HollyShorts Announces Line-Up Featuring Several Notable Names!

As the 19th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival gets closer and closer, those involved in putting on the spectacular show made an announcement earlier today, revealing some of the incredible films and notable names that are to be gracing the screens during the roughly week and a half of festivities.

As part of a press release today, HollyShorts revealed that over six thousand entries were submitted, with over four hundred selected for this year’s showing, including some featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

Also shared was a statement in solidarity with those in the WGA and SAG/AFTRA during their labor strike:

HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes. In fact, we support all Labor, including the many people who work so hard behind the scenes to make films, especially independent films which are difficult to get funding for and finish. We owe it to our filmmakers to showcase their wonderful work.  HollyShorts 2023 will go forward in this spirit.

With that goal in mind, the festival wanted to highlight some of the incredible entries that are the result of all that hard work, including amazing documentaries such as How to Rig an Election: The Racist History of the 1876 Presidential Contest directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler and narrated by Tom Hanks, They Came From All Over”directed by Academy® Award winner Rayka Zehtabchi, OSCAR® winner Ben Proudfoot’s Forgiving Johnny and Jordan Matthew Horowitz’s Jack and Sam, produced by Academy® Award winner Andrew Carlberg. These films will also now be Academy Award eligible, with HollyShorts films being granted qualifying status for the Documentary Short Film category by the Academy.

Other films that have are slated for this year’s festival include live-action projects such as:

• Iain Softley and Disney Plus’ The Shepherd, produced by Alfonso Cuaró and featuring John Travolta
• Christopher Patrick Macken’s For the Safety of Theo, executive produced by Charlie Day
• Jenn Shaw’s Gaps, produced by Queen Latifah
• Bella Thorne’s Paint Her Red
• Jorey Worb’s Bite, starring Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars)
• Shadow Brother Sunday, directed by and starring Alden Ehrenreich (Star Wars)
• Harry Holland’s Last Call, starring Tom Holland and BAFTA Nominee Lindsay Duncan
• Margaret Miller’s Poof, starring Catherine Curtain
• Academy® Award winner Chris Overton’s In Too Deep
• Charles Whitcher’s Mundo, executive produced by Eva Longoria
• For People in Trouble directed by Alex Lawther and executive produced by Matt Damon alongside Ben Affleck.

Those entries are just the beginning, with a slate of impressive animated films to also be shown at this year’s screening, with notable entries, including WB’s Daffy in Wackyland, directed by Max Winston and OSCAR® nominee Andrew Pierce Chesworth’s The Brave Locomotive, as well as notable entries in the music video category such as Lauren Keke Palmer’s Big Boss and Russell Mael and Richie Starzec’s Sparks, starring Cate Blanchett.

Also mentioned in the press release were several other notable selections, all of which will leave viewers satisfied, with familiar faces from film and TV featured in key roles:

• Karen Bryson MBE’s directorial debut Monochromatic
• Kayla Abuda Galang’s You Left Me on the Boulevard
• Lauren Finerman’s Flower produced by and starring Misty Copeland
• Lola Blanc’s Pruning starring Madeline Brewer (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Ethan Dolan and Grayson Dolan’s Nothing Left to Give
• Conor Dooley’s Gold and Mud starring Ana Fabrega (Los Espookys)
• Rudy Martinez’s Ham
• Oscar Boyson’s Power Signal
• Michael Spiccia’s I’m On Fire starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos)
• Sue Zarco Kramer’s Swipe NYC starring Lisa Edelstein (House MD) and Bridget Moynahan (Blue Bloods)
• Marta Szymanek’s Eden produced by OSCAR® nominee Maciej Ślesicki
• Stephanie Kaznocha’s Confessions, starring Sister Alva (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Eve Sigall (Yellow Jackets)
• Michael Schwartz’s Snatched”, starring Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black),
• Dany Pino’s Unión de Reyes (Union of Kings) 
• Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon‘s Restraining Order, produced by Oscar Nominee Kobi Mizrahi.

There is so much more to be featured at the festival as well, with over a week’s worth of screenings and an absolutely astounding amount of films to be shown. For a full list of selections, be sure to check out the official HollyShorts website.

For those able to attend in person, the festival will run from August 10th to August 20th, at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, with the awards Gala falling on the 20th to celebrate the winners of this year’s festival.

For anyone who is unable to join live, all the films will also be available digitally on BitPix, which will be updated regularly.

Tickets and additional info can be found here. Check back here regularly with updates, interviews and coverage of this year’s 19th annual HollyShorts Film Festival!