Aspen Shortsfest is recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in North America. This Oscar®-qualifying festival embraces diverse sensibilities and subjects that capture the zeitgeist of today’s short. Following in the tradition of Shortsfest official selections going on to Oscar® success, in 2016, Bear Story (Chile) won the Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film, and We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (Russian Federation) and Shok (Republic of Kosovo/UK) were nominated.
Congratulations to the 25th Aspen Shortsfest Award Winners!
JURY AWARDS
The Jury recognized films with the following Oscar®-qualifying awards:
Best Animated Film ($2,500)
Deer Flower, directed by Kangmin Kim (USA/South Korea)
Best Comedy ($2,500)
Hounds, directed by Omer Tobi (Israel)
Best Drama ($2,500)
Thanks for Dancing, directed by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (Norway)
Best Documentary ($2,500)
Irregulars, directed by Fabio Palmieri (Italy)
Best Short Short ($1,000)
Mining Poems or Odes, directed by Callum Rice (Scotland/UK)
The Jury also awarded films in the following categories:
Best Student Short ($1,000)
Sea Breeze, directed by Chun-Yi Li (Taiwan/UK)
Special Recognitions:
I, Destini, directed by Nicholas Pilarski and Destini Riley (USA)
La Laguna, directed by Aaron Schock (USA)
Julia Pointner in Everything Will Okay, directed by Patrick Vollrathfor (Germany/Austria)
World Wide Woven Bodies, directed by Truls Krane Meby (Norway)
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award ($500)
Thanks for Dancing, directed by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (Norway)
Audience Special Recognition
Pickle, directed by Amy Nicholson (USA)
ADDITIONAL AWARDS
The Ellen Award ($2,500)
Irregulars, directed by Fabio Palmieri (Italy)
SEED&SPARK Best Crowdfunded Film Award ($250)
Sea Breeze, directed by Chun-Yi Li (Taiwan/UK)
The Youth Jury Award ($500)
La Laguna, directed by Aaron Schock (USA)