City of Angels Film Festival, one of the most respected and well established film festivals in Los Angeles is NOW WELCOMING MEN AND WOMEN and projects of all genres and content to our event.

Located in the heart of Hollywood on the famous Sunset Boulevard, your film will be seen on the big screen just minutes from every major Los Angeles Film Studio. The festival is in the top 1% of BEST REVIEWED film festivals in the world.

City of Angels is also an IMDB qualifying festival which is a prestigious recognition given to a handful of festivals worldwide. Our mission is expanding as we move towards 2025 with new horizons and offices in Los Angeles, London and Cannes.

City of Angels is a four day live event welcoming filmmakers, writers, and film lovers from all over the world to experience film screenings, exclusive panels with top film industry professionals, Q&As and special networking events.

As a live event, one of the benefits to filmmakers is participating in Q&A Panels: Filmmakers are invited to engage with the audience after their screening for a Q&A about their filmmaking process onstage.

Why enter? As a filmmaker you have the chance to win a 15k camera rental package from PANAVISION, and an opportunity to win a meeting with the acquisitions team at SHOUT STUDIOS for a possible distribution deal for your movie! We also give away Final Draft software and more. Additional prizes will be announced early in the season as we welcome our new sponsors.

City of Angels looks forward to serving the needs of our fellow filmmakers and writers in our next season.

​City of Angels Film Festival chose its name (which many know is the nickname for Los Angeles) because we are proud to be located in LA and part of the Hollywood community. We are also proud to showcase films from around the US and the world!

City of Angels Film Festival is an excellent festival to exchange ideas about the art and business of filmmaking. With that in mind, we provide outstanding panels and Q&A's with established industry leaders. Announcements for our live guest panelists for 2025 are yet to be made. All updates and festival news can be found on the website or follow us on our socials.

Recap of our 2024 season is coming soon...

Our 2023 festival included an extraordinary panel with senior executive Wendy Reeds from Lionsgate who advised both filmmakers and writers about getting their project distribution and what Lionsgate looks for in a film or script. Reeds heads up all of the licensing on behalf of Lionsgate's international territories in their London office.

2023 had a sell out panel event with legendary director and writer Tom Holland (Child's Play, Fright Night, Psycho11) about "the business" of the business and how to avoid predatory distributors and also the changing landscape of horror films.

Bafta award winning and Golden Globe nominated UK actress Cathy Tyson (Mona Lisa) was the guest of an exclusive panel focused on the challenges of being both a director and an actor on a film. She was also an Angel Award recipient for her extraordinary work as an actor in 2023.

Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito's Way/The Artist) also received an Angel Award in 2023 for her extraordinary work as an actor.

2022 festival's virtual panel was an exclusive hour and a half interactive Zoom with iconic actress Dee Wallace. Dee shared her career insights, acting strategies and personal stories about working for decades with some of the biggest directors including Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and many others.

Our live 2022 panels included the acquisitions team from Shout! Studios, an international filmmaking panel with French and UK producers and directors and a diversity panel which included Oscar winning director Charles Burnett.

Notable live panelists participating in our previous festivals include : Alison Eastwood (Battlecreek, The Mule) Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir ( Shang-Chi, John Wick, Atomic Blonde) , Mary Vernieu (Knives Out, Silver Linings Playbook), Jim Uhls (Fight Club, Semper Fi), Lisa London (Hannah Montana, Old Henry), Mark Teschner (General Hospital), Oscar winning director Charles Burnett and many others.

CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL WAS FEATURED TWICE IN VARIETY and multiple times in Deadline Hollywood and recently in FORBES MAGAZINE. City of Angels is proud to announce their new partnership with DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD which is one of the industry's most notable and prestigious media outlets.

COAFF continues to generate positive press and reviews. Read what HEART OF HOLLYWOOD MAGAZINE had to say about the festival in 2023:
https://www.heartofhollywoodmagazine.com/post/city-of-angels-women-s-film-festival-wraps-up-2023-with-a-spectacular-showcase-of-female-talent

Enjoy some of our recent reviews and feedback from industry insiders:

"I love the mission and the vision of this festival."
Guillermo Del Toro. Oscar winning Director.

"The festival's programming is incredible! My shorts block was as good as any I'd seen at Sundance or SXSW. I would highly recommend this festival."
Jon Matthews. Director

"The City of Angels Film Festival is a great and inclusive film festival that I was grateful to be a part of!"
Natalie Jasmine Harris Director/Writer

"What a wonderful festival! Great communication. Beautiful red carpet gala. The Q A was engaging and informative. Loved it!"
Julia Bergeron. Director/Writer

"I've been to a lot of film festivals. CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL is definitely one of the best. It was both fun and a great networking experience! Panelists included: Jim Uhls ("Fight Club") , Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir ("Kate", "Shang-Chi" "John Wick") and Casting Directors Lisa London and Mark Teschner. And...The Awards Night Party was unparalleled. I literally thought I was at a Cannes Film Festival party. My film premiered at this festival. I'm so glad we chose this prestigious event to showcase our work."
Nunzio Fazio. DGA Director.

"CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL couldn't be more perfect. Every aspect of the festival was thoughtfully curated-from the diverse showcase of films, the panelists and venues. It lives on in my heart."
Aina Dumlao. Director.

"CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL is amazing! Great audiences and events, and as a filmmaker, I appreciated the support for quality projects by underrepresented groups. Can't wait to see what's next for them."
Mitch Del Monico. Director.

"CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL has given two of my projects with female writer/directors an amazing opportunity to connect and empower themselves with the Hollywood Film Industry through participating in this festival. We were excited to win "Best Foreign" with our UK entry. I highly recommend submitting to this amazing festival!"
Paul Dubois. Producer/Director/Actor.

City of Angels Film Festival will adhere to all local and state regulations regarding Covid 19 in order to ensure the safety of our participants. We ask that our guests also comply with those regulations. The festival reserves the rights to change dates and times accordingly.

 

All Award Winners will receive:
Laurels
Trophies for those attending the Awards Ceremony. (No exceptions).
Digital Certificates for winners who cannot attend the Awards Ceremony. (COAFF will not mail trophies.)
IMDB win credits. **Please read carefully: If you are chosen to be an Official Selection of COAFF, you have been "nominated" for an award and whether you win or not, you may upload your nomination to IMDB as credit. Please consult with festival about which category we are nominating you for. We will have this information available for you closer to our Awards Gala.
Select winners will be given publicity on the COAFF website and our socials.

****ANNOUNCING A NEW PANAVISION AWARD IN 2025 for a 15 thousand dollar equipment rental grant for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY. This prize is open for both short films and feature films. SUBMIT TODAY for this major opportunity for your next project!

FINAL DRAFT software will be awarded to several of the winning writers. (Best Feature Screenplay, Best Pilot, Best Short, Best Social Commentary).

BIGGER PRIZES IN 2025!

A DISTRIBUTION OPPORTUNITY with SHOUT! STUDIOS
for the winner in the following categories:
BEST FEATURE FILM
Winner of this category will secure a meeting with the acquisitions team at Shout! Studios for a potential distribution deal.

Other special prizes:
DREAM MAGIC STUDIOS PRIZE:
A full day of rental at DREAM MAGIC STUDIOS in Los Angeles for your next project worth $2500.00. This prize will be awarded to a local filmmaker (you must live in the LA vicinity) and be an Official Selection attending City of Angels Women's Film Festival to qualify.

New and unique prizes will be awarded to those attending the Awards ceremony . We highly recommend you attend. * We will not mail trophies.

CATEGORIES FOR AWARDS FOR FILMS AND SCRIPTS:
Best Feature Film (overall)
Best Comedy Feature
Best Dramatic Feature
Best Science Fiction Feature
Best Science Fiction Short
Best Short Film (overall)
Best Short Short (overall)
Best Comedy Short
Best Micro Short
Best Dramatic Short
Best Feature Length Documentary
Best Short Length Documentary
Best Female Protagonist Film
Best Female Driven Cast Film
Best Animated Film
Best Horror Film
Best LGBTQ+ Themed Film
Best Student Film.
Best Experimental Film.
Best Webisode (must be under 6 minutes)
Best T.V. Pilot
Best Cinematography
Best Editor
Best Director
Best Composer
Best Ensemble Cast Comedy (both short and feature length film)
Best Ensemble Cast Drama (both short and feature length film)
Most Innovative Feature Film
Most Innovative Short Film
Best Environmental Film
Best Disabilities Awareness Film
Best Smartphone Film
Best Foreign Feature Length Film
Best Foreign Short Length Film
Best Social Commentary Award Short Film.
Best Social Commentary Award Feature Film.
Best Actress Award
Best Actor Award
Best First time filmmaker
Angel Award for Inspiration and Excellence.

SCRIPTS AND WRITTEN WORD:
Best Feature Film Script
Best Short Film Script
Best Drama Script
Best Comedy Script
Best Social Commentary Script
Best Webisode
Best Logline.
Best Sequences (under 10 pages)
Most Innovative Script
Best Synopsis (under 2 pages)

FESTIVAL RULES AND REGULATIONS/FILMS

All festival submitters guarantee the City Of Angels Film Festival that they have the legal authority to act on behalf of their project and to give COAFF the right to screen and promote their work(s)/project(s).

1. City of Angels Film Festival accepts submissions for feature films, foreign films subtitled in English, short films, feature documentaries, short documentaries, TV Pilots, student films, feature-length screenplays, short screenplays, scripts for television/web series and synopses for both film and television.

2. Festival will only schedule the film that is originally sent to us on Film Freeway. Festival cannot accommodate any changes to runtimes.

3. All feature narrative and feature documentary submissions must be 45+ minutes in length.

4. You must enter in at least one MAIN category. You may enter as many other categories as well. Each entry requires its own fee. To submit it to one or more sub-categories you need to submit your entry to at least one MAIN category first.

5. All short film narrative and short documentary submissions must be under 45-minutes in length.

6. Student film submissions of all lengths will be considered. When submitting as a student, please submit under student pricing and make sure to include a copy of your student id under your "files & attachments."

7. Festival will present selected films as a live in-person event during the festival run over 4 days in the fall of 2024.

8. All Submission fees are non-refundable. Please do not submit under student pricing if you are not a student. Doing so, will result in disqualification.

9. PLEASE NOTE: Festival dates, location and/or format are subject to change as festival deems needed.

10. Festival will abide by all local Covid rules and regulations in order to protect its participants and guests as stipulated by city and state regulations.

11. City of Angels Film Festival does not offer fee waivers. NO EXCEPTIONS.

12. COAFF must receive the materials for selected films for a screening in a timely manner in order for filmmakers to be given a screening during the festival. These materials include: an MP4 or .MOV file of your film or DCP, a high-res jpeg of your poster and a brief synopsis. The festival will communicate the deadline and requests that your deliverables are received by that deadline. If you miss the deadline, your film will still be in competition for awards but you will not be guaranteed a screening.

13. Screening and event schedule is at the sole discretion of COAFF. Change requests by filmmakers will not be considered after the schedule has been set and posted to the COAFF website.

14. Screenings are not guaranteed if the "Official Selection" filmmaker does not send the festival their deliverables (film in one of our requested formats, poster and brief synopsis) on the deadline set by the festival. However, filmmaker will automatically still be in competition for an award.

15. Times of screenings are not guaranteed and a screening time may be changed or cancelled at the sole discretion of the festival without advance notice.

16. All films must be submitted with an online screener.

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS:

1. City of Angels Film Festival Screenplay Competition accepts feature-length screenplays, short screenplays, and TV Pilots screenplays. Feature-length screenplays must be no longer than 130-pages. Any screenplay over 130 pages must be submitted as part 1 and then separately as part 2.

2. Submitted screenplays cannot have been optioned, purchased, or otherwise produced at the time of submission.

3. Writers may submit as many screenplays as they’d like to the competition, however, each script requires a separate application and payment.

4. All entries must be submitted in English.

5. Submissions must include a title page with the author(s) and any relevant registration or copyright information. Submitting Writer must have the legal right to submit.

6. Screenplays must be submitted in PDF or MS WORD.

7. All screenplays are considered complete once they are received by City of Angels Film Festival. No revisions or updated copies will be accepted.

8. Submission fees are non-refundable. Please do not submit under student pricing if you are not a student. Doing so, will result in disqualification.

9. Please be sure to read all rules and regulations prior to submitting your project.

10. Please note that award winners will receive trophies if they are present at the Awards Ceremony. If a winning filmmaker cannot attend the Gala, the festival will send a digitial award certificate. Festival will NOT mail trophies.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Louie Rinaldi

    City of Angels Festival was amazing!! such a great creative hub of upcoming and established professional filmmakers. My co-writer and I won Best Pilot and we were awarded a subscription to Final Draft!! Loved all the films and they hosted a great party! Will for sure be back next year!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the stellar five star review Louie! It was such an honor to have you and Zoe part of our 2024 season! We're happy you liked the software from Final Draft. Can't wait to see what's next for you! Keep shining!

  • Sarah Harvey

    Such a fantastic film festival! One of my faves to date! I will for sure enter work into Cit of Angels in the future!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Sarah for the great review! Glad to hear it's one of your faves! Looking forward to what's next for you! Keep shining!

  • Melissa Schiller

    A festival with a fun, positive, and supportive women-driven environment. The atmosphere was collaborative, not competitive. I met so many talented writers, filmmakers, and actors/actresses. Location is easy to find with plenty of places to stay nearby. I hope to attend next year!

    November 2024
  • Keeran Panesar

    What an amazing film festival!! Very well organized, and a super fun networking gala and awards ceremony! Wish I could do it all over again. And amazing to see so many women filmmakers!!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Keeran for the amazing five star review! We were delighted to screen your film! Congrats again on your win! We are really glad to hear you had a great time. We believe film festivals should be fun! Can't wait to see what's next for you! Keep shining!

  • Lindsay Nyman

    An incredibly well-run and uplifting festival. I was grateful to see our film screened in such a beautiful theatre. The team engages consistently with filmmakers throughout the entire process. At the helm, director Lisa did an incredible job organizing. I made wonderful connections with fellow filmmakers and really enjoyed the awards ceremony. I was honored that our film, They Call Me The Tattoo Witch, won best short documentary. Thank you COAWFF for platforming, empowering, and amplifying the work of indie filmmakers!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Lindsay for such a stellar five star review! We are so glad you had a great time and we're delighted that you made wonderful connections during the festival. We were honored to screen your extraordinary documentary and congrats again on your win. We truly can't wait to see what's next for you! Keep shining!