Aspen Shortsfest selects 22 animated shorts for the Oscar qualification contest

March 31 2022

Aspen Film, the year-round film arts and education organization, today announced its schedule for the 31st Aspen Shortsfest, which will take place in the quaint Colorado town from April 5-10. One of only four Oscar-qualifying festivals in the US strictly dedicated to short films, Aspen Shortsfest is widely recognized as one of the premier short film festivals and showcase of the most extraordinary emerging and established talent in world cinema.

This year's competition highlights prominent directors and talents, along with international filmmaking winners. The lineup of 77 films selected from nearly 3.000 nominations from 28 different countries includes 22 animated shorts (close to 30%). Overall, the selection scores a gain for gender equity, with 41 films directed or co-directed by women (53%).

Acclaimed and award-winning titles among animated contestants include Academy Award-winning The Shaman's Apprentice from Cannes-winning director Zacharias Kunuk; Anxious Body, Yoriko Mizushiri's meditation on touch; The personal and ecological allegory of Bottle Cap by Psyop directors Marie Hyon and Marco Spier; Hugo de Faucompret's Child's Point of View on Depression Mum Is Pouring Rain; the strange paradise of the Gobelins' Goodbye student short, Jerome !; Camrus Johnson's new film She Dreams at Sunrise; Renee Zhan's latest, Soft Animals; and Jim Jarmusch's paper puppet documentary Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver, which premiered at Sundance. Read on for the full list of animated shorts in Aspen.

Clockwise from top left: Bottle Cap, Stranger than Rotterdam, She Dreams at Sunrise, Soft Animals

“We are delighted to present another incredible roster of films from around the world for this year's Shortsfest,” says Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film's Artistic and Executive Director. “What a wonderful recharge after two virtual years, to be in person again at our festival home, the historic Wheeler Opera House. Once again, our programming team has assembled some of the most dynamic, innovative and inspiring shorts of the year to show to Aspen and audiences across the valley ”.

Shortsfest Programming Director Jason Anderson added, “We are thrilled to celebrate the 31st annual Aspen Shortsfest with another exciting showcase of amazing new work from directors from all corners of the world. The 77 titles in this year's program demonstrate the depth and diversity of cinematic talent that we are privileged to present to our audiences. We are also amazed at the strength and resilience these directors have shown in the face of all the recent challenges and we are so excited to be able to present their films in person. ”

Shortsfest prize winners will receive cash prizes of $ 1.250 or $ 2.500 in select categories. The jury for 2022 includes award-winning producers Mimi Polk Gitlin (Thelma and Louise), former NFB Animation chief Michael Fukushima (Affairs of the Art) and Valerie Steinberg (Karmalink). Special industry guests include four industry celebrities: Opal Hope Bennett (Producer, POV), Sarah Lash (Senior Director of Acquisitions, Condé Nast Entertainment), Meghan Oretsky (Senior Curator, Vimeo) and Casey Sunderland, (Media Finance Agent , Creative Artists Agency).

Find the full selection of the film competition and ticket information at aspenfilm.org.

Clockwise from top left: Boobs, In Nature, Aeronaut and A Brief History of Us

Animated films selected for Aspen Shortsfest 2022:

aeronaut - Directed by Leon Golterman (Netherlands)
L'Amour en Plan - Directed by Claire Sichez (France)
Anxious body - Directed by Yoriko Mizushiri (Japan / France)
boobs - Directed by Marie Valade (Canada)
A Brief History of Us - Directed by Etgar Keret (Poland)
bottle cap - Directed by Marie Hyon, Marco Spier (US)
A cartoon of a sleeping cat - Directed by Randall Scott Christopher (US)
Cat and bird - Directed by Franka Sachse (Germany)
Cat and Moth - Directed by India Barnardo (Canada / UK)
Charlotte - Directed by Zach Dorn (US)
Chilly & Milly - Directed by William David Caballero (US)
Footsteps on the Wind - Directed by Maya Sanbar (UK / Brazil / US)
Freedom Swimmer - Directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire (France / Australia)
Goodbye, Jerome! - Directed by Gabrielle Selnet, Adam Sillard, Chloé Farr (France)
In Natures - Directed by Marcel Barelli (Switzerland)
Mum is pouring rain - Directed by Hugo de Faucompret (France)
My Grandmother Is an Egg - Directed by Wu-Ching Chang (UK / Taiwan)
She Dreams at Sunrise - Directed by Camrus Johnson (US)
Sierra - Directed by Sander Joon (Estonia)
Smile - Directed by Jonas Forsman (Sweden)
Soft animals - Directed by Renee Zhan (UK / US)
Stranger than Rotterdam with Sara Driver - Directed by Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster (US)