The Old Young Crow took home the top prize at the 2023 Palm Springs International Shortfest on Sunday. The Japanese-United States short film follows an elderly Persian man recalling the lessons he learned from an elderly Japanese woman.
The best animated short award went to Lithuania’s Way Better, which centers on a man who’s expecting the worst but hoping for the best from his upcoming medical test results. He spends his time over the course of a week waiting in a limbo of his own creation, dreading things that haven’t happened yet.
Other top awards of the festival went to China’s Will You Look At Me for documentary short, France’s Sét Lam for live-action short over 15 minutes and Spain’s Mystic Tiger for live-action short 15 minutes and under. The top five films are now eligible to submit their shorts to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration.
Four more awards were presented to students for their projects, and nine shorts received special jury awards for best international short, U.S. short, comedy short, LGBTQ short and midnight short, among others.
Winners also received $25,000 worth of cash prizes for being selected out of 299 short films competing for awards during the festival that runs from June 20-26.
See all the winners below.
Oscar Qualifying Awards
Best of the Festival
The Old Young Crow (Japan/U.S.), directed by Liam LoPinto
Best Animated Short
Way Better (Lithuania), directed by Skirmanta Jakaitė
Best Documentary Short
Will You Look At Me (China), directed by Shuli Huang
Best Live-Action Short Over 15 Minutes
Sèt Lam (France), directed by Vincent Fontano
Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under
Mystic Tiger (Spain), directed by Marc Martínez
Student Short Awards
Best Student Animated Short
The Rainbow Dung Beetle (U.S.), directed by Ellen Moway and Cole Dupzyk
Best Student International Short
A Dead Marriage (Poland), directed by Michel Toczek
Best Student U.S. Short
SULAM (Ladder) (U.S), directed by Noam Argov
Student Documentary Short
Kaamoksen Valossa (Finland), directed by Niko Väistö
Special Jury Awards
Best International Short
Soleil de nuit (Canada), directed by Fernando López Escriva and Maria Camila Arias
Best U.S. Short
Closing Dynasty (U.S.), directed by Lloyd Lee Choi
Best Comedy Short
Flail (U.S.), directed by Ben Gauthier
Best LGBT+ Short
Blond Night (Canada), directed by Gabrielle Demers
Best Midnight Short
Nian (U.S.), directed by Michelle Krusiec
Mozaik Bridging the Borders Award
Fata Morgana (Germany/Syria), directed by Daood Alabdulaa
Local Jury Award
Under G-d (U.S.), directed by Paula Eiselt
Young Cineastes Award
We Were Meant To (U.S.), directed by Tari Wariebi
Kids’ Choice Award
Canary (Canada), directed by Pierre-Hugues Dallaire and Benoit Therriault
Audience Awards
Best Animated Short
Ice Merchants (Portugal), directed by João Gonzalez
Best Documentary Short
Eco-Hack! (USA), directed by Josh Izenberg and Brett Marty
Best Live-Action Short
Death to the Bikini! (Canada), directed by Justine Gauthier
Best Student Short
Ricky (USA), directed by Rashad Frett
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