San Francisco ShortsFest 2024

Get Animated + Q&A

Expired October 28, 2024 6:59 AM
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18 films in package
Circuits and Dreams
A little robot find some self in hot oil when he misses work to fulfill his lifelong passion.
Dancing Dhamaal!
A Bollywood inspired hybrid animated music video about Aadarshini, an anxious Indian-American girl, who feels out of place at an Indian wedding until she learns to make space for herself in her culture through Parvati, a traditional dancer who catches her eye.
Edson's Gravy
Based on Russell Edson's classic poem, "Gravy" is a whimsical ode to a timeless condiment.Russell Edson (1935-2014) is widely considered the godfather of prose poetry in America. Over the course of his long career, Edson published nearly two dozen books and received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Edson’s work turns everyday events into dreamy offbeat fables “as dazzling as a good Dali or de Chirico painting” (Booklist), earning him a singular place in the world of contemporary poetry. Filmmaker Ryan Kittleman received permission from Edson’s estate to produce an animated short film based on the 1973 poem “Gravy”, marking the first time Edson’s work has been adapted for the big screen. The film was released in 2024.
Fracti
Humans live their routines inside a village floating in the sky. What happens when one of them causes the world to end?
Gas Station Milk
Little dude Roger Brown is tasked with buying gas station milk for his friend. As he tries to accomplish this seemingly easy task, however, things take a sudden and confusing turn.
Hootenanny in the Void of Space
A Texan is abducted by aliens, has the time of his life, and wants to be abducted again. He embarks on a quest to contact the aliens but is faced with rejection when they let him know that they only like him as a friend.
How do you Capture Desire?
College students, Alex and Jay, meet during the spring semester of their junior year and quickly become inseparable friends. However, as Alex's feelings grow from friendship to something more, how will Jay respond?
Late Night Television
Channel surfing after a night out takes a young woman on a journey into the unknown.
LockedIn
Being on LinkedIn is akin to being in a terrible meeting that never ends.
My Turn!
One sunny morning in Jakarta, Indonesia, Beth and her younger sister Liz become fierce rivals in their race to the bathroom. Beth regrets unintentionally hurting her little sister during the scuffle, and they both realize how much they care about each other.This short film embraces the charm of 2D animation, paying homage to the classic styles of Saturday morning cartoons. At its core, My Turn! is about the childhood experiences of director Isabelle Tumboimbela growing up with her younger sister. This film hopes to provide Southeast Asian representation to the animation medium.Produced in San Jose, California, USA at San Jose State University in association with the Shrunkenheadman Club
Protocol: Last Resort
A space explorer embarks on a quest to find hope of life on a dying planet, but must battle the elements along the way.
Reboot
A boy that’s too addicted to his computer gets a reality check when a file corruption causes him to get sucked into a digital disaster and unknowingly brings his avatar to life.
Rock
Deep in the forest, a witch searches for her lost frog. She trips and falls, sending a rogue magic blast from her wand. The blast hits a little rock, which shakes before coming to life! Gasping for air, Rock is terrified of her own existence. A frog appears behind Rock, explaining that she has become “alive”. Seeing her distress, Frog offers to be Rock’s first friend. Frog carries Rock off into the forest for their first adventure, narrowly escaping Witch.Frog teaches Rock how to walk, shows her the world, and teaches her about different sounds. Frog even takes her cliff jumping, though Rock nearly sinks and drowns. Luckily, Frog catches her and they sunbathe on a lillypad. Enjoying the warmth of the sun, Rock begins to appreciate life. Frog offers Rock a tasty mushroom, which unfortunately causes Rock to have some terrifying visions.The sun sets as the two end their big day, and Rock is still shaken up from the mushroom. Frog tells her to watch the sunset, and explains that tomorrow is a new day. Rock realizes that they will have to do everything again and again, and feels overwhelmed. Suddenly, Witch appears and Frog quickly leaps into a log. Rock drops to her knees and begs Witch to turn her back into a normal rock. Witch agrees, only under the condition that Rock will hand over Frog. Witch points her wand at Frog, ready to kill her. Bracing herself, Rock launches herself at Witch, snatching her wand and snapping it in half! Witch screams and explodes out of existence. Frog hops over to Rock, worriedly telling her she can’t be a rock anymore. Rock smiles and hugs Frog, saying “maybe I’m not a rock, I think I’m a friend.”
Sydney and Socket
Inspired by the profound loneliness many people feel, this is the tale of two misfits left behind by society. Unexpectedly, their paths cross, leading to an indelible friendship. This non-verbal story transcends cultural and language barriers, illustrating the universal importance of connection through their interactions.The narrative highlights the beauty of diversity and inclusion as two distinctly different beings—a graceful swan and a rusty robot—form an unlikely bond. Both are outcasts in their own right: Sydney, the swan, cannot fly, and Socket, the robot, is deemed unproductive. They have been abandoned by their respective communities.Believing themselves to be alone in the world, they discover an unexpected magic in finding and forming a new, beautiful community together. This human-centered story brings the characters to life with pixel magic and instills hope in those who feel the weight of solitude. This film was created with tools and content from Unreal Engine.
Whittled Down
Carlisle has been trapped in this cabin for a long, long time. There are no doors, and the windows only open to an endless black void. With nothing to do but whittle and wait, a single thought lingers at the forefront of his mind: there's something wrong with that clock.
Nubbinwood
A beaver recounts his experiences as an actor following his dream to be in the movies.
The Straight Poop
Our animated short entertains while presenting eye-opening information on one of the fastest, most effective ways to slow the rate of global warming. Our film is an engaging way of addressing the dangers of climate change that educates in a non-threatening comical way. Individuals concerned about climate change can make relatively small personal choices that can have a huge positive effect.
Get Animated Q&A
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Deep in the forest, a witch searches for her lost frog. She trips and falls, sending a rogue magic blast from her wand. The blast hits a little rock, which shakes before coming to life! Gasping for air, Rock is terrified of her own existence. A frog appears behind Rock, explaining that she has become “alive”. Seeing her distress, Frog offers to be Rock’s first friend. Frog carries Rock off into the forest for their first adventure, narrowly escaping Witch.


Frog teaches Rock how to walk, shows her the world, and teaches her about different sounds. Frog even takes her cliff jumping, though Rock nearly sinks and drowns. Luckily, Frog catches her and they sunbathe on a lillypad. Enjoying the warmth of the sun, Rock begins to appreciate life. Frog offers Rock a tasty mushroom, which unfortunately causes Rock to have some terrifying visions.


The sun sets as the two end their big day, and Rock is still shaken up from the mushroom. Frog tells her to watch the sunset, and explains that tomorrow is a new day. Rock realizes that they will have to do everything again and again, and feels overwhelmed. Suddenly, Witch appears and Frog quickly leaps into a log. Rock drops to her knees and begs Witch to turn her back into a normal rock. Witch agrees, only under the condition that Rock will hand over Frog. Witch points her wand at Frog, ready to kill her. Bracing herself, Rock launches herself at Witch, snatching her wand and snapping it in half! Witch screams and explodes out of existence. Frog hops over to Rock, worriedly telling her she can’t be a rock anymore. Rock smiles and hugs Frog, saying “maybe I’m not a rock, I think I’m a friend.”

  • Runtime
    3 minutes
  • Country
    United States
  • Genre
    Adventure, Friendship, Fantasy, Comedy, Slice of Life
  • Director
    Shania Zhou, Julia Edwards
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