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.

175 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Gail Simpson

    We are incredibly grateful for the Honorable Mention you gave Street Muse and for presenting it in your virtual festival. But most important to our team was the reviewer comment you forwarded to us. Thank you for that very personal touch.

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • jenny nirgends

    Super fun! Great space and the hosts were charming, would love to be invited again in the future!

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • Henry Playfoot

    Fantastic LA-based festival run by people who get and care about short films. We were lucky enough and honoured to be awarded Best Comedy for JUST BE AWESOME, so a big thank you to the team!

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • Mishki Vaccaro

    I had such a great experience at Hollywood Shortsfest! It's a well-organized festival and as a filmmaker, I appreciate their commitment to providing a high-quality experience for audiences and filmmakers by creating DCPs of all the films screened. The theatre our films screened at was amazing with a high-quality screen. Additionally, Hollywood Shortsfest brought great crowds. My 10 PM screening was packed! We were also afforded the chance to talk about our work and the questions by the moderator were thoughtful and insightful. All in all, I got the impression that this festival takes independent filmmaking seriously and they do a great job of programming interesting films and providing an excellent experience for audience members and filmmakers alike. Highly recommend!

    April 2025
    Helpful
  • alessandro zaffanella

    I am truly flattered and grateful to the Hollywood Short Fest. First, for selecting my film “La musica nel sangue” with an Honorable Mention, and then for awarding it the victory.
    Thank you to everyone who supported my short film and to the entire amazing festival organization.
    I hope we can meet at the live event. Thank you!
    Alessandro Zaffanella.

    April 2025
    Helpful