Palm Springs ShortFest names 2026 award winners ⋆ The Palm Springs Post

*A scene from “Fruit,” directed by Jen Nee Lim (left).*

The 2026 Palm Springs International ShortFest revealed its juried and audience award winners during a ceremony at the Hilton Palm Springs on June 28.

“Fruit,” a film from Singapore directed by Jen Nee Lim, received the Best of the Festival award and its accompanying $5,000 cash prize. “Hyena,” directed by Altay Ulan Yang, earned a special mention in that category.

The festival, sponsored by the City of Palm Springs, ran June 23-29 and drew 328 short films as part of its official selection. Organizers presented $30,000 in total prize money, including five Academy Award-qualifying honors. Bennett Awards served as the festival’s official awards provider.

Among the other Oscar-qualifying categories, “Fačuk,” a Croatian-Slovenian production directed by Maida Srabović, won Best Animated Short. “Water Cooler,” directed by Emma V.F., took Best Documentary Short. “Marga en el DF,” from Mexico, the United States and the Dominican Republic and directed by Gabriela Ortega, won Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes.

“We Were Here,” directed by Pranav Bhasin of India, won Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under, a category sponsored by SAGindie. Each of those winners received a $1,000 cash prize.

In the Student Short Awards, “Daddy’s Little Meatball,” directed by Yael Grunseit, won Best Student International Short. Additional student honors went to “Pankaja” (Best Student U.S. Short), “The Undying Pain of Existence” (Best Student Animated Short) and “Sole” (Best Student Documentary Short), each carrying a $1,000 prize.

Special Jury Awards included a $5,000 prize from Vimeo for its Staff Pick honor, awarded to “A Crime Across Four Landscapes,” directed by Aidan Weaver. Other $1,000 Special Jury winners included “Agapito” for Best International Short, “See You, Soon” for Best U.S. Short, “We Were Here” for Best Comedy Short, “Delay” for Best LGBTQ+ Short and “Hyena” for Best Midnight Short.

Local Jury Awards went to “Agapito” for the Desert Views Local Jury Award, “La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave)” for the Young Cineastes Award, and “Four Square” for the Kids’ Choice Award, chosen by the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City.

Audience Awards, each carrying a $1,000 prize, were presented to “i have a” for Best Animated Short, “I Got My Brother” for Best Documentary Short, “América” for Best Live-Action Short and “Half-Moon” for Best Student Short, the latter sponsored by U.S. Bank Foundation.

Organizers also announced a new honor, the Parker Filmmaker Award, created in partnership with ShortFest and the Palm Springs International Film Society. The award will invite a selected filmmaker to create narrative shorts and brand content inspired by Parker Palm Springs, which has hosted the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards for more than 22 years. Recipients are expected to be announced later this summer.

The Palm Springs International Film Society, a nonprofit organization, produces both the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Film Awards each January and ShortFest each June.