2025 ROSWELL SHORTS OFFICIAL WINNERS:
BEST SHORT FILM:
THE SPACE BETWEEN ATTACK AND DECAY (USA, 29 min)
Directed by Jessica Kourkounis (Philadelphia, PA)
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM:
THE RIVALS (Sweden, 25 min)
Directed by Fraser James MacLeod (Malmö, Sweden)
BEST DIRECTOR SHORT FILM:
STEAL THE WORDS (USA, 20 min)
Directed by Amy Maki (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM:
DAYTON GUITARS (USA, 16 min)
Directed by D. Emmet Wilson (Beavercreek, OH)
BEST HORROR SHORT FILM:
NIGHT SHIFT AT NED'S (USA, 25 min)
Directed by Hagen Mattingly (Atlanta, GA)
BEST SCI-FI SHORT FILM:
INVADERS OF THE VALLEY SALOON (USA, 12 min)
Directed by Dustin Tidwell (New Mexico)
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM:
UNTITLED: THE LOST PAINTING BY THOMAS DALEY (USA, 30 min)
Directed by Sean Ryan (Staten Island, New York)
BEST ADAPTED SHORT FILM:
THE REACH (Italy, 28 min)
Directed by Luca Caserta (Verona, Italy)
BEST A.I. SHORT FILM:
ELIAS AI (Mexico, 11 min)
Directed by Marco Casado (Valle de Bravo, México)
BEST ANIMATION SHORT FILM:
THE FAMILY PHOTO (USA, 9 min)
Directed by John Norris Ray & Maria Victoria Sanchez (Willis, TX)
BEST FILM NOIR SHORT FILM:
XPENDABLE (USA, 30 min)
Directed by Walter Ernest Haussner
BEST MUSIC VIDEO:
LOVELY LOLA JEAN feat. ANDREW WISCOMBE (USA, 3 min)
Directed by Matt McKee
ROSWELL SHORTS
Season 1
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
CHILDREN OF ICARUS (USA, 7 min, narrative)
Directed by Gary Fieldman (Denver, CO)
A father invites his daughter to dinner to let her know that he has joined a cult.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
DAYTON GUITARS (USA, 16 min, documentary)
Directed by D. Emmet Wilson (Beavercreek, OH)
Dayton Guitars tells the story of Dennis Rotterman, whose journey from humble beginnings in Dayton, Ohio to crafting guitars for legendary rock stars and creating timeless music reflects a life devoted to artistry, connection, and grace.
WINNER!
DEADLINE (Israel, 12 min, stopmotion)
Directed by Idan Gilboa (Kfar-Saba. Israel)
Deadline is a black comedy stop-motion short about two elderly women whose friendship and solidarity challenge society’s disregard, as they confront the tangled power balance between bureaucracy, death, and feline devotion.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
DRESSED FOR DINNER (Italy, 10 min, AI)
Directed by Andrea Verardi (Chiaravalle, Italy)
On a timeless night, a man enters a mysterious restaurant where each nameless dish awakens foreign memories, plunging him into a surreal journey that blurs reality and hallucination and ends in a devastating revelation about his own existence.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
ELIAS AI (Mexico, 11 min, AI)
Directed by Marco Casado (Valle de Bravo, México)
Elias is a story within a story, a reflection on deforestation, environmental struggles, film production and the obstacles to still adequately represent reality with artificial intelligence.
WINNER!
OFFICIAL SELECTION
HEAD (USA, 6 min, narrative)
Directed by Keith Ruggiero (Los Angeles, CA)
Head is a darkly comic coming-of-age tale about Clarence, a lonely man with a slime-secreting forehead growth whose life changes when he meets a shy girl who shares his bizarre condition, turning awkwardness into an unexpectedly tender love story.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
INVADERS OF THE VALLEY SALOON (USA,
12 min, narrative)
Directed by Dustin Tidwell (New Nexico)
A saloon in the old west is visited by extra terrestrial beings.
WINNER!
LOVELY LOLA JEAN (USA, 3 min, music video)
Directed by Matt McKee
This cosmic piece of short musical cinema features country music artist, Andrew Wiscombe, in his hilarious hit song, Lovely Lola Jean.
WINNER!
NIGHT SHIFT AT NED'S (USA, 25 min, narrative suspense)
Directed by Hagen Mattingly (Atlanta, GA)
A seasoned waitress starts a new job at an overnight diner in the deep south, and learns new meaning to the term "customers from Hell."
WINNER!
STEAL THE WORDS (USA, 20 min, narrative suspense)
Directed by Amy Maki (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
On the outskirts of a once thriving oil boomtown, a compliant oilman wrestles with a set of bizarre tasks to keep control of the situation at hand.
WINNER!
THE FAMILY PHOTO (USA, 9 min, 3D animation)
Directed by John Norris Ray & Maria Victoria Sanchez (Willis, TX)
What happened after an Earth astronaut left a family photo on the moon fifty-plus years ago? This animated short explores the butterfly effect of such an action. How will it affect us all?
WINNER!
THE GIFT (Canada, 11 min, narrative, mixed AI)
Directed by Sundeep Singh (Maple Ridge, BC)
The Gift is a gritty thriller in which a father’s quest to find his daughter a green dragon toy on her birthday spirals into a deadly confrontation with a stranger, exposing the fragile line between love, justice, and obsession.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
THE REACH (Italy, 28 min, narrative)
Directed by Luca Caserta (Verona, Italy)
Based on a short story by Stephen King, The Reach follows Stella Flanders, the oldest woman on Goat Island, who—haunted by visions of loved ones during a harsh winter—must finally confront the crossing she has avoided all her life, in a poignant journey between memory, love, and death.
WINNER!
THE RIVALS (Sweden, 25 min, narrative)
Directed by Fraser James MacLeod (Malmö, Sweden)
A film of friendship, nostalgia and petty jealousy. When Connor comes to town, it sets William on a dark path of discovery.
WINNER!
THE SPACE BETWEEN ATTACK AND DECAY (USA, 29 min, experimental)
Directed by Jessica Kourkounis (Philadelphia, PA)
The Space Between Attack and Decay is a 28-minute light-hearted sci-fi/fantasy short, starring Boris McGiver and featuring narration by James McAvoy, in which a solitary sailing scientist abandons his mission to save a drowning world to pursue the surreal allure of a shimmering chrome figure.
WINNER!
TO FLY (Iran, 15 min, narrative)
Directed by Mohsen Khademi (Iran)
In a remote village, a girl’s bond with her duck leads her into the mountains, where a mysterious boy who hears distant sounds guides her to Kenareh, a mystical place where the duck’s flight becomes a moment of liberation and transformation.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
UNTITLED: THE LOST PAINTING BY THOMAS DALEY (USA, 30 min, dark comedy)
Directed by Sean Ryan (Staten Island, New York)
Riddled in debt to bookies, a recovering gambling addict searches for his family's lost painting to settle the score, unearthing a vast conspiracy.
WINNER!
XPENDABLE (USA, 30 min, film noir)
Directed by Walter Ernest Haussner
Xpendable, inspired by Evan Hunter’s The Last Spin, is a darkly comic noir in which rival crime clubs settle their feud through chosen representatives, reimagined with shifts in age, gender, and a wry nod to David Mamet’s adage that “Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.”
WINNER!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Conectando mundos, fotograma a fotograma: celebre el cine en el paraíso en PAIFF
ROSWELL SHORTS
Season 2 (2026)
Call For Entries Opens Soon
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Films from 1 minute up to 30 minutes
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Multiple genres and countries
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Live screenings in Roswell, New Mexico at the International UFO Museum & Research Center
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Live event awards ceremony
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In-person filmmaker Q&As, keynote discussion, and networking opportunities
CONCEPT
ROSWELL SHORTS is a new international short indie film festival that takes place in the town of Roswell, New Mexico. The festival is dedicated exclusively to short films (from one minute up to 30 minutes in length), across all genres. Submissions are open to filmmakers worldwide. The program will include screenings, filmmaker Q&As, networking events, an awards ceremony and curated discussions on the future of short-form storytelling, including projects created using AI tools.
ROSWELL SHORTS is produced by the organizers of the Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival (PAIFF), an established and IMDb-qualifying festival known for its filmmaker-first approach, creative transparency, and commitment to partnering in the promotion of selected films. With a proven track record in destination-based festival programming, the PAIFF team brings its experience, credibility, and audience-building expertise to this exciting new venture in the American Southwest.
Qualifying projects submitted to PAIFF will receive FREE entry waivers to Roswell Shorts and vice-versa.
What they are saying about our organization (PAIFF):
Jorge Morias, Filmmaker, Spain
“There is no doubt that the festival's organization is admirable; a dedicated team has demonstrated exceptional commitment in planning and executing an event that brings together filmmakers and lovers of the seventh art in a truly spectacular setting"
Barbara Todd Hager, Producer, British Columbia
"Absolutely the best kept secret in the film festival circuit celebrating new and emerging filmmakers from around the world. The programming team chose beautiful films with messages of hope and resilience. Looking forward to seeing this gem of a festival grow!"
Kerra Bolton, Filmmaker, USA / Mexico
“PAIFF was an amazing experience, especially for me as an emerging Black filmmaker. The festival organizers and the audience recognized my work in a way that felt deeply life-affirming. Most filmmakers attend festivals to network and to market and show their work. For me, the biggest thrill was sitting in communal spaces watching independent films that inspired, challenged, and surprised me."
Tickets will be donation based at the door or you can secure official passes here.
This pass guarantees you access to all screenings for both days of the festival: September 26th and 27th, 2025 to be held at the North Library of the International UFO Museum and Research Center, 114 N. Main Street, Roswell.
Sep. 26 4pm-7pm
Sep. 27 4pm-8pm
$20 FULL PASS includes both film festival sessions plus (1) admission to the UFO Museum (open daily 9am-5pm)
$15 FESTIVAL ONLY PASS is only good for the film screenings both days, but not entry to the museum.
$10 SINGLE SESSION PASS is only good for one film festival screening (either day), but not entry to the museum.
Las inscripciones al festival se abrirán el 21 de diciembre de 2023 con una fecha límite para las inscripciones el 30 de enero de 2024.
Reglas OficialesyLos términos se publicarán a través de Film Freeway.
Rules
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Technical tips for favorable results:
→ Have a downloadable trailer 90 sec or less with English subtitles.
→ Submit a professional poster image.
→ Include a brief synopsis, director bio, and cast and crew credits. -
Films must include a version with English subtitles (unless the spoken language is English). Non-English music videos must have English subtitles.
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By submitting the film, the submitter agrees that:
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ROSWELL SHORTS can use trailer/teaser/sizzle/film poster/stills or BTS and script excerpt for promotional purpose (but do not release, under any form or circumstances, the full film or script).
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Entry fees and Pass fees are non-refundable.
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The submitter owns all the rights to the film.
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The information about the entries can be disclosed to ROSWELL SHORTS associate film festivals, such as PAIFF.
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Submission cannot be withdrawn after the announcement of the official selection.
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For student fee, it is mandatory the student status evidence (e.g. copy of student card included in the project).
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If selected to be present in the festival program, submitter must provide ROSWELL SHORTS with a downloadable full HD (1080p recommended) mov or mp4 digital file of the film AND the trailer for screening use at least 20 days prior to event (special "for preview" and "festival screening" water marks are acceptable).
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TRAILERS, TEASERS, and/or SIZZLE REELS for ALL film projects MUST be available for download upon entry submission in HD or 1080p format.
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Selectees who plan to attend the annual screening and awards ceremony will be required to purchase a festival pass (conference fee) for each attendee in their entourage (we offer a 50% discount). These fees help pay for the awards, certificates, credentials, and dinner reception.
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If selected filmmaker cannot attend in-person, it is highly encouraged that an introduction reel be presented and in some cases a virtual Q+A session can be arranged.
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At this time, ROSWELL SHORTS does NOT pay or reimburse submitters/filmmakers and their entourage for travel and/or lodging expenses to/from festival.
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Projects that do not follow the rules & terms above can be automatically disqualified at the sole discretion of ROSWELL SHORTS.
Fees
We only require ONE submission fee of $25 (USD) per project! ROSWELL SHORTS committee will thoroughly review and rate your project for an award and certificate consideration in ALL applicable award categories (to be determined) based on the type of film (documentary, animation, experimental, music video, etc).
Waiver requests will be handled on a case by case basis.
Conference fees (separate from submission fees) for selected filmmakers and their entourage will be offered at a 50% discount for the 2025 festival. These fees cover costs associated with the awards ceremony and dinner reception.
**FilmFreeway submissions will be open from July 15th - September 1st, 2025 (no late entries accepted!)**
