Venice Shorts

Welcome to the VENICE SHORTS of California, an IMDb qualifying seasonal and annual festival, dedicated to short filmmaking.

“Venice Beach’s birth in 1905 couldn’t come at a better time for Hollywood. Abbot Kinney’s “Fantasy By The Sea”, was just starting out when the brand-new movie industry came to California for its year-round sun. For the next hundred years, Hollywood’s love affair with Venice would bring entertainment to millions all over the world.”
—Edward Thomas Company

Venice Shorts of California has been selecting, promoting and screening U.S. and international films in the past few years and it has turned into a very popular indie festival. Our judging team consists of experienced filmmakers and artists working in media who themselves have gone through the same path of creating indie shorts.

Venice Shorts aims to discover and recognize indie short films and screenplays of all genres from all over the globe. The festival has also featured some of the most well known names in the film industry together with emerging U.S. and international talents.

The festival alumni includes Oscar winners and nominees such as Gus Vant Sant, Jeremy Irons, Eric Roberts, Ross Kauffman and Jessica Chastain. The festival aims to discover indie film projects but also encourages established names in the industry to take part in creation of short films as producers, directors, actors and writers.

The winners are promoted through social media to thousands of film industry professional and other artists working in media. The winners of each online edition can also request for promotion and screening for 6 hours online.

Our annual fest is in June when we announce the best short fiction and best short documentary of the year. Our seasonal screening is through LA Indies Channel which screens our award winners and official selections upon request.

It is important to realize the power of short filmmaking. We are dedicated to short filmmaking and independent artists.