Short Term 12 is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on his short film of the same title and starring Brie Larson, John Gallagher, Jr., and Kaitlyn Dever. The film premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Narrative Feature Award and the Narrative Audience Award. Critical response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive, calling it "a roller coaster of every emotion, managing to be both heartwarming and heartrending at once". The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 23, 2013.