by chris carpenter –
Temperatures are heating up in Palm Springs, so shorts will be going on and coming off with abandon this month… short films that is! Approximately 325 of them will be screened during the 25th Anniversary Palm Springs International ShortFest.
The largest short film event in North America, ShortFest programmers receive more than 5,000 submissions from over 100 countries around the globe. Those selected are screened in 90-minute themed programs, with an average running time of 15 minutes. ShortFest has to date presented more than 100 shorts that have gone on to receive Oscar nominations and awards.
Hundreds of filmmakers and industry professionals plus 22,000 avid filmgoers are expected to be in attendance this year. According to organizers, “ShortFest is defined by a decidedly casual atmosphere and a taste for the unconventional.” It has also long included LGBTQ-interest stories, and this year is no exception. More than 40 shorts of interest to our community will be screened.
Here’s a rundown of several noteworthy offerings I was able to screen in advance:
Lavender, a provocative North American film written and directed by Matthew Puccini. Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) plays Arthur, one-third of a throuple. A younger man falls in love with Arthur and his husband but is ultimately forced out in light of the couple’s preparations for a baby.
The Cocoa Fondue Show, a comedic drag extravaganza. The titular starlet, known from a stylish ad campaign for spray-on abs for men (or Sprabs), is prepping a pilot for her own TV series. However, Cocoa (played by Bob the Drag Queen) finds her plans threatened by her arch-nemesis, the red-tressed Catastrawberry, and an imperious network exec, Lola. Jackie Beat plays Lola, while Ginger Minj assays the villainous Catastrawberry. (See our interview with Miss Minj next page) It’s colorful, stylish, and musically over the top.
Floating (Flotando), a surreal sci-fi film from Spain involving a gay astronaut in a heavily-damaged space station. He receives an unexpected visitor, Elio, who is somehow able to survive in space without life support. This eerie but occasionally funny short boasts impressive production design and special effects, presumably on a fairly low budget.
Floss, by talented Chinese filmmaker Popo Fan, is a strange yet sensual tale of a gay man with a dental fetish. Well-acted and beautifully shot with a cute dog involved. Potential viewers with a fear of the dentist, however, should definitely proceed with caution.
Bob & Dale, another beautiful short that makes breathtaking use of its mountainous Colorado setting. The title characters are an older, longtime gay couple coming to grips with one’s advancing dementia. Sensitively written and directed by David Rosfeld, and movingly acted by Mark Hattan and Robert W. Smith.
Palm Springs International ShortFest runs Tuesday, June 18 through Monday, June 24th at Camelot Theatre, 2300 E. Baristo Road in Palm Springs. For a full schedule, tickets and more information, go to psfilmfest.org/2019-shortfest.