LA Shorts International Film Festival ranks among the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world.

The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences OSCAR®, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) presenters of the Canadian Screen Awards and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain (Goya Awards).

65 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award® nominations.

We are extremely proud to have screened four films from this years 2022 OSCAR® nominees.

Live Action Short Nominee
"The Dress" by Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki
"On My Mind" by Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson

Animated Short Film Nominee
"Affairs of the Art" by Joanna Quinn and Les Mills

Documentary Short Nominee
"The Queen of Basketball" by Ben Proudfoot

Now in its 26th year, LA Shorts is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles. The festival screens over 300 films and attracts over 10,000 attendees each year including Hollywood industry professionals and emerging independent filmmakers.

LA Shorts is an official qualifying event for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA short film awards. Award-winners at the festival are eligible to win BAFTA Awards.

LA Shorts is recognized by The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) presenters of the Canadian Screen Awards.

Those who have been honored at the festival include directors, Jon Favreau, Paul Haggis, Bryan Singer, Jan de Bont, Shane Black, and actors Gary Oldman, James Woods, Martin Landau and Richard Dreyfuss. Many recognizable directors and actors have screened films and attended the festival such as Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Courteney Cox, Tim Burton, Sofia Coppola, Jason Reitman, Terry Gilliam, Spike Jonze, Eva Mendes, Jessica Biel, Rachel Weisz, Hilary Swank, Josh Brolin, Kirsten Dunst, Rita Wilson, Ralph Macchio, Ricky Gervais, Vin Diesel, John Stamos, Matthew Modine, Dean Cain, Robin Wright and many many more.

The film programming screens all genres from a wide spectrum of categories with high to low budget films under 50 minutes. From recognizable directors and celebrity actors to students from the finest film schools and high school teenagers- they're all here to celebrate the art (and business) of short-form cinema!

Awards & Prizes

*ACADEMY AWARD OSCAR® QUALIFYING
*BAFTA Qualifying
*Canadian Screen Awards Qualifying
*Goya Awards Qualifying

Best of Fest
Best Foreign Film
Best Drama
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Experimental
Best Documentary
Best Sci-Fi
Best Horror

Best Music Video
Best Web Series
Best High School Film

Best Actor
Best Actress

Rules & Terms

REQUIREMENTS

- Films must NOT screen in Los Angeles county prior to our festival. We will factor in previous screenings in the Los Angeles area when determining a film's selection.
- We prefer films NOT be available online prior to the festival.
- Films must have been completed after Jan. 1, 2020.
- Non-English films must have English subtitles.
- Works-in-progress will be considered, provided they will be completed prior to the festival.

You may submit more than one film, but you must complete a separate entry form and pay entry fee for each film.

92 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bill Ferris

    We were excited to premiere our film "Here & There" on the opening night of the festival and loved experiencing the audience reaction in person as well as the Q&A at the conclusion of our block.

    The event was well-organized and communication was clear despite the challenges of hosting a festival in an active movie theater which was simultaneously showing non-festival films. The quality of participating films was high and the subject matter was varied, relevant and compelling - a tribute to both filmmakers and the curation done by LA Shorts staff.

    Special thanks to Bob for accommodating my travel schedule so I could attend our screening with our team.

    August 2022
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  • David Baram

    Thrilled to have premiered Ball&Vase at La Shorts. The commitment and communication were only surpassed by the fantastic screenings. Did a great job in getting the theaters full. And thankful to have won Best of Fest. A must participate festival!

    August 2022
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  • Dan Habib

    Appreciate the communication and the high quality of the festival!

    August 2022
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  • Jonathan London

    I've seen this fest grow since 2005 and it's grown into a really great showcase for shorts. I was amazed by the amount of super high quality selections in every screening block I attended!

    August 2022
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  • Julianna Robinson

    Receiving the phone call from Bob that my short film For Worse... was accepted to LA Shorts was easily one of the best calls I've ever received. I remember saying to him, "Bob, I have to go because I'm going to start crying." The festival is very well organized. The staff are kind and very communicative and respond quickly to emails. The film lineups and programming were exceptional-they clearly love artists and the art of filmmaking here. The filmmaker Q and A sessions are well run and the questions were thoughtful. We had a wonderful time here and met some terrific filmmakers that I know we'll be friends with forever now. Can't way enough wonderful things about this festival. So grateful.

    August 2022
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