KINO Short Film Festival

Short films are the oft-overlooked breeding ground for the future marquee filmmakers. Breakthrough films like Whiplash, Boogie Nights, The Evil Dead and Bottle Rocket all started as shorts by then-unknown directors by the names of Damien Chazelle, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sam Raimi and Wes Anderson. Beyond that, a finely tuned short can often surpass the emotional impact of feature-length films in a fraction of the time. The KINO Film Festival, which celebrates its 25th year showcasing choice PNW shorts, completely understands this. For the first time this year, KINO stretches over two days with workshops, parties and screenings (which are free for University of Idaho students). The 2025 slate includes the premiere of The Snail Hunters (a doc about a UI professor seeking snails on Galápagos Islands) and a celebration of the work by standout Seattle director Megan Griffiths.

KINO Short Film Festival • Fri, April 25 & Sat, April 26, times vary • $20 festival pass; free-$8/screenings • Kenworthy Theatre • 508 S. Main St., Moscow • kinofilmfest.org