Founded: 1993 | Annual
About this festival
Aspen Shortsfest is one of North America’s premier short-film festivals, launched in 1993 by Aspen Film and held each April at the historic Wheeler Opera House and the Isis Theatre in Aspen. It’s one of only five U.S. festivals that qualify shorts for Academy Awards consideration, and its program ranges across comedy, drama, documentary, animation, and experimental work from around the world. The 2026 edition presented 61 short films from 25 countries across 10 program blocks, drawn from a record 3,200-plus submissions. Beyond the Oscar-qualifying competition and its juried awards, Shortsfest functions as a recognized talent incubator: alumni include Damien Chazelle, Sarah Polley, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jason Reitman, and Colorado’s own Max Walker-Silverman.