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 4 films from the 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 27th year, LA Shorts is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles. The festival screens over 350 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 40 minutes or under. 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!

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

$5,000 in Cash Prizes

Best of Fest
Best International
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

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, 2022.
- 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.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Adam Bouabda

    Thank you to LA Shorts for screening our film this year. An amazing team of organisers and it was great to see our short showcased alongside a strong selection of films. Well done to everyone! And we hope to be back again in the future.

    November 2022
  • Nuhae Lee

    It was an honor to be with LA Shorts. Thank you for acknowledging my work.

    November 2022
  • Eddie Yeung

    Honored to have my film "Lucky Cat" be part of a great festival.

    September 2022
  • Very nice people who care about film and filmmakers.

    August 2022
  • 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