The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films is now in full swing this week and boasts a huge line-up of shorts for this yearis event. This weekis Festival is the short film arm of the much larger Palm Springs International Film Festival held in January. Some of these films were made with the help of a Mac, and winners of the shorts program this year are Academy Award eligible for nomination. According to the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films:

The shorts are back in town at the 2004 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.  Now in its tenth year, the Festival has announced its roster of 308 films, selected from more than 2,000 worldwide entries, up 15 percent from last year, setting a new record for the festival. 

The selection of films for screening and competition, features star-studded casts and critically acclaimed directors as well as award-winning films from around the world.  All selections have been structured into approximately 100-minute themed programs covering a wide array of issues for specific and general audiences to enjoy. 

The selected short films have been organized into 43 themed programs covering a variety of topics including gay and lesbian lifestyles, celebrity shorts, crime and punishment, travel, families, comedy, games, current events, identity, love, marriage, aboriginal peoples, pets, and war and peace.  The Festival will also feature early shorts from Famous Directors and the AFI Film School. 

Festival attendees will be able to see a roster of films featuring familiar faces from the big screen and television.  The program titled “Famous Directors: Take One” will feature the humble beginnings of some of the top directors of the last three decades including David Lynch’s “Amputee,” Jane Campion’s “A Girls Own Story,” Spike Jonze’s “How They Get There,” Francois Truffaut’s “Les Mistons,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Big Shave,” Luis Bunuel’s “Un Chien Andalou” and Tim Burton’s “Vincent.”

You can find more information about the Festival including screening times and line-up at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Web site. The short film festival is being held now through September 6th.

[Editoris Note: Be sure to check out the Short Sharp Shock program on Friday at 7PM if attending the event. TMOis Mike Washlesky was Director of Photography and Camera Operator for the short film "Oh My God", Directed by John Bryant. - Editor]