Hollywood Storytellers (formerly known as LA International) is a premiere Film Festival and Script Competition that aims to celebrate, support, and reward exceptional voices in independent storytelling. Our inclusive platform allows diverse filmmakers across multiple genres and mediums to showcase their unique talents and innovative perspectives worldwide.

Our film festival is an annual in-person event. Each year, a diverse slate of exceptional official selections are invited to screen their projects at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres located in the heart of the entertainment industry on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA.

With a focus on promoting underrepresented voices, we strive to cultivate a compassionate community that encourages creative collaboration in our highly competitive industry, no matter age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or belief.

Call for entries are currently open. Notifications will be sent in January 2025, with ticket and screening information for the festival event in March 2025.

Entries to our 2025 Genre Script Competition open again soon! We invite you to visit our script competition page to read last season's reviews!

https://filmfreeway.com/hollywoodstorytellersscriptcompetition
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WHO WE ARE:

The Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival is an all-inclusive, international media contest focused on giving remarkable filmmakers from all backgrounds the recognition they deserve.

​Our festival and awards focus on bringing value to all filmmakers, making it our mission to assist in necessary areas to reward their current projects, make their next ones a reality, and help move them closer to their careers goals.

​Our team believes in the power of perspective. It is essential in enriching the culture of our industry and bringing a more inclusive experience to mainstream genres and mediums. Filmmakers of color, female-identifying filmmakers, LGBTQ+ filmmakers, disabled filmmakers, filmmakers over the age of 50, and other relevant voices that have been historically underrepresented are encouraged to apply.

​​We look forward to supporting our community of talented, independent filmmakers.

WHY SUBMIT:

The Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival is judged by a diverse team of active industry professionals including award-winning filmmakers, producers, directors, actors, film and television writers, casting director associates, recording artists, development executives, and investors. Members of our esteemed jury include executive producers previously and presently associated with: NBC UNIVERSAL, PEACOCK TV, SONY, DISNEY, TOUCHSTONE PICTURES, WARNER BROS. STUDIOS, NETFLIX, and more.

​Our festival aims to attract the top independent filmmakers from around the world. We offer a high-quality, highly anticipated event experience with welcoming communication and hospitality from submission entry to festival's end. If we accept your project into our festival, you will enjoy (3) complimentary all-day event badges, a carefully curated screening of outstanding official selections, awards consideration, and sponsored grand prizes for our winners.

We are seeking cinematic projects in all live-action and animated genres:

-Full-Length Features, Shorts, TV Pilots (Short-form, Half-Hour, One-Hour), Documentaries, Music Videos, Experimental Videos, Proof-of-Concept Teaser Trailers.

​​*Unique & diverse voices are encouraged*

​*We do not encourage submissions that involve excessive or unnecessary abuse to animals*

​BENEFITS OF SUBMITTING:

-Your project screened at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA.
-You will become part of an inclusive community that champions independent filmmakers and writers on a supportive and resourceful platform.
-Your project will be evaluated by a diverse team of active entertainment industry professionals known for cultivating high-quality, competitive programming.
-Affordable submission prices with discounts for FilmFreeway Gold Members, Constructive Executive Feedback (optional), Revised Submission Consideration, and Economic Hardship Consideration.
-Finalist, Official Selection, and Winner Laurels.
-Award Certificates.
-Sponsored grand prize packages and opportunities to further your current and future filmmaking goals.
-Your project showcased on social and sent exclusively to our network of industry contacts for consideration in the following areas: Representation, Development, Production, Distribution, and more.

Awards & Prizes

Placements are given in the following order:
-Honorable Mentions
-Quarterfinalists
-Semifinalists
-Finalists
-Official Selections
-Award Certificate Winners
-Grand Prize Package Winners

All submissions that place in the finals, but do not advance as official selections to screen at our in-person event, will have the option to stream their project "out of competition" on our online platform.

​Digital award laurels will be sent to all placement finalists and official selections.

​Official selections will be sent (3) complimentary all-day passes to our festival event located at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA.

​Digital award certificates for outstanding above-the-line and below-the-line talent are chosen by our jury and will be sent after the screening event. These certificates are voted on and awarded to "The Best" in:
Writing. Casting. Performance by a lead/supporting female actor, male actor, and non-binary actor. Performance by an ensemble. Directing. Cinematography. SFX/VFX. Sound Design. Production Design. Costume Design. Makeup & Hairstyling. Lighting. Editing. Coloring. Music Scoring. Foreign Film. Domestic Film. Local Film. Student Film. Inclusion Film (cinematic stories representing diversity and equality for all). Impact Film (cinematic stories representing environmental, social, political, and cultural change). Genre Film (Drama, Comedy, Horror/Supernatural, Thriller/Suspense, Action/Adventure, Family, Holiday/Romance, Mystery/Crime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical/Biopic, Western/Period, Animation) and more.

​Our festival's Grand Prize Winners will be selected from the following (6) categories for the "Best Cinematic" achievement in a:
Feature Film. Short Film. Feature Documentary. Short Documentary. TV Pilot. Other (Music Video, Experimental, or Teaser Trailer).

​Grand Prize Winners will receive both tangible resources and educational opportunities provided by our sponsors to be of beneficial value to the winning filmmakers. These prize packages are designed to assist the filmmaker's next project from development to post-production. Sponsored prize packages are ongoing and are listed on our website.

*The Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival is not responsible for how the grand prizes are distributed amongst the winning project's team*

ACCEPTED CATEGORIES:

Cinematic live-action and animated projects.

Narrative ​Feature Film (40-120 min) live-action or animated
Narrative Short Film (1-39 min) live-action or animated
Feature Documentary (1-120 min)
Short Documentary (1-39 min)
TV Pilot/First Episode Digital Series (short-form, half-hour, one-hour)
Other: Music Video, Experimental, Teaser Trailer (1-15 min)

​*Please leave a note in your submission if you are a local Los Angeles filmmaker and can attend the event with your team*

​*Only completed projects will be considered. If a project is incomplete, you are welcome to submit a cinematic proof-of-concept teaser or trailer under our "Other" category*

Rules & Terms

Please read carefully...By submitting your project to the Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to the following rules and terms:

-All official selections must provide the festival with a DCP screener.
-English subtitles must be included in your screener to ensure the inclusivity of our event.
-Open Captioning, Closed Captioning, or Audio Description files are encouraged with your screener in addition to the subtitle requirement for Non-English films.
-Entrants are responsible for providing a digital screening copy of their selected project within seven days from notification of acceptance.
-International films, both foreign and domestic, are welcome to submit.
-We do not require exclusive premiere screening rights to your film and encourage you to submit your project to as many festivals as you wish.
-Only completed projects will be considered. If your project is incomplete, you are welcome to submit a cinematic proof-of-concept trailer under our "Other" category.
-Submission fees are nonrefundable.
-Due to circumstances beyond the festival's control, participants will be notified ASAP of any changes to the screening venue, event date, or program schedule.
-The Hollywood Storytellers team is not responsible for travel costs or any expenses associated with attending the festival, including losses due to changes in screening venue, event date, and program schedule.
-Projects are not eligible if they aired on major US television before the festival event.
-Projects are not eligible if they are available to the public for purchase on DVD or online.
-Please do not submit pornography or projects with excessive abuse or harm to animals.
-Judges will only consider the original version of your project submitted with your entry fee. If you selected the executive feedback option, you will automatically have another opportunity to submit your revised project for consideration before our final deadline with the "free revised submission waiver code" provided with your feedback evaluation form.
-Submitting your project does not guarantee festival acceptance or screening.
-Acceptance into the festival does not guarantee an award certificate or grand prize.
-Projects must be submitted through FilmFreeway or another secure online platform. -Screeners must be digital and able to download.
-We do not accept physical DVD screeners.
-Please note that by submitting, you are authorizing Hollywood Storytellers to use you/your project's materials for promotional purposes (film, poster, logline, etc.)
-All copyright, ownership, and rights to the material submitted to the Hollywood Storytellers Film Festival remains with the original rights holders and/or filmmakers.
-By submitting, you authorize that your work is legally cleared for public screening and accept full responsibility for the intellectual property. The submitter and filmmakers associated with the project shall hold harmless Hollywood Storytellers from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and legal expenses which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, and publicity.
-Film Festival submission prices range from $28 USD to $80 USD. FilmFreeway gold members and students receive an automatic discount on all submissions. Executive feedback is available as an optional add-on to submissions for a flat fee of $50 USD. Discounts are offered often to our community on our social media platforms, as well as economic hardship consideration. All submissions are immediately put into review and are therefore nonrefundable.
14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Fr3deR1cK Taylor

    This was truly the experience I as a filmmaker look for in a festival.

    I screened, lived and I learned. I met some incredible artists and some great people.

    Organization, love and great films.

    Bravo!

    Hollywood Storytellers you are the bomb!!!

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Frederick! YOU'RE the bomb, too!!

  • Darren Burch

    I received a review request but have not received any info on our film’s status in this festival.
    Is it over?

    April 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Darren. It's good to hear from you and we hope you are well! As the project's primary submitter, you were notified of your Semi-Finalist placement along with the link to your award laurel on Wednesday, February 5th at 4:35 PM. You replied to our notification email at 5:49 PM later that day letting us know that you "recently tweaked the film and improved the poster art in case that matters." The festival concluded on Sunday, March 9th. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. Thank you again for submitting and best wishes to you and your production team of "In Monster's Hands."

  • Thomas Dwyer

    The HSFF is the best Festival (of the 75+ to which we have submitted), bar none, to collaborate with us. Bernadett and Kim curate everything with clarity, discernment, and an ability to identify aesthetically sound, engaging films; the films we saw at the festival all were beyond excellent. Moreover, the HSFF
    has people connected to the Industry who serve as its judges. And the personal phone calls from Bernadett were exceptional, the first any festival person has ever made to us. They also have a contact who will ( for a reasonable cost) turn your material into a DCP file. And finally, the icing on this cake is that our film was screened in Hollywood’s most famous, historic theater, Graumann’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. I cannot write highly enough about this festival or about Kim and Bernadett. My advice: if you have a film that you believe tells a story well, consider applying to this festival. If accepted, I hope you will think back to this review and thank me.
    Tom Dwyer
    Producer and Director
    Frank Bey: All My Dues Are Paid-a feature documentary film.

    March 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you kindly, Tom. We're deeply humbled by your words and are are beyond thankful for your glowing recommendation. All the best to you!

  • Salaheddin Noori

    I am very happy that I participated in the festival;
    A professional and well-planned
    festival in which competition is very serious due to the high quality of participating films.

    March 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you! We're so grateful for your participation and are glad to hear that you had such a positive experience!

  • Marek Wojtasik

    Greetings to the festival team, which I recommend to other creators, Marek Wojtasik

    March 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Hi, Marek! We appreciate the recommendation!