Editor

The 12th Annual Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market (ShortFest) has announced it will be held from August 24 – 30, 2006 at the Camelot Theatres with widely respected film curator (and 2006 PSIFF Programming Manager) Anita Monga as the Director of Short Film Programming this year. The early entry deadline for ShortFest is April 15, 2006. Student entry fee is $30 and non-student entry fee is $40.
Commenting on this year’s upcoming event, Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, “Following the record-setting success of last year’s Festival, we hope to take the Festival to even greater heights with nationally renowned programmer Anita Monga at the helm of our programming efforts. As a Festival we aim to continue our tradition of being the premiere American venue for showcasing short films from around the world.”

Anita Monga has been involved in film exhibition in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 25 years. As Director of Programming at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre she established an internationally-recognized film arts program within the landmark movie palace. A founding member of the Film Noir Foundation, Monga also directs the Noir City Festival and acts as a consultant on other Festivals and theatre programs, including as short films programmer for the Mill Valley Film Festival. Most recently she directed the Film Ats Festival of Independent Cinema, and served as the Programming Manager for the 2006 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and Film Market, the largest short film festival and market in North America, screens over 350 short films with a concurrent Film Market facility featuring over 2,400 shorts. An Academy® sanctioned Festival, over the past 10 years, 50 of the short films nominated for Academy Awards® have been screened at the Festival prior to receiving their nominations. The Festival offers 20 awards in ten different categories, featuring cash prizes and/or film stock. All submitted films are eligible for film market participation for no additional submission fee. Winning films in Live Action and Animation categories are automatically qualified for nomination consideration by AMPAS in the short film categories. There is also a special student film section with awards and reduced entry fees.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival will be held from January 4 - 15, 2007. Founded in 1990 by then Mayor Sonny Bono, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is one of the largest film festivals in North America. The Festival has an attractive film sales and distribution record and is seen by American distributors as one of the best Academy Award campaign marketing tools. The Festival also features cultural events, filmmaker tributes, industry seminars and an annual black-tie gala award presentation. The Festival also presents a majority of the films submitted for consideration in the Best Foreign Language category for the Academy Awards, as well as a large number of American independent and international features and documentaries.

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501 (C) (3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. With a year-round program of screenings and special events, the PSIFS hosts two major annual festivals, and presents bi-monthly screenings of contemporary international films, many with the directors, screenwriters or producers attending for post-screening Q & A's. The City of Palm Springs is the title sponsor to both film festivals. For additional information visit www.psfilmfest.org