What are the key ingredients for a successful short film festival opening night? For starters, a whole lot of filmmakers in one room, a shared love of cinema and a lineup consisting of wise children, firecracker seniors and a loveable goat friend.

Filmmakers from all over the world descended upon the Palm Springs area on Tuesday to celebrate opening night of the 31st annual Palm Springs International ShortFest. Through Monday, June 30, ShortFest will screen 51 curated programs, showcasing 311 films from 64 countries and territories, including 45 world premieres, 10 international premieres, 36 North American premieres, 19 U.S. premieres and 94 California premieres. More than 6,200 short films from 141 countries and territories were submitted for this year's festival.

Screenings will take place at Festival Theaters, located at 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs. A full lineup of programming can be found at www.psfilmfest.org/shortfest-2025/about-shortfest

Palm Springs International Film Society Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez gives opening remarks before the first screening of ShortFest at Festival Theaters in Palm Springs, Calif., Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

"Every year I'm genuinely so surprised at how every year feels fresh," Lili Rodriguez, artistic director of the Palm Springs International Film Society, said prior to the official kickoff. "Artists keep having new things to say in new ways to say them, and it's such a privilege to see what's coming out."

The opening night lineup included seven shorts films from all over the world, representing a variety of genres, styles and grand stories. Those films were "The Sunny," "No Experience Necessary," "Passarinho," "Shanti Rides Shotgun," "Time Crisis," "Retirement Plan" and "Baa-Baa!" Filmmakers from three shorts were in attendance and participated in a Q&A following the screening.

Working with a G.O.A.T actor

Some people have stacked casts filled with A-listers. Estonian director Teresa Juksaar had dogs, cats rabbits and one highly skilled goat leading her film "Baa-Baa!"

In the short, a family in a new city has to figure out what to do with a goat that was suddenly gifted to them as part of a charity program. Their apartment and homeowners association isn't entirely equipped to handle such a pet, but finding a new home for the bleating animal proves to be an almost impossible task as well.

Though the story seems like it could only happen in a movie, inspiration was very much rooted in reality.

"There's actually many programs like this, where you can donate money and people in developing countries receive animals, or children in war zones receive school supplies," Juksaar said. "So we thought, what if someone receives a donation who doesn't need it? ... I loved the idea of having the goat in the city."

Every day on set was "quite a survival," she explained, as there were many extras, both those on two legs and on four, and many rainy days as well. Despite it all, the director "loved every minute of it," both for the confidence she gained as a filmmaker and for all the unique animal actors she worked with.

Two left feet won't stop this dancing queen

Director Emily Everhard and producer Lisa Cossrow were also in town to celebrate their short film, "No Experience Necessary," which tells a heartwarming story of a grieving septuagenarian widow with two left feet (literally) who rediscovers herself at a ballroom dance studio.

Everhard has always been interested in the power of dance and what it can do for people in all stages of life. With a background in documentary filmmaking, one of her friends invited her to a ballroom studio in New Jersey where their grandmother took lessons. As she attended a few dance competitions, Everhard said she was inspired after seeing just how different people were on and off the floor.

"Off the dance floor they could be quiet and reserved, maybe a little unsure of themselves, and then they'd step onto the dance floor in sequins and bust out an insane, crazy dance move," she said. "I just thought that was amazing and deserved to be on screen."

When Cossrow read the script, she said she "completely fell in love with it," especially because it reminded her of her own grandmother, who had to navigate a new phase of life after her spouse died.

Everhard added: "The two left feet is a metaphor for someone who's always lived their life in a pair, but on her own she doesn't feel complete. This movie is about how can she feel complete."

ShortFest a 'reminder of what's important in the world'

Prior to the screening, Rodriguez acknowledged that many in the audience may have felt uneasy due to recent world events, such as the conflict-turned-ceasefire between Iran and Israel, and that it was a privilege to be sitting in the theater.

But she also reminded them of the importance of films and the impacts they can have on the world.

"We're all here because we all believe in the power of art and the power of artists and the importance of humans and people, and we really, really hope that ShortFest is meaningful for you, not just as a sort of distraction because ShortFest is fun, but also as a reminder of what's really important in the world," she said.