The 22nd Annual HollyShorts Film Festival wrapped August 23 at TCL Chinese Theatres and Ovation Hollywood after 11 days of screenings, panels, and premieres. Below is the full list of this year’s award winners.
Top Honors
Best Short Film Grand Prize, presented by Panavision — Vultures, Dian Weys (Oscar-qualifying). Best Live Action — Pale Sun, Adrian Moyse Dullin and Jawahine Zentar (Oscar-qualifying). Best Animation — With Tapes and Toasts in the Car (Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot), Kiana Naghshineh (Oscar-qualifying). Best Documentary — The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers, Rosella Tursi (Oscar-qualifying). Best Director — Faux Bijoux, Jessy Moussallem. Best International — Vultures, Dian Weys
Craft
Best Cinematography — The Kalgan Horse, Junxiong Zhu. Best Editing — HYENA, Altay Ulan Yang. Best Costume Design — Betty St. Clair, Syra McCarthy and Kyle Casey Chu. Best Stunts — Floor, Jo Bareun. Best Performance — I AM THE PRIZE, Russell Tovey Best Producer — Laundreams, directed by Evie Ward-Drummond and Amber Gadd; produced by Nina Georgieff, Anna Sophia Duff, Maxine Peake, Tobi Kyeremateng, and Slick Films
Genre
Best Drama — Copy, Save, Alyssa Loh. Best Comedy — The Oracle, JJ Adler. Best Horror — Banshee, Peter Vass. Best Sci-Fi — IMPRINT, Ran Jing. Verse LA Presents Best Midnight Madness — The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much, Eric Jackowitz. Best Sports Documentary — ZINA, Vicky Wight. Best Sports Narrative — THE COLOSSEUM, Nabil Kechouhen. Best Music Documentary — Reflections Under the Electric Sky, Devin J. Dilmore. Best Music Video — Weval – Open Up That Door, Bear Damen and Merijn Scholte Albers. Series, Television, and Audio. Best TV — Do I Know You From Somewhere?, Alan Scott Neal. Best TV Pilot — Rippers, Joseph Oliver Hooten. Best Web Series — Birth is for P*ssies, Hannah Shealy and Celine Sutter. Best Podcast — abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast. Shot on Film, presented by Kodak. Best Shot on Film, 35mm — KINK, Carissa Gallo. Best Shot on Film, 16mm — GOBSTOPPER, Pippa Feldberg Collins. Honorable Mention — I THINK ABOUT KILLING YOU, Ran Ran Wang
Screenplay
Best Feature Screenplay — Grave Command, Evelyn Davis. Best Female Screenplay — The PaRC, Morgan Grice. Best Short Screenplay — The Death Row Cook, Jessica James. ISA Story Award — Know Your Lights, Al Benoit
Special Awards
Social Impact Award — EXTREMIST, Sasha Molochnikov. SAGindie Award — Them That’s Not, Mekhai Lee. Best Student Film — PANKAJA, Anooya Swamy. Made in LA Award — CHRISTMAS ANGELS, Remington Hoffman and Ida Hoffman. HollyShorts Film Festival + IMGN Short Film Fund — The Fiddler’s Stroke, Braden Barton
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HollyShorts is a major international festival devoted to “short-form filmmaking,” showcasing work by emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. Based in Hollywood, the festival is particularly significant because it includes “Academy Award®- and BAFTA-qualifying categories,” making it an important potential pathway for short films seeking major awards recognition.
Founded more than two decades ago, it has developed into more than a screening festival: It functions as an ‘industry showcase and networking venue,” connecting filmmakers with studios, streamers, producers, brands and other entertainment-industry professionals. It also supports filmmakers throughout the year through screenings, panels, educational programs and networking events.
HollyShorts is especially valuable because it gives short films something they often struggle to obtain: Serious industry visibility and a potential bridge from the festival circuit to wider recognition and future filmmaking opportunities.
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