Comedy.
Pedigree
Written by Kai Wen Hu ’24 and Cody Young ’24; directed by Hu; produced by Young
Samuel Kim and his daughter, Squid, are a pair of hustling street vendors who hatch a scam to pay rent: buy second hand puppies and sell them as purebreds for big bucks. The California premiere of this film will be featured in the Animal Instincts section of the festival.
Premiere
Written and directed by Omer Ben-David ’23; produced by Jacob Huebner ’22
A filmmaker presenting his film at a prestigious festival competes against his girlfriend's ex, a big-shot director. The North American premiere of this film will be featured in the High Anxiety section of the festival.
Ruse
Written and directed by Film student Rhea Shukla
On a rainy afternoon, somewhere between innocence and awareness, three adolescent girls find themselves in the middle of a dance that takes on a life of its own. The North American premiere of this film will be featured in the Codes of Conduct section of the festival.
Unholy
Written and directed by Daisy Friedman (BC ’25); produced by Undergraduate Film Student Arielle Friedman and Isaak Popkin (CC ’24)
Noa, living with a complex gastrointestinal disorder, attends her family's Passover Seder for the first time since getting a feeding tube. Surrounded by food she can’t eat, she faces malfunctioning devices and well-meaning relatives who don’t know when to stop. The California premiere of this film will be featured in the Life of the Party section of the festival.
We Were the Scenery
Directed and edited by Christopher Radcliff ’09
In 1975, two Vietnamese refugees fled by boat, landing in a Philippine camp where they were cast as extras in Apocalypse Now. This documentary explores their memories, weaving through Vietnam, the Philippines, and the USA across truth, fiction, and time. This film, which recently won the prestigious Short Film Jury Award for Nonfiction at Sundance 2025, will be featured in The History of Us section of the festival.
See a full lineup for the 2025 Palm Springs International Shortfest here.