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ASPEN, CO (January 23, 2020) – Aspen Film is thrilled to announce that its 29th annual Aspen Shortsfest will take place March 31-April 5, 2020. Aspen Shortsfest is an Oscar®-qualifying film festival recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in North America. The five Oscar®-qualifying categories include Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama and Short Short.

“Aspen Shortsfest has been considered the crown-jewel of Aspen Film’s trifecta of annual festivals,” says Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director Susan Wrubel. “This festival gives us as an organization the opportunity to present the broadest range of high-caliber cinema being created around the world today, to showcase new voices and new material, and to bring an array of guests in to share their experiences and craft with viewers and students throughout the community.  It is an honor to be able to offer so much quality filmmaking and so many new viewpoints through this Oscar®-qualifying festival. For 2020, we are proud to announce a new Director of Shortsfest Programming, Jason Anderson, who also oversees Toronto’s Short Cuts program.”

Each spring, enthusiastic audiences, filmmakers and special guests from around the globe gather to participate in public screenings, panels, workshops, and other events that spotlight the art and craft of short filmmaking. From Shortsfest 2019, SISTER (Best Animated), BROTHERHOOD (Best Drama), NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB (Best Comedy) and LIFE OVERTALES ME (Official Selection) have all been nominated for 2020 Oscars®. Other Shortsfest Oscar® success stories include, FAUVE (2018), nominated for Best Live Action Short Film; WEEKENDS (2018) and ONE SMALL STEP (2019), nominated for Best Animated Short Film, and BEAR STORY (Chile), winner of the Best Animated Short Film Oscar® in 2016.