EVENTS + CONVOS
Special Events are all part of the Shortsfest experience.
Opening Reception
Tuesday, April 5
5-5:30 PM | Aspen Film Filmmakers, Industry Guests, Jury + Members
5:30-6:30 PM | Filmmakers, Industry Guests, Passholders + Shortsfest Volunteers
Public House | 320 E Hyman Ave
Join us for an Opening Reception to kick off our 31st Shortsfest! We’ll gather at the Public House restaurant for libations and nibbles, directly adjacent to the Wheeler Opera House’s front entrance, and housed by one of Aspen’s oldest and most notable buildings.
Afternoon Happy Hours
Wednesday – Saturday, April 6-9 | 4-5 PM
Sports Bistro | 414 E Hyman, Aspen
Open to Filmmakers + Festival Guests
We are pleased to welcome Aspen Film filmmakers and festival guests at our daily Happy Hours at Sports Bistro prior to our evening Shortsfest screenings. Meet and mingle with Aspen Film’s programming team, filmmakers from around the world, and our visiting industry guests.
Nightly Après Screenings
Tuesday – Sunday, April 5-9 | 10 PM
After each night’s final film program, the party moves from the Wheeler to a different hotspot around town for drinks and dialogue with our visiting programming team, filmmakers, and industry guests. Drink specials for all Shortsfest ticket and passholders.
TUESDAY 39 Degrees @ W Aspen 709 E Durant Ave, Aspen
WEDNESDAY Silver City 210 S Galena St, Aspen
THURSDAY Marble Bar Aspen 415 E Dean St, Aspen
FRIDAY Mi Chola 411 E Main St, Aspen
SATURDAY Aspen Pie Shop 307 S Mill St, Aspen
SUNDAY Hooch 301 E HOPKINS AVE
Filmmakers, Industry Guests, Passholders, and Students are invited to join us for in-depth conversations with visiting Shortsfest jury and special guests as we discuss process and craft, look at next steps, and examine the opportunities that exist for short films in today’s marketplace.
Our Jury’s Advice to Their Younger Selves
Thursday, April 7 | 2-3 PM
Pitkin County Library | 120 N Mill St, Aspen
Our veteran jury shares valuable lessons and insightful stories from their careers, highlighting successes and noting pitfalls to avoid in filmmaking. Hear tales from the set, how to streamline production, and learn which battles are not worth fighting as well as when not to give up.
SPEAKERS: Michael Fukushima, Mimi Polk Gitlin, Valerie Steinberg
A Conversation with Producer Bill Gerber
Friday, April 8 | 2-3 PM
Isis Theatre | 406 E Hopkins Ave, Aspen
Emmy winner and Academy Award® nominee Bill Gerber is a producer who has spent over 30 years in the film business. Having made his way into movies from music – as a musician and music supervisor – he landed at Warner Bros. where he eventually became president of production. Bill currently produces independently, continuing to work on music-related biopics and shows, such as A STAR IS BORN and GRAN TORINO. Having taught at USC and UCLA, Bill enjoys sharing his insights, experiences, and best practices with young filmmakers, and looks forward to engaging with our Shortsfest filmmakers and guests.
SPEAKERS: Bill Gerber, Susan Wrubel
So You’ve Made a Short Film… Now What?
PRESENTED BY THE ASPEN TIMES
Saturday, April 9 | 12-1 PM
Pitkin County Library | 120 N Mill St, Aspen
So you’ve made a short film that is now making the festival rounds — what happens next? This session contains invaluable information on how to get it into the world, how it might become a series or a feature, and how to leverage the film for the next project, along with other matters such as distribution, representation, and financing. Hear from top industry executives working in the short-form content realm today as to next steps, best practices, and ways to keep the momentum going.
SPEAKERS: Opal H. Bennett, Sarah Lash, Casey Sunderland
Shortsfest Awards Dinner
By Invitation
Sunday, April 10 | 6 PM
Sports Bistro | 414 E Hyman Ave, Aspen
Come celebrate with us as we wrap up Shortsfest 2022! Awards determined by our esteemed Shortsfest Jury will be presented to filmmakers in a host of categories. Our Drama, Documentary, Comedy, Animation and Short Short award-winners are all Oscar®-qualifiers. The Youth Jury Award is a coveted filmmaker honor, and our Ellen Award is bestowed by dear friends of Aspen Film Founder Ellen Hunt. And for the fifth consecutive year, we’re proud to present the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, a live iteration of the platform’s Staff Picks laurel.