Short Film News (SFN)- Zaid Abu Hamdan’s Bahiya & Mahmoud, received the Best of Festival Award at the 2011 Palm Springs International Shortfest and becomes eligible for submission for consideration in the Oscar short film category.

The festival, which announced its winners, screened  331 short films and awarded a total of $128,800 in prizes, including $14,000 in cash awards.

The Panavision Grand Jury Award went to Elizabeth Tadic’s Umoja: No Men Allowed, about women in Northern Kenya who created their own community.

Mitsuyo Miyazaki’s Tsuyako earned the Future Film Maker Award, and a special jury award was given to Patrick Sarell and Alistair Lockhart’s Nullarbor.

Audience Awards were presented to Christopher Stollery’s dik, named favorite live-action short; Paul Detwiler and Michael Chen’s Johnny & Lyman: Life Together, favorite documentary short; and William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg’s The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, favorite animation short.

The Shortfest Online Audience Award, new this year, was given to Peter Shanel’s Stephany + Me.

A complete list of winners is available at festival website: www.psfilmfest.org