The Los Angeles International Film Festival is a film festival for truly independent shorts and features, and aims to become a headline event for micro-budget and no-budget films in North America. LAIFF offers a fantastic opportunity for undiscovered filmmakers to showcase their achievements in the center of the movie making industry.

We’ll screen over 60 features and shorts over 5 days at the Laemmle Monica Film Center, just steps away from the AFM, which runs at the same time.

LAIFF leverages the strength of LA’s independent filmmaking community to put on a fantastic festival complete with networking events and educational sessions. It’s an indie film festival by and for indie filmmakers.

Awards & Prizes

Film Awards:
Feature Film (budget under $1m USD)
Micro-budget Feature (budget under $250k USD)
No-Budget Feature (budget under $25k USD)
Documentary Feature
Short Film
Short Documentary
Animated Short
Experimental Short
Horror / Sci-Fi Short
Short Short (under 5 minutes)
Music Video

Screenplay Award categories:
Feature Screenplay
Comedy Screenplay
Sci-Fi / Horror Screenplay

Rules & Terms

All USA or international features and short from any genres, made with independent spirit and low budgets
20 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Freddie Gardner

    Amazing time for my first experience and official festival selection! Natasha is an awesome individual and festival organizer. I hope to see her more down the road and would love to be apart of anything she is involved in! Thank you Los Angeles International! Will forever cherish the moment.

    December 2022
    Helpful
  • ivar wigan

    This festival was a great experience. It’s a lovely theatre. Thank you for having us Natasha

    November 2022
    Helpful
  • Russell Emanuel

    Great film festival that treated us well! Thank you so much!

    November 2022
    Helpful
  • Kevin Coleman-Cohen

    The festival director was nice and so were the volunteers but this festival did not have a presence in Los Angeles or in the area where it held the screenings. I have been to plenty of other festivals where the excitement spilled into the area. I was really disappointed with the marketing and ticket availability. Everyone was told to purchase tickets online and not in-person but when many of my supporters tried to buy online, tickets were sold out. But this wasn't true. If you arrived at the screening anyone could purchase tickets, there were plenty of seats for my block. Additionally, If someone walked by the event/venue, no one knew there was a festival since there was no visible marketing and we were on the second floor of a restaurant where it was very loud and random people walked by during the event to use the restroom. The programming team really needs to work on having people on the ground in LA well before the festival to build a presence. This is the home of Hollywood and there is no shortage of industry professionals or vendors. Another issue regarding not having a presence in LA, filmmakers were all forced to have their films converted to a DCP through a vendor in the UK which doesn't make sense with Hollywood being right in our backyard, there are tons of vendors here. This is another example of everything feeling like it wasn't an LA based festival. And I don't understand how a festival that is essentially based in the UK has a spirit of Los Angeles award. It wasn't clear how any of the films were rated and who were rating them. The festival lacked the hype that a festival that's called the Los Angeles International Film Festival needs. But with all the problems, I do wish the festival a better 2023 venue.

    November 2022
    Helpful
  • Ann Huang

    Love the experience there, great films in a great crowd, only wished I had more time to have more networking experience.

    November 2022
    Helpful