HollyShorts Announces Winners From 22nd Annual Festival!

The 22nd Annual HollyShorts Film Festival has comes to a close, and with hundreds of entries and so many talented filmmakers, it’s time to give many of them their due. Our esteemed jury deliberated to find the winners in every category featured this festival season, and it’s time to get show off those who were deemed best in their particular category! (Note: The list of winners was first announced by Deadline’s Matthew Carey, whose piece can be seen here.)

The biggest prize was claimed by Vultures, Dian Weys’ film about a tow truck driver protecting what he’s there to pick up in the time right after a car crash but before the authorities arrive.

Three of the other winning films will also qualify for the Oscars: Pale Sun by Adrian Moyse Dullin & Jawahine Zentar qualifying for best Live Action. With Tapes and Toasts in the Car (Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot) from Kiana Naghshineh qualifies with their win for Best Animation, and Rosella Tursi rounds out the qualifiers for their Best Documentary The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers.

BEST SHORT FILM GRAND PRIZE Presented By Panavision

Vultures
Dian Weys

BEST LIVE ACTION

Pale Sun
Adrian Moyse Dullin & Jawahine Zentar 

BEST ANIMATION

With Tapes and Toasts in the Car (Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot)
Kiana Naghshineh

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers
Rosella Tursi

Several films also won in their respective categories, all of whom are well deserving of the accolades. Thet include:

Best Director: Faux Bijoux – Jessy Moussallem

Best Drama: Copy, Save – Alyssa Loh

Best Comedy:The Oracle – JJ Adler

Best Cinematography: The Kalgan Horse – Junxiong Zhu

Best Editing: HYENA – Altay Ulan Yang

Best Horror: Banshee – Peter Vass

Best Costume Design: Betty St. Clair – Syra McCarthy & Kyle Casey Chu

Best Stunts: Floor – Park Tae-san

Best International: Vultures – Dian Weys

Verse LA Presents Best Midnight Madness: The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much – Eric Jackowitz

Best Music Video:Weval – Open Up That Door – Bear Damen & Merijn Scholte Albers

Best Performance: I AM THE PRIZE – Russell Tovey

Best Producer: Laundreams – Directors Evie Ward-Drummond & Amber Gadd; Producers Nina Georgieff, Anna Sophia Duff, Maxine Peake, Tobi Kyeremateng & Slick Films

SAGindie Award: Them That’s Not – Mekhai Lee

Best Sports Documentary: ZINA – Vicky Wight

Best Sports Narrative: THE COLOSSEUM – Nabil Kechouhen

Social Impact Award: EXTREMIST – Sasha Molochnikov

Best Sci-Fi: IMPRINT – Ran Jing

Best Student Film: PANKAJA – Anooya Swamy

Kodak Best Shot on Film, 35MM: KINK – Carissa Gallo

Kodak Best Shot on Film, 16MM: GOBSTOPPER – Pippa Feldberg Collins

Kodak Honorable Mention: I THINK ABOUT KILLING YOU – Ran Ran Wang

Best TV: Do I Know You From Somewhere? – Alan Scott Neal

Best Web Series: Birth is for P*ssies – Hannah Shealy & Celine Sutter

Made in LA Award: CHRISTMAS ANGELS – Remington Hoffman & Ida Hoffman

Best Music Documentary: Reflections Under the Electric Sky – Devin J. Dilmore

Best Podcast: abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast

ISA Story Award: Know Your Lights – Al Benoit

Best TV Pilot: Rippers – Joseph Oliver Hooten

Best Feature Screenplay: Grave Command – Evelyn Davis

Best Female Screenplay: The PaRC – Morgan Grice

Best Short Screenplay: The Death Row Cook – Jessica James

HOLLYSHORTS + IMGN SHORT FILM FUND

Congratulations to The Fiddler’s Stroke, directed by Braden Barton, this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival + IMGN Short Film Fund recipient. The film receives a prize package valued at $25,000, including a $10,000 cash grant from IMGN, a Blackmagic Cinema 6K Camera from HollyShorts, Kodak production benefits and one-on-one mentorship opportunities with filmmakers and industry executives, including Oscar winners Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman.

Also bringing home a prize in this year’s festival is The Fiddler’s Stroke, directed by Braden Barton, who was granted this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival + IMGN Short Film Fund. Winning a package of prizes that value $25,000. These items include a $10,000 cash grant from IMGN, a Blackmagic Cinema 6K Camera from HollyShorts, Kodak production benefits and mentorship with those who are big names in the industry, including Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman, both of whom have won Oscars.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s festival! From those who helped put the show on to those whose films were included, we want to extend our thanks for making this possible. Congratulations to all of our awards winners, and for everyone who was able to show their skills and creativity. Be sure to check back next year, and be on the lookout for any more news coming from the HollyShorts Film Festival!