Shorts Race Dispatch — 2026-10-19

Festival Updates

This week has seen a flurry of activity on the festival circuit, with several key events updating their websites with the latest information on short film selections and award winners. The Festival de Cannes and Palm Springs International ShortFest have both updated their pages, with the former revealing its short film selection and the latter announcing its award winners for 2026. The Locarno Film Festival has also updated its awards palmares, although its official website remains inaccessible due to a 403 error.

More Festival News

The Raindance Film Festival has announced its award winners, with all four short film winners named in a Variety article via Yahoo. The festival's official website, however, is currently blocking Cloudflare egress, making it difficult to access information directly. The Venice International Film Festival has updated its Cinema page, while the HollyShorts Film Festival has updated its festival page. Earlier in the week, the Raindance Film Festival updated its nominees and winners page, and the Locarno Film Festival's awards information was updated on Wikipedia.

Upcoming Deadlines

Looking ahead to the next two weeks, AFI Fest is set to start on October 21, marking an important milestone in the shorts race. As the festival season continues to heat up, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments. For the full picture, including the latest updates, trends, and analysis, be sure to visit shorts-tracker.com/race for all the latest information on the road to the 99th Academy Awards.