WE HAD A BLAST DURING OUR LIVE AND PUBLIC EVENT LAST MAY 7TH 2022 AT THE ICONIC RALEIGH STUDIOS IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. CHECK OUT THE EVENT PHOTOS ABOVE!

We are enthusiastically dedicated to promoting new filmmakers' projects and showcasing their films to international audiences. Our mission is to screen independent films of all genres from all around the world! Are you going to miss out on being a part of such an awesome event?

HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST is a GOLD FilmFreeway competition with an Annual Live Event to be celebrated in the heart of Hollywood, and a quarterly online screening event. HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST is rated one of the TOP 20 MOST POPULAR FILM FESTIVALS.
USD 6000 CASH AWARDS PER YEAR !!!🏆🏆

Our Live Screening Event will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase your short film and get the chance to network with other colleagues from the industry. Be prepared to have an incredible time! Don’t forget to get your picture taken while walking the red carpet! All main category winners will be screened at our public Live Event.

HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST HAS CREATED A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM TO SHOWCASE THE NEWEST PROJECTS THROUGH INTERVIEWS, Q&A AND VIDEO PRESENTATIONS. Be sure to follow us to stay updated!

After each online event our jury will choose a short to award with the special GRAND JURY AWARD, receiving a CASH PRIZE of USD 1500. Also we will grant a USD 1500 Cash Prize at our Live Event to the Audience Award Winner.

Our Judging Team is made up of juries from different fields of the film industry who have no ties to the films in competition. Each Season we invite judges from all around the world who will select the best films and artists in all categories. All main category winning films will be screened at our live event, among other 100 incredible films. Moreover, all official selection films will be screened at our virtual event.

Awards & Prizes

Every Quarter, a special GRAND JURY AWARD will be granted, receiving a CASH PRIZE OF USD 1500. Will you be the next winner?
USD 6000 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 & PERFORMANCES 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 in our online Event.
All Official Selection movies will be watched and reviewed by our Jury who will select the winners.

At the end of the online screening, the winners of each category will be announced.
All the main category winners (Short, Foreign Language, First Time Filmmaker, Experimental, Documentary, Student, Student Animated Short, Animated Short, Drama, Comedy, Horror, and Music Video) will be automatically selected for our annual Live Event in the wonderful city of Hollywood.
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.

47 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Carl Bruchhäuser

    Thank you so much for hosting us! It was wonderful to be a part of Hollywood Shortsfest!

    January 2023
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  • Nori Shirasu

    So honored to be a part of the festival. I truly appreciate the opportunity and the team’s hard works. I very much look forward to the live event in April! I would definitely recommend this festival to other filmmakers. I wish to participate again in the future.

    January 2023
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  • Edward Wandrick

    Really took an interest in my project and me as a filmmaker. I truly appreciate their dialogue and engagement.

    January 2023
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  • Wesley Howard

    what an awesome experience!thanks for having us!

    January 2023
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  • KA Chinery

    Very happy with the whole experience! As a new film maker, I was a bit apprehensive about getting into this, but Hollywood Shortsfest made this a very positive experience.

    January 2023
    Helpful