Palm Springs International Film Society announced today that the annual Palm Springs International ShortFest, one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America, will return with in-person screenings June 21-27. For this year’s edition veteran programmer, Sudeep Sharma will act as interim 2022 ShortFest Director, with the planned maternity leave of PSIFF Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.
“Sudeep’s been an excellent collaborator, holding key roles at ShortFest for close to a decade,’” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez. “He cares deeply about the festival and understands what makes it special. We’re thrilled that he’s at the helm for 2022.”
Since 2014 Sharma has served as director of programming for the Palm Springs International ShortFest. He has concurrently been a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival focusing on documentary feature films as well as many other festivals including LA Film Festival, Tribeca, AFI Fest, Aspen ShortsFest, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and Indian Kaleidoscope Film Festival, previously working as director of public programming for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Sharma has taught film and TV history, industry and criticism courses at universities throughout Southern California.
HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty, in partnership with six film festivals from across the U.S., announced the expansion of their annual Latino Short Film Competition, with submissions opening in March 2022.
HBO Announces Latino Short Film Competition
The restructuring of the new Latino Short Film Competition presented by HBO Max will allow the streamer to tap into the vast networks of each of the six participating film festivals and continue to elevate diverse Latino voices. This year, the competition will seek films that explore the theme of “Community” from the unique perspective of a Latino American cinematic storyteller. The search will span across the top film festivals in the nation including New York, Los Angeles, Georgia, Philadelphia, Houston, and Miami. Candidates interested in participating in the competition can enter via any of the six festivals listed below. The competition will culminate with seven winning films, which HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty will license to premiere on the platform at a later date. Participating film festivals include:
Georgia Latino Film Festival
Houston Latino Film Festival
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF)
Miami Film Festival
New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF)
Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
Bleecker Street Releases Trailer for ‘Infinite Storm’
Bleecker Street has released the trailer for “Infinite Storm.” The film will be released in theaters on March 24.
Starring Naomi Watts, Billy Howle, Denis O’Hare, and Parker Sawyers, the film is based on a true story. As an experienced climber (Watts) ascends Mt. Washington, she turns back before she reaches the summit as a huge blizzard approaches. But on her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man, and takes it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before nightfall arrives and they succumb to the storm.