North America’s biggest short film festival, the Palm Springs International ShortFest, takes place this month, with three recent LFS graduation films selected and two alumni screening their work:
Franco Volpi’s graduate film ‘Sol de Agosto’ (‘August Sun’), Remi Itani’s ‘Dima’ and Victoria Romero’s ‘Mariela’ will all screen at the festival, which takes place from 19-25 June in the southern California city of Palm Springs and is now in its 24th year. The festival receives well over 4000 submissions from 100 countries, is Oscar, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying and has previously screened over 100 films which went on to win or be nominated for Academy Awards.
MA Filmmaking graduate Franco Volpi, who will be attending the festival, told us about the moment he heard he had been selected:
“I was on location, shooting late into the night, feeling drowsy. That's when I got the email telling me my film had been selected. That woke me up, alright! Needless to say, the news made my day. But I didn't realise just how big the Palm Springs festival was until I told my Associate Producer, who's based in the US. As soon as I told her, she said “We have to go”.”
‘Sol de Agosto’ will screen in the All About My Mother programme, and tells the story of Javier, an Argentine expat living in Europe who arrives back in his hometown of Buenos Aires following his father's death to help his mother, who suffers from mental health issues. Palm Springs will be the film’s world premiere and was also shortlisted for the BAFTA 2018 Student Film Awards which takes place in Los Angeles on June 29.
Remi Itani’s ‘Dima’ will also have its world premiere at the festival. Set in Remi’s native Lebanon, the film tells the story of Dima, who, trapped in an ageing Beirut apartment with her mother, tries to overcome the stigma of being middle-aged and unmarried by preparing to go on a date. It will screen as part of The Things We Do For Love program. Remi, also a grad from the MA in Filmmaking programme, worked with several fellow LFS students on the film, including Producer Erin Phipps and Camera Operator Timothy Collanto.
‘Mariela’ by Victoria Romero, also an MA in Filmmaking grad, will screen in The History of Us programme. The film is set in her native Argentina and tells the story of a young woman remembering the tragic story of her nanny, is based on Victoria’s own childhood growing up in Salta. ‘Mariela’ has screened at multiple festivals including the BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying Uppsala International Short Film Festival.
Romero says, “I am very proud to be part of this year’s Shortfest. It is the most important festival of shorts in the United States and I’m honoured to be in it. I am thankful to the cast and crew that helped me create a fictional story from such a personal event.” Victoria added, “In the future, I hope these opportunities to attend festivals help me to grow as a person in order to become a truthful and authentic storyteller.”
In addition to recent grads, two alumni are also screening their work at the Festival: Alvaro Gago's 'Matria' and Benjamin Cleary's 'Wave'.
We wish all graduates the best of luck at the festival and a wonderful time in The Golden State!
Writer-Director: Franco Volpi
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 20 mins
Writer-Director: Remi Itani
Language: Arabic
Runtime: 18 mins
Writer-Director: Victoria Romero
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 9 mins
Writer-Director: Álvaro Gago
Language: Galician
Runtime: 21 mins
Director: Benjamin Cleary, TJ O'Grady Peyton
Writer: Benjamin Cleary
Language: English
Runtime: 14 mins
About Palm Springs Film Festival
A highly competitive festival, ShortFest receives 4,200± submissions from over 100 countries around the globe. Approximately 325 shorts are selected and screened in 90-minute themed programs, with many of the remaining titles available for viewing our Film Market. An Oscar®, BAFTA® and Los Premios Goya-qualifying festival, ShortFest has presented more than 100 shorts that have gone on to receive Oscar® nominations and/or awards. The festival also includes the ShortFest Forum, a series of panels, master classes and roundtable discussions designed to provide emerging filmmakers with both the knowledge and the networking opportunities to further their careers in the film industry. With hundreds of filmmakers and industry professionals in attendance and an audience of 22,000 avid filmgoers, ShortFest is defined by a decidedly casual atmosphere and a taste for the unconventional. It's not what you might expect to find in Palm Springs in June.
Photo Credits: (top to bottom) 'Sol de Agosto' by Franco Volpi, DOP: Jackie Teboul | 'Dima' by Remi Itani, DOP: Mark Khalife | 'Mariela' by Victoria Romero, DOP: Agustín Chibán
Written by Sophie McVeigh, @sophiescripts