2022 ShortFest Program Index

Out of the Past
The past seeps into the present in this diverse program of shorts, in which memories and past events make a pronounced return. From a short about a flustered archaeologist to another featuring a heartbroken mother, these are some of the most poignant films in the lineup. Read More

Outsiders & Underdogs
With the odds stacked firmly against them, the longshot protagonists in these shorts must surmount tough obstacles and take charge of their own destinies. Read More

Parables, Fantasies & Fables
Suspend belief and lose yourself in this selection of imaginative, unearthly shorts. Read More

A Sense of Place
This program highlights unique topographies and remarkable cultural phenomena in spellbinding documentaries that each capture a singular moment in time. Read More

A Slice of Life
Meaningful moments pepper our day-to-day lives, and these shorts foreground deceptively modest events and the passage of time. Read More


Social Animals
Pleasant company can be difficult to come by in these entertaining stories of combative siblings, incontinent bedfellows and lovelorn teens. Read More

Stranger Than Fiction
This one more or less speaks for itself. Prepare for the eerie, the self-reflexive and the generally indescribable. Read More

The Shape I'm In
Health and healthcare concerns occupy so much of our lives. These touching films dig deeply into the journey of taking physical care of ourselves and our loved ones. Read More

Talk of the Town
Word gets around fast in these stories about small communities where it’s hard to avoid your neighbors and everyone knows your name. Read More

Tender Moments
From a bathtub in Busan to a remote beach in Greece, these five stories capture the complexity of intimacy and the fragility of communication between people at their most vulnerable. Read More

The Things We Do For Love
We reserve our boldest actions for the ones who mean the most. These touching and comedic stories reaffirm that love is always the best answer. Read More

This American Life
It's a big country out there and these uniquely American documentaries capture the lived experiences and daily struggles of people across the nation. Read More

Thrills & Chills
Buckle in for this hair-raising series of terrifying genre shorts. From a cursed ancestry test to a fishy horror show, expect no shortage of scares and savagery. Read More

Thrills & Chills II: Back From the Dead
Because we can’t quell our appetite for horror, join us for a second installment of sordid delights and mortal danger. Read More

Truth Be Told
We in Palm Springs love documentaries and this program of striking nonfiction shorts features some of the boldest and most incisive cinema in the fest. Read More

Welcome to the Neighborhood
Take a peek over the fence with this collection, which emphasizes the significance of local community and hometown belonging. Read More