Aspen Shortsfest is an Oscar®-qualifying film festival recognized as one of the premier short film festivals in North America. 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 moviemaking. Following in the festival’s long tradition of Oscar® success, Affairs of the Art by Joanna Quinn became the latest Shortsfest selection to be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when it was nominated for Best Animated Short Film in 2022, which followed its jury award in the comedy category at Shortsfest. In 2020, four more Shortsfest selections earned the same honor when Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva and Sister by Siqi Song were nominated for Best Animated Short Film while Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur and Nefta Football Club by Yves Piat competed for Best Live Action Short Film.

Shortsfest
An Oscar®-qualifying festival
Voted one of “the 25 coolest festivals in the world” by MovieMaker magazine.
Screening Venues

The Wheeler Opera House
Since 1889, the Wheeler Opera House has been Aspen’s community performance venue. From The Eagles, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey and Sheryl Crow to locally-curated performance experiences, the Wheeler offers a remarkable movie-viewing locale that we’re proud to provide to our film festival audience.
320 E Hyman Ave, Aspen, CO 81611

The Isis Theatre
The Isis Theatre opened in 1915 in the heart of downtown Aspen, where it remains until today. Featuring five-screens, concessions, and diverse programming, the Isis is the only full-time movie theater in Aspen. During Aspen Film festivals, the Isis Theatre is home to many of our matinee showings.
406 E Hopkins Ave, Aspen, CO 81611

The Crystal Theatre
The Crystal Theatre is a single-screen, 125-seat, independent movie theatre housed in the historic Dinkel building in downtown Carbondale, Colorado. We’re proud to partner with The Crystal Theatre during our festivals to screen select programming down valley.
427 Main St, Carbondale, CO 81623
A taste of shortsfest

















In the news

Aspen Film’s Independent By Nature :32 Video Challenge
Mar 2, 2023
Aspen Film’s Independent By Nature :32 Video Challenge Submissions open March 2 – April 2 Voting April 10 – 16 | Winners announced April 16 All ages may submit —Free online GRAND PRIZE FOR FIRST PLACE WINS – CANON M50MKII Camera Kit + THINK TANK SpeedTop 15 shoulder bag In 32 seconds, show us how […]
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ASPEN FILM ANNOUNCES 2021 SHORTSFEST AWARD-WINNING FILMS
Apr 11, 2022
Aspen, CO (April 11, 2022) In an awards presentation held on Saturday, April 10, Aspen Film, the year-round film arts and education organization, announced the winning films from the 31st Aspen Shortsfest which was held April 5-10, 202s. One of only four Oscar®-qualifying festivals in the US strictly dedicated to short films, Aspen Shortsfest is […]
Read More
ASPEN FILM ANNOUNCES 2022 SHORTSFEST OSCAR®-QUALIFIERS AND AWARD-WINNING FILMS
Apr 11, 2022
Aspen, CO (April 11, 2022) In an awards presentation held on Sunday, April 10, Aspen Film, the year-round film arts, and education organization, announced the winning films from its 31st Aspen Shortsfest which was held April 5-10, 2022. One of only four Oscar®-qualifying festivals in the US strictly dedicated to short films, Aspen Shortsfest is recognized […]
Read More