ShortFest Spotlight: Two Standout Films Bring Big Stories to Palm Springs

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is showcasing hundreds of films from around the world this week, and two standout entries are already generating buzz among audiences and filmmakers alike.

The first is Last Man Up, which screens Thursday under the festival's Social Animals program. The film follows a group of friends dealing with a hidden financial crisis and an impending home foreclosure during what is supposed to be one final celebration together.

Director and co-writer Hazel McKibbin said the story focuses on emotional tension and the unspoken conflicts that exist between close friends. Co-writer and actor Robert R. Palmer, who also stars in the film, said the character and story were deeply personal and inspired by real emotions surrounding today's housing challenges.

The filmmakers encouraged aspiring creators to focus on stories that matter to them personally and to keep productions manageable and achievable.

Also featured at this year's festival is Multo, screening Saturday as part of the Beneath the Surface program.

Directed by Coleman Weimer, the film takes its name from the Filipino word for "ghost" and explores themes of cultural identity, colonial history and memory. Weimer filmed the project at his childhood home in the Philippines, a place he had not visited since he was a young child.

The filmmaker said the story was inspired by the histories and experiences that often exist beneath the surface of familiar places. Through supernatural elements and personal reflection, "Multo" invites audiences to think critically about the environments they inhabit and the stories connected to them.

While the two films approach storytelling from very different perspectives, both represent the creativity and originality that have made ShortFest a premier destination for emerging filmmakers from around the globe.

"Last Man Up" screens Thursday at 2 p.m., while "Multo" will be shown Saturday at noon as part of the festival's weeklong celebration of short-form cinema in Palm Springs.