The HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Award®-qualifying independent short film festival located in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

History

Founded in 2005, the yearly festival programmes feature an eclectic mixture of short films of various genres from around the world. HollyShorts inaugural Film Festival took place at The Space Theatre in Hollywood in August 2005 and featured 23 short films from the U.S., Canada, Poland, the U.K., and Thailand. The 2nd annual 2006 HollyShorts Film Festival was held at Cinespace in Hollywood, California, and also featured 53 short films from all around the world, with over thirteen different countries being represented. The third annual 2007 HollyShorts Film Festival took place from August 10-12th in 2007, and awarded goodies. The 4th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival took place on August 7–10, 2008 in Hollywood with top honors of Best Short Film going to “Bloom” directed Lance Larson. Larson was awarded $2000 VFX package courtesy of Clifton Post for his next project. The Best Student Short honors went to David Jibladze, for his short film “Beholden.” Jibladze took home a 5-day HVX-200, HD Camera rental package courtesy of Martini Crew Booking. Over $25,000 in prizes were awarded. The 5th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival took place August 6–13 at the DGA and Laemmle's Sunset 5 Theatre in Hollywood with top honors of Best Short Film going to ''La Petite Lilia'', directed by Reda Mustafa. Mustafa took home a prize package from Clifton Production Services which included a RED ONE digital cinema package valued up to $5,000.00, while Johnny Gill took home a $10,000 cash prize for the Haydenfilms Online Film Festival contest for his short film “My Turtle’s Name is Dudley.” For more information, visit www.hollyshorts.com. The 6th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival® took place August 5–12, 2010 in Hollywood and featured a major opening night reception, week-long screenings of short films and feature films in Hollywood, high-level industry panels, keynotes, awards and receptions for the community and filmmakers. Grand prizes were awarded for Best Short and Best Director courtesy of Company 3 valued at $20,000. Openfilm also sponsored the festival and screened their top 5 finalists for their $250,000 Get It Made Competition, at the fest. James Caan attended the opening night ceremonies and named the finalists. The 7th Annual HSFF will take place on August 11-18th in Hollywood. HSFF will be unveiling many other important upcoming celebrity and sponsorship participation as the Festival approaches. HSFF Alumni include Josh Brolin, Darren Lew, David Arquette, Malcolm Barrett, Carter Smith, Jason Biggs, David Pryor, Jimmy Jean Louis, Paula Garces, Adrian Grenier, David Lynch, Bragi Schut, David Weinstein, William Olssen, Alex Ferrari, Larry Hankin, Lance Larson, John Thompson, Nick Carmen, Scott Porter, Joel David Moore,

Mary Pat Bentel Mary Pat Bentel is a Los Angeles based independent film producer known for ''Amateur Night'' starring Jason Biggs, ''The Lie'' starring Joshua Leonard and Jess Weixler, '' The Midnight Swim'' starring Lindsay Burdge, Aleksa Palladino, and Jen ...

, Denis Hennelly, Richard Riehle, and great filmmakers and actors. The festival has screened 3D short films before, opening its 6th Annual festival with ''

The Butler's in Love ''The Butler's in Love'' is a short film directed by David Arquette and starring Elizabeth Berkley and Thomas Jane. The film is based on a painting by Mark Stock which hangs in Bix, the San Francisco restaurant where Arquette and his wife Courte ...

'' (directed by

David Arquette David Arquette (born September 8, 1971) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film franchise ''Scream'', for which he won a Teen Choice Award and two Blockbuster Enter ...

and starring

Elizabeth Berkley Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1974) is an American actress. She played Jessie Spano in the television series ''Saved by the Bell'' and Nomi Malone/Polly Ann Costello in the 1995 Paul Verhoeven film ''Showgirls''. She voiced the title role o ...

and

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Deep Blue Sea (1999 film), Deep Blue Sea'' (1999), ''The Punisher ...

), and Sean Isroelit's ''The Caretaker 3D,'' which starred TV icon

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

. HollyShorts has also been recognized by ''

MovieMaker ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Film period ...

'' magazine for one of th
Top 50 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee

Previous guests

Previous actors or celebrities who had films appear in the festival, or who made appearances at the festival, include

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), ''Mimic'' (1997), ''Hollow Man'' (2000), ''Grindhouse'' (2007), ''No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gangste ...

Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in th ...

(the short film ''Hostage: A Love Story'' which screened at the festival), Oscar-winning short film director

Luke Matheny Luke Matheny (born December 23, 1976) is an American actor, writer, and director. Matheny is an Academy Award winner, receiving the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' God of Love''. Early years Matheny was born in Mechanicsburg, ...

('' God of Love'' which screened at the festival),

Jessica Biel Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Biel be ...

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...

(a 3D short film directed by Arquette entitled ''The Butler's in Love'' opened the 6th annual HollyShorts Film Festival and starred

and

Harry Lennix Harry Joseph Lennix III (born November 16, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film ''The Five Heartbeats'' (1991) and as Boyd Langton in the science-fiction series ''Dollh ...

Adrian Grenier Adrian Sean Grenier (born July 10, 1976) is an American actor, producer, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Vincent Chase in the television series ''Entourage (American TV series), Entourage'' (2004–2011). He has appe ...

, former SF Mayor and

Lieutenant Governor of California The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to l ...

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

Kate Bosworth Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...

(both Saldana and Bosworth starred in a short film called ''Idiots'' that screened at the festival),

Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. During his two-decade career, Boseman received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, ...

Diane Lane Diane Colleen Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at age 14 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film ''A Little Romance''. The two films that could have catapulted her to star ...

Eli Roth Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series ''Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recogni ...

Steve Nguyen Steve Nguyen (born December 30, 1985) is a Vietnamese-American director, writer, artist and film producer. Nguyen and fellow director Choz Belen formed Studio APA, a multimedia collective that specializes in the production of animated films, chi ...

Grace Huang Grace Huang () is a Taiwanese-Australian actress of Cantonese descent, best known for her role as the Gemini Female in the RZA directed martial arts film, ''The Man with the Iron Fists''. Career Huang starred as Mei Chen in the pilot for th ...

(who won Best Actress for her role in

Jennifer Thym Jennifer Thym is an American writer, film director and producer currently based in Hong Kong. Thym's award winning films include "Bloodtraffic" and "Jasmine". Early life Thym was born in New York City, New York. Thym is of Cantonese and Taiwan ...

's short film, ''Bloodtraffick'' which screened at the festival),

Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker, who rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in ''Full Metal Jacket''. His other film roles include the title character ...

Matthew Libatique Matthew Libatique (born July 19, 1968) is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on the films '' Pi'' (1998), ''Requiem for a Dream'' (2000), '' The Fountain'' (2006), '' Black Swan'' (2010), ' ...

, Malcolm Barrett,

Jason Biggs Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Jim Levenstein in the '' American Pie'' comedy film series and Larry Bloom in the Netflix original series '' Orange Is the New Black''. He al ...

Tracy Middendorf Tracy Lynn Middendorf (born January 26, 1970) is an American television, movie, and stage actress. Middendorf's most notable roles were in the horror film ''Wes Craven's New Nightmare'', the MTV series '' Scream'', and the HBO series ''Boardwalk ...

Ele Keats Ele Keats (born Elemy Georgescu; August 24, 1973) is an American television, film and stage actress, model, and jewelry designer. Keats's most notable roles were in the Disney musical drama film '' Newsies'', Garry Marshall's '' Frankie and Joh ...

John Dahl John Dahl (born December 11, 1956) is an American film director, film and television director and screenwriter, writer, best known for his work in the neo-noir genre. Life and career John Dahl was born in Billings, Montana, the second of four c ...

, David Rodriguez,

Larry Hankin Larry Hankin (born ) is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in ...

Scott Porter Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...

Feodor Chin Feodor Chin is an American actor, producer, writer and director. Chin starred as the antagonist "Benny" in Juwan Chung's ''Baby'' opposite David Huynh, the protagonist. ''Baby'' won a Special Jury Award for Best Feature Length Film, Narrative at ...

Joel David Moore Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...

Ben Lyons Ben Lyons (born October 8, 1981) is an American entertainment reporter and sportscaster. He is the co-host of Bonjour Sports Talk on Amazon Prime Video Sports Talk. Early life Lyons is the son of entertainment reporter Jeffrey Lyons and the g ...

Timothy Tau Timothy Tau (born Timothy Tau Hsieh ( ); Chinese: 謝韜; pinyin: Xiè Tāo) is a Taiwanese-American writer, engineer, attorney, law professor and filmmaker. Tau won the 2011 ''Hyphen magazine, Hyphen'' Asian American Writers' Workshop Short St ...

Carter Smith Carter Smith (born September 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker and fashion photographer. He is best known for directing the films '' The Ruins'' (2008) and ''Jamie Marks Is Dead'' (2014). Life and career A native of Bowdoinham, Maine, Smith moved ...

, Jamie Linden,

David Dastmalchian David Dastmalchian (; born July 21, 1975) is an American film and stage actor. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises; he portrayed Thomas Schiff in ''The Dark Knight'', Kurt in the first two Marvel Cinematic Univers ...

, Nicholas McCarthy,

Jimmy Jean-Louis Jimmy Jean-Louis (born August 8, 1968) is a Haitian actor and producer. Born in Pétion-Ville, he moved to Paris at a young age with his family in search of a better life. His early roles were in French television commercials and Spanish musical ...

Joe Carnahan Joseph Aaron Carnahan (born May 9, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor whose films include '' Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane''; '' Narc''; ''Smokin' Aces''; ''The A-Team''; '' The Grey''; and ''Boss Level''. He a ...

Ray Abruzzo Ray Abruzzo (born August 12, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Little Carmine Lupertazzi in ''The Sopranos'', Detective Michael McGuire in ''The Practice'' (1998-2004), and Tony Giuliano in ''Night Court'' (1989-1991). ...

Neil LaBute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Fi ...

, and more.

Organization

Currently, the festival is run by co-founder and Co-director Theo Dumont and Festival co-founder and Co-director Daniel Sol. The festival also holds a number of Monthly Screenings.HollyShorts Monthly Screenings, http://hollyshorts.com/screenings

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollyshorts Film Festival Film festivals in Los Angeles Short film festivals in the United States