2023 Films Now Streaming
PBS Short Film Festival 2023
The PBS Short Film Festival is part of a multiplatform initiative to increase the reach and visibility of independent filmmakers from across the country and amplify the voices of diverse content creators. Since its inception in 2012, hundreds of films celebrating love, acceptance, family, strength, equality, friendship, loyalty and more have been presented under the festival’s banner. The 2023 festival carries the tagline “Stories in Bloom” to highlight the impact of powerful storytelling.
Starting at midnight on Monday, July 10, audiences can watch and share all 25 films. In addition, a panel of five jury members will select their favorite film of the festival for the Juried Prize.
Jury members are respected professionals in independent film and public media and were invited by PBS to participate. Simon Kilmurry, International Documentary Association, Executive Director; Judith Vecchione, WGBH Educational Foundation, Executive Producer; Mike Sargent, Reelworld/Nightshift, Producer/Host; Adnaan Wassey, Digital Media Executive (formerly of POV); Antonia Thornton, Firelight Media, Artist Programs Coordinator.
Films featured in the PBS Short Film Festival have been selected and provided by 16 public media partners and PBS member stations. This year’s lineup includes films from Alabama Public Television, Austin PBS, Black Public Media, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Independent Television Service (ITVS), Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Maryland Public Television, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), POV, Reel South, Vision Maker Media, WHUT Howard University Television, World Channel, WQED (Pittsburgh), and WPSU Penn State.
Generating more than 12 million streams over the course of the festival’s history, the Webby Award-winning PBS Short Film Festival continues to be an engaging annual digital event.
A distinguished panel of five jury members will select their favorite film of the festival for the “Juried Prize.”
Since 2012, the PBS Short Film Festival (originally named PBS Online Film Festival) has been a platform and partner for promoting short films from independent filmmakers that are presented by public media partners and PBS member stations. Many of the films cover social issues that traditional film festivals tend to shy away from such as identity, culture, family, and race.
Every year, PBS reaches out to PBS member stations and other public media partners during an open submission period. From the hundreds of films submitted, a final collection is picked to represent each partner along the themes of the Festival. In recent years, the Festival has run for two weeks, usually beginning the Monday after July 4. All films are released at midnight. The films are made available for streaming through the PBS Short Film Festival official site on pbs.org, the PBS App, and on PBS’s YouTube channel. When the festival ends, one film receives the Juried Prize, picked by a panel of independent film professionals. Films are generally available for streaming for two years after premiere in the Festival.
Over time, changes have been made to the types of awards given out during the Festival. At inception, the Festival highlighted “People’s Choice” and “Most Popular” categories, selected by viewers voting on their favorite films and the films that had the highest viewership. In 2017, PBS combined the voting and viewership awards into a single “Most Popular” award and added a Juried Prize award. In 2021, the “Most Popular” award was retired. In 2022, the Festival won a people's choice Webby award for the best festival or conference category.
Here is a list of the independent films that have all been honored as award winners at past festivals.
Juried Prize (tie): WINN by Joseph East and Erica Tanamachi; and Under G_D by Paula Eiselt
Juried Prize: Chilly & Milly by William D. Caballero
Juried Prize: Ms. Diva Trucker by Dana Reilly
Juried Prize: In This Family by Drama Del Rosario
Most Popular: Joyride by Edwin Alexis Gomez
Juried Prize: The Moon and the Night by Erin Lau
Most Popular: BT Lives in the Stitch by Illinois Public Media
Juried Prize: Black Canaries by Jesse Kreitzer
Most Popular: Cowgirl Up by Nathan Willis
Juried Prize: You Can Go by Nathan Willis
Most Popular: MARIA by Karin Williams and Jeremiah Tauamiti
People’s Choice: Goldstar by Karla Legaspy
Most Watched: Artist's Day Jobs: Emily Lynch Victory by Twin Cities PBS.
People’s Choice: Sinner, Victim, Saint by Moses Flores
Most Watched: 11 Paper Place by Daniel Houghton
People’s Choice: My Dear Americans by Arpita Kumar
Most Watched: Digging for Water, by Joshua Riehl
People’s Choice: LIVE Art by Bill Gaff and Martin Montgomery
Most Watched: The Story of An Egg by Douglas Gayeton
People’s Choice: The Horse You See by Melissa Henry
