Fifteen festivals in, and we’re still amazed by what filmmakers can do in a few minutes of screen time. The 15th annual San Jose International Short Film Festival wrapped up Sunday at CineArts at Santana Row after four days, more than 110 short films from 18 countries and some 30 programs. Our jury has named this year’s winners, and the top prize, Best of the Fest, goes to We Were Meant To, directed by Tari Wariebi.
The 2023 Jury Award Winners
- Best of the Fest: We Were Meant To, directed by Tari Wariebi
- Best Drama: Infraction, directed by Timothy Blackwood
- Best Animation: Mushka, directed by Andreas Deja
- Best of World Cinema: The Old Young Crow, directed by Liam LoPinto
- Best Documentary: Every Day After, directed by Elisa Gambino
- Best Family Film: Canary, directed by Pierre-Hugues Dallaire and Benoit Therriault
- Best Comedy: They Grow Up So Fast, directed by John F. Beach
- Best Student Film: When Beverly Met Reita, directed by Brianna Rebecca Schatt
- Best Sci-Fi: Lost in the Sky, directed by Simon Öster
Best Drama: Infraction
Directed by Timothy Blackwood
When a prison guard is murdered on the job, his replacement and an inmate form an unlikely relationship with life-altering consequences. Written by Timothy Blackwood and developed in the Moving Picture Institute’s Short Film Lab, Infraction screened in our The Human Experience program before taking home Best Drama.
Stills from Infraction.
Best Animation: Mushka
Directed by Andreas Deja
Legendary Disney animator Andreas Deja took home Best Animation for Mushka, his hand-drawn story of a young girl named Sarah and her unlikely friendship with a tiger cub. We’ll have more on this one soon.
Thank You, San Jose
To every filmmaker, volunteer, sponsor and audience member who helped us celebrate 15 years: thank you. See every winner and the full 2023 lineup on our 2023 winners page, and explore past years on our Awards page.
