61 Films, 25 Countries, 2 Days: Aspen Shortsfest Opens Monday

The 99th Oscar Shorts Race Starts Here

Monday kicks off what may be the most important week on the 2027 Oscar shorts calendar. The 35th Aspen Shortsfest opens April 7 with 61 short films from 25 countries — and we've got the complete lineup on ShortsTracker.

What to Watch For

This year's program features directorial debuts from Stephen Curry and Renée Zellweger, plus Mamie Gummer starring in a postpartum anxiety drama. Award-winners from Sundance, Toronto, Annecy, and Clermont-Ferrand are in the mix. The competition jury includes an Emmy-winning NYT Op-Docs producer and the programming director of Santa Barbara.

Aspen is one of only five Oscar-qualifying festivals in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to short films. Winners in Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Drama, Best Comedy, and Best Short Short all earn a direct path to Academy consideration.

Make Your Picks

Think you know who'll win? Make your Aspen predictions before the festival starts. We'll publish results after the awards ceremony on April 11.

Coming Up

Cannes (May 12-23), Tribeca (June 3-14), and Palm Springs ShortFest (June 23-29) are next on the qualifying calendar. We're monitoring all festival pages for lineup announcements — subscribe to get notified when they drop.

Track the full race at shorts-tracker.com/race.