Our most recent Live Event took place in April 2025 at Look Dine-In Cinemas in Los Angeles, and it was an absolute blast! 🎉
Congratulations to all the talented filmmakers whose work lit up the screen.
Check out the photos above! 📷

It was a thrilling showcase, discovering the newest and most innovative, independent films from around the world. With Q&A's and networking cocktails every day.

At HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST, we're committed to helping up-and-coming filmmakers promote their work to global audiences. Our mission is to screen the best independent films of all genres, so don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to be a part of this amazing event.

We are committed to screening all the Official Selection films in our Live Showcase with over 70 films.

We will also hold a Virtual Screening for all Honorable Mention films.

After each virtual event, our jury will choose a short film to receive the special HSF Best of Virtual Competition Award, which comes with a cash prize of USD 1000.

We'll also be awarding a USD 1000 Cash Prize to the People's Choice Award winner at the Live Event.

As a GOLD FilmFreeway competition, we're proud to offer cash awards of USD 4000 per year to our winners. Our Live Screening Event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your short film, to network with other industry professionals, and to have an amazing time, surrounded by people who share your same passion.

In addition to the live event, HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST has created a social media platform where you can stay updated on latest projects through interviews, and video presentations.

Our Judging Team consists of professionals from different fields of the film industry who have no ties to the films in competition. Each season, we invite judges from around the world to select the best films and artists in all categories. All Official Selection films will be screened at our live event. Plus, all Honorable Mention films will be screened at our virtual event.

Join us for an unforgettable three-day celebration of the most innovative and talented independent filmmakers from all over the world at HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST. Don't pass up on this fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the excitement and discover the best of independent cinema across all genres.

Awards & Prizes

Every Quarter, a special HSF Best of Virtual Competition Award will be granted, receiving a CASH PRIZE OF USD 1000. Will you be the next winner?
USD 4000 CASH AWARDS PER YEAR 🏆🏆

MAIN CATEGORIES:
BEST SHORT
BEST FIRST TIME FILMMAKER SHORT
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORT
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BEST STUDENT SHORT
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
BEST STUDENT ANIMATED SHORT
BEST DRAMA SHORT
BEST COMEDY SHORT
BEST HORROR SHORT
BEST MUSIC VIDEO

TECHNICAL & PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES:
BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR
BEST MALE DIRECTOR
BEST FEMALE STUDENT DIRECTOR
BEST MALE STUDENT DIRECTOR
BEST FIRST TIME DIRECTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST SCREENWRITING
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST NEW ACTOR/ACTRESS
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST SOUND DESIGN
BEST EDITING
BEST PRODUCER
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

SHORT FILM SELECTION PROCESS
Once you submit your project, it will be reviewed by our screeners team.
Film rating will be based on originality and creativity, direction, writing, cinematography, performances, production value, pacing, structure, sound & music.
Films with the highest scores will be part of the Official Selection and will receive an email notification with the corresponding laurel.
Non-Selected films will also receive an email from FilmFreeway on the notification date.

All Official Selection movies will be screened at our Live Event.
All Official Selection movies will be watched and reviewed by our Jury who will select the winners that will be announced at the Live Event.
All Honorable Mention films will be screened at our online event.

Additionally, our curator will invite some top-notch, exceptional projects to participate in the live event.

Each winner will be notified via email from FilmFreeway and HSF, and we will attach a personalized achievement certificate, as well as the Official Laurels.
Winners will be announced on our website in the WINNERS section and promoted on our social media!

Rules & Terms

IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR FILM, YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING RULES:

FILMS MUST BE 40 MINUTES OR LESS.

FILMS MUST BE FULLY COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE DATE THE PROJECT IS SUBMITTED.

FILMS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH A PRIVATE LINK (VIMEO, YOUTUBE, FilmFreeway, SELF HOSTED). OTHER FORMAT IS CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTED.

QUALITY STANDARDS MUST BE MET. BELOW 720P RESOLUTION, POOR AUDIO QUALITY, ETC WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

FILMS CONTAINING ANY OTHER LANGUAGE THAN ENGLISH MUST HAVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

HSF HAS NO PREMIERE STATUS REQUIREMENTS.

ALL FEES ARE NON TRANSFERABLE AND NON REFUNDABLE.

WE DO NOT OFFER FEE WAIVERS.

HSF MAY USE PORTIONS OF YOUR FILM (INCLUDING TRAILER/TEASER/STILL/POSTER) FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES.

YOU MUST OWN THE RIGHTS ON YOUR FILM IN ORDER TO SUBMIT IT.

FESTIVAL EVENT DATES AND TIMES MAY BE DELAYED OR CHANGED.

A DCP COPY OF YOUR FILM MIGHT BE REQUESTED FOR THE LIVE EVENTS.

We are not liable for any copyright infringements or unauthorized usage and any conflict should be settled by the parties involved thereof.

You are responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity.

HSF can consider any film to be disqualified if the festival considers the content inappropriate. If you have any questions regarding this decision, feel free to contact us.

All submissions in personal categories required the name of the person and the category. You can easily send us this information in the cover letter at the FilmFreeway website.

Not all the submissions are selected for the official competition. Our Judges are free to make their own choices and no answers nor feedback will be given about not selected films.

When submitting your film, you are consenting to our Privacy Policy. We are committed to respecting each filmmaker's preferences. We might contact you through your email or social media provided in the submission page to communicate updates on your submission status, screening and DCP requirements, events ticket confirmation, as well as to provide information about events, services, promotions that we think you might be interested in. You can unsubscribe from any marketing or advertising newsletter from us or any partner festival simply by clicking unsubscribe.
Even when unsubscribing from a marketing newsletter, you can still receive any communication regarding your submission status through the FilmFreeway system. For more information about our associated event, please refer to hollywoodshortsfest.com. If you need further information, please contact us via hello@hollywoodshortsfest.com, and we will be happy to help you.

154 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Marc Cleary

    Great festival. So warm and welcoming, and extremely communicative.

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Marc for your review, it was a pleasure to screen FUEL at our festival. All the best!

  • Alec Tufenkjian

    Genuinely was such an honor to be part of the screening and to be among other talented artists. I feel very lucky to share that night with the other creatives. Thanks again Hollywood ShortFest, it was a phenomenal night!

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Alec, Thank you so much for your lovely message! We’re so glad you could be part of the event—it was a pleasure to share the evening with such talented creatives like you. Hope to see you again soon!

  • Diego Contreras

    Honored and grateful to have been a part of this beautiful festival once again for our short musical film LAMENTO. Thanks for supporting our film and showing it on the big screen along other great shorts. Lovely meeting everyone at the festival and hope to see you again next year! <3

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Diego, Thank you for being part of the festival once again! It was a joy to screen LAMENTO and share it with our audience. We truly appreciate your continued support and hope to welcome you back next year!

  • Nicole MacNaughton

    The team for Hollywood shorts was incredible. It was an honor to be included in your short film division with so many other great films. I hope to be involved with Hollywood Shorts in the future as well. You guys do a great job. Thank you!

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Nicole, Thank you so much for your kind words! It was an honor to have your work with us. We're so glad you enjoyed the experience, and we truly hope to collaborate again in the future!

  • Yiru Deng

    Thank you Hollywood Shortfest for selecting our film! It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of the live event—it was fantastic!! I really enjoyed our experience at the event.🙌🎉

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for being part of the festival, Yiru! We're thrilled you enjoyed the experience—it was a pleasure having your film with us.