Palm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer, Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.
“Sudeep’s been an excellent collaborator, holding key roles at ShortFest for close to a decade,’” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “He cares deeply about the festival and understands what makes it special. We’re thrilled that he’s at the helm for 2022.”
Since 2014 Sharma has served as director of programming for the Palm Springs International ShortFest. He has concurrently been a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival focusing on documentary feature films as well as many other festivals including LA Film Festival, Tribeca, AFI Fest, Aspen ShortsFest, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and Indian Kaleidoscope Film Festival, previously working as director of public programming for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Sharma has taught film and TV history, industry and criticism courses at universities throughout Southern California.
HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty, in partnership with six film festivals from across the U.S., announced the expansion of their annual Latino Short Film Competition, with submissions opening in March 2022.
HBO Announces Latino Short Film Competition
The restructuring of the new Latino Short Film Competition presented by HBO Max will allow the streamer to tap into the vast networks of each of the six participating film festivals and continue to elevate diverse Latino voices. This year, the competition will seek films that explore the theme of “Community” from the unique perspective of a Latino American cinematic storyteller. The search will span across the top film festivals in the nation including New York, Los Angeles, Georgia, Philadelphia, Houston, and Miami. Candidates interested in participating in the competition can enter via any of the six festivals listed below. The competition will culminate with seven winning films, which HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty will license to premiere on the platform at a later date. Participating film festivals include:
Georgia Latino Film Festival
Houston Latino Film Festival
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF)
Miami Film Festival
New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF)
Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
Bleecker Street Releases Trailer for ‘Infinite Storm’
Bleecker Street has released the trailer for “Infinite Storm.” The film will be released in theaters on March 24.
Starring Naomi Watts, Billy Howle, Denis O’Hare, and Parker Sawyers, the film is based on a true story. As an experienced climber (Watts) ascends Mt. Washington, she turns back before she reaches the summit as a huge blizzard approaches. But on her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man, and takes it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before nightfall arrives and they succumb to the storm.
Academy Announces Programming for Oscars Week
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced their programming for the week leading up to the 94th Academy Awards.
From March 22-26, the Academy will host a series of screenings at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills celebrating the nominees from various categories. The first, a screening of the live-action short film and animated short film nominees, will screen all 10 nominees in their entirety. The rest will feature notable clips from each nominee. All nominated filmmakers, schedule permitting, will be in attendance at the screenings, either to introduce their films or participate in a panel discussion following the screenings. The other categories that will have films screened includes documentaries, documentary shorts, international feature film, animated feature film and makeup and hairstyling. Tickets for the events are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members, Academy museum members, or students. Attendees are required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID PCR test, and wear masks while in the screenings. The full schedule for the week is as follows:
Shorts Screening
Tuesday, March 22, 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Governor Jon Bloom.
Documentaries Screening
Wednesday, March 23, 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Academy Documentary Branch Governors Kate Amend, Jean Tsien and Roger Ross Williams.
International Feature Film
Thursday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by International Feature Film Award Executive Committee co-chairs Susanne Bier and Rajendra Roy.
Animated Feature Film
Saturday, March 26, 10 a.m.
Hosted by Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Governors Bonnie Arnold and Jennifer Yuh Nelson.
Makeup and Hairstyling Symposium
Saturday, March 26, 2 p.m.
Hosted by Academy Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Governors Howard Berger, Bill Corso and Linda Flowers
