Aspen Film announced that Aspen Shortsfest is now accepting submissions of live-action, documentary, and animation short films and videos for the 20th annual edition of the festival's International Competition, which will take place April 5 - 10, 2011.

Entry deadlines are earlier this year, with the early submission deadline (with reduced entry fee) on October 12, 2010; the regular deadline on December 3, 2010; and the late deadline on December 17, 2010. Competition guidelines and information on entering submissions are available online at www.aspenfilm.org.

About Aspen Shortsfest
Recently named by Indiewire as one of the top 50 leading film festivals in the world, Aspen Shortsfest is widely recognized as a premier showcase for short film and video. Each spring it brings talented filmmakers and enthusiastic film fans from around the world to the beautiful Rocky Mountain ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, to celebrate the art of short cinema through exceptional programs. Aspen Shortsfest's 2011 International Competition will award more than $10,000 in cash prizes to winners in several categories. Aspen Shortsfest is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival in the live action and animated short film categories; winners of designated best of category prizes become eligible for Academy Award© consideration. In the past few years, several Aspen Shortsfest award winners have garnered Oscars© or nominations (On the Line, Lavatory-Lovestory, The Substitute, Tanghi Argentini, The Danish Poet, Éramos Pocos, Our Time Is Up, and God Sleeps in Rwanda, among others).

Along with the International Competition programs, highlights of Aspen Shortsfest include public screenings, presentations, and special events. Past jurors and special guests have included actress Meg Ryan, producer Sarah Siegel-Magness (Precious), documentarian Daniel Junge (The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner), screenwriter David Arata (Children of Men), director Jason Reitman and producer Daniel Dubiecki (Up in the Air, Juno), director/screenwriter Alexander Payne and screenwriter Jim Taylor (Sideways), director Julie Taymor (Across the Universe), screenwriter Paul Mazursky (Enemies: A Love Story), director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy), screenwriter Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons), animator Adam Elliott (Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet), and many others.

A presentation of Aspen Film, a non-profit arts organization, Aspen Shortsfest is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Colorado Creative Industries (formerly the Colorado Council on the Arts), and the City of Aspen. For more information on Aspen Film and its year-round programs, please contact 970.925.6882 or visit www.aspenfilm.org

About Aspen Film. Established in 1979, Aspen Film is one of Colorado's most active film arts organizations, presenting more than 200 programs and featuring dozens of guest speakers throughout the year. Internationally recognized, Aspen Film organizes a major film event in every season, along with an extensive education program: Aspen Filmfest, Academy Screenings, Aspen Shortsfest, and Film Educates. Our mission is to enlighten, enrich, educate, and entertain through film. Aspen Film stimulates thought, encourages dialogue, and broadens understanding of our world and ourselves through the diverse spectrum of ideas presented by filmmakers worldwide.