UPDATED: 29th Annual Palm Springs ShortFest to Begin Tuesday

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – The 29th annual Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, also known as "ShortFest," got underway Tuesday with several curated programs showcasing some the nearly 300 films on tap this year. The festival will take place until June 26, with all screenings at the Camelot Theatres in the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 East Baristo Road. In total, there will be 50 curated programs showcasing 299 films — including 53 world, 10 international, 33 North American and 18 U.S. premieres. More than 6,000 films were submitted to the festival from 129 countries. "With such a large, high-quality submission pool, the programming team had to make some difficult decisions but we think these films represent the vibrancy and immense creativity in short films from around the world," ShortFest Director of Programming Sudeep Sharma said in a statement. "We can’t wait to host the films and filmmakers at Palm Springs and are honored to be part of their journey." The event began with screenings of "Cinematic Odes," "Beneath the Surface" and "Salt In The Air." Organizers will subsequently host an opening night event featuring eight screenings at the Camelot Theatres at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. ShortFest forums will take place over the weekend, bringing together festival filmmakers, prominent industry representatives and others for a series of panels, roundtables and meetings covering a wide range of emerging trends and new practices in the global film community, festival organizers said. Program participants include representatives from Adult Swim, Entertainment360, Entertainment Weekly, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Vimeo and The Wrap. Film award winners will be announced June 26 with awards and cash prizes worth $25,000, including five Academy Award-qualifying honors. Among the awards that will be bestowed are the Best of the Festival Award, Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes, Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under, Best International Short, Best U.S. Short, Best Comedy Short and Best LGBTQ+ Short. "We are honored to be sharing their work with our loyal Palm Springs audience and the world," Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez said in a statement. "We are looking forward to helping create the kind of experience only a film festival can provide." Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.