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ASPEN, CO (Feb. 17, 2022) – Aspen Film announces that the 31st Annual Aspen Shortsfest 2022 will return to live showings at the Wheeler Opera House for the first time in three years. Aspen Film is excited to showcase 11 programs, including 75 short films, scheduled Apr. 5-10, 2022. New this year, a presale festival pass is available starting Feb. 22 through Mar. 3, for $250, a savings of $50.

Aspen Shortsfest is an Oscar®-qualifying film festival, recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in North America, and named as one of the “Best Short Film Festivals in the world 2022” by Moviemaker Magazine. Each April, enthusiastic audiences, filmmakers, and special guests from around the globe gather to participate in public screenings, panels, workshops, and other festivities that spotlight the art and craft of short movie making.

Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director Susan Wrubel states, “For the last two years, COVID-19 affected our ability to gather in-person to watch and enjoy films in a public setting. Our incredible team pivoted quickly to make the festival available virtually for 2020 and 2021, attracting audiences and film fans from across the country,” Wrubel continues, “Thankfully, this year we can return to our home at the historic Wheeler Opera House, all together, to see some of the most unique and innovative work from around the globe. As usual, Jason Anderson and his programming team are assembling another spectacular lineup of animated, comedy, dramatic, and documentary shorts for our viewing pleasure.”

Following in the tradition of Oscar® success, the 2021 Shortsfest Comedy award-winner, AFFAIRS OF THE ART, was nominated for a 2022 Academy Award® in the Animated Short category.

The nearly 3,000 films submitted for the 2022 festival were reviewed by a programming team led by Aspen Film’s seasoned Shortsfest Program Director, Jason Anderson. The full program of films will be announced for this year’s festival in early March.

The festival will be a limited-time event, running from April 5-10, during which time viewers will be able to see the films curated into eleven distinct programs at the Wheeler Opera House. There will also be four programs shown at the Crystal Theater in Carbondale over the weekend of April 8. Aspen Film members will have priority to purchase passes and tickets in advance. More information about membership and the festival available online at www.AspenFilm.org

Facts:

Who: Aspen Film
What: 31st Annual Shortsfest, Oscar®-qualifying short film festival
When: April 5-10, 2022, Tuesday through Sunday
Where: Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO; Crystal Theater, Carbondale, CO
More: Additional information – including selected films and festival schedule, to be released in the coming weeks.

Sponsors: The 31st Aspen Shortsfest is made possible by the generous support of Alpine Bank, Aspen Public Radio, and The Aspen Times. Aspen Shortsfest is also charitably underwritten by grants from AspenOUT, Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media, Melinda Goldrich, National Endowment for the Arts, Les Dames d’Aspen, and the Wheeler Opera House (City of Aspen) Arts Grant Program.