A showcase of the best COMEDY shorts in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: SUPPORT Best Story: DETECTIVES & DRAGONS
Detectives & Dragons, 8min., Canada Directed by Lucas Candelino, Benjamin Kostecki, Evan McDowell A know-it-all detective is tasked with incriminating a murder suspect through a fantasy role-playing game by recreating the scenario of the killing. Tensions escalate when he goes off-script.
A showcase of the best LGBTQ+ films from around the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Feature Film: SUGAR BEACH Best Short Film: STEALING ASH Best Direction: AT ARM’S LENGTH Best Student Film: SILENT PULL Best Documentary: CLOSE TO HOME Best Story: HOUSEHOLD Best Performances: REVENGE Best Micro-Short: JIMBO: BIG TOP
SUGAR BEACH, 90min., USA Directed by Noely Mendoza Rosalyn, a wealthy and talented high school senior, grapples with immense grief after the loss of her brother in a surfing accident. The void left behind by his absence consumes her, and she begins a descent into addiction—alcohol becoming her solace as she numbs the pain and confusion. Amidst her downward spiral, she finds herself in a complex relationship with two other people, Isaac, and Emma. Drawn to the comfort and sweetness of their affection, the throuple provides a fleeting sense of escape, but Rosalyn’s internal struggle with grief and substance abuse complicates her search for self-love, growth, healing and identity.
SILENT PULL, 11min., USA Directed by Lamont Nathaniel Gibson A Black queer man navigates unreciprocated intimacy and the emotional cost of longing, as systemic pressures push his vulnerabilities into transactional spaces.
Close to Home, 32min., USA Directed by Whitney Skauge Through the exploration of their personal and shared experiences, four young advocates imagine a world where access to safe, affordable, and reliable housing is not a privilege but an undeniable human right.
Revenge, 19min., Brazil Directed by Mari Penteado, Eduardo Campos Virginia is a 43-year-old transgender woman who works as a community health agent in Guarulhos, Brazil. The film follows a day in her life, marked by the exhaustion of work, but also by meaningful encounters, dreams, and, above all, the need to live – and resist.
AT ARM’S LENGTH, 5min. USA Directed by August Broussard When a neurotic teen asks his best friend to break his arm for prescription meds, what starts as a twisted favor spirals into an absurd test of loyalty — with consequences neither of them is quite prepared for.
STEALING ASH, 13min., USA Directed by Frances Capel After their best friend dies, four best friends plan a heist to steal their ashes and take them on a final joyride for the send off they deserve.
Emily’s Mountain, 22min., Israel Directed by Tal Somech Emily celebrates her 6th birthday on a magical trip with her family and is slowly exposed to the horrifying reality that her parents are trying to conceal from her using modern technology and entertainment systems.
I have to really thank the actors for my reading, nothing short of terrific as they were, nothing short of incredibly smart, attractive, and perceptive as they were. They brought the script to life. – F. Maffai
FULL FEEDBACK on your stage play from our committee of Professional Playwriters, Production Heads and Story Consultants. Get a best scene of your stage play performed at the writing festival and made into a video for the winner.
Submit your 10 Page Play, 1 Act Play, or Full Stage Play to the Festival.
SUBMIT your STAGE PLAY Today You will receive feedback on your play in 3-5 weeks
A paranormal story is a work of fiction that explores phenomena and beings that are beyond the scope of scientific understanding. They include elements like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and other entities that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. They can be set in the real world, but generally includes elements that defy scientific explanation.
Submit your Short Story to the Festival and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute asfilms which are “set in the American West that [embody] the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.” Generally set in the American frontier between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890.
FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay from our committee of Professional Screenwriters, Production Heads and Script Consultants. Get your entire script performed at the writing festival.
SUBMIT your FEATURE, TV PILOT or SHORT SCREENPLAY.
Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation. Looking for screenplays from all over the world.
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.)
1st Tier: FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay (all submissions)
2nd Tier: Accepted scripts (25% on average of submitted entries) get a best scene of their screenplay performed by professional actors and made into a promotional video.
3rd Tier: We will send you a list of questions to answer for our blog interview that will promote you and your film.
4th Tier: Then we will set up a podcast interview on our popular ITunes show where will we will promote the winning writer and script.
(BONUS: 5th Tier. A winning screenwriter’s WhatsApp group has just been formed. Over 50 writers to date. Great way to share ideas and contacts with people in the industry.)
Thank you so very much from the bottom of our hearts for the Best Picture Award for our film Sugar Beach. This festival is a pleasure to be a part of!!
DEADLINE TODAY: Submit to the Festival via FilmFreeway:
Thank you Toronto/Los Angeles Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival for the award and selection this year of my short film “Terra Draconis: posterity and prosperity of fossils in the modern age”! It has been an honor to be a part of your festival. I only wish I could have been there in person this year.
Incredible festival that gives you a ton of bang for your buck with the fest perks! Thanks again for the best cinematography award!
A wonderful festival all around, it was a great pleasure being apart of it!
Great communication from this Festival – they were totally on it! Feedback from audience reviews extremely honest and helpful. I would highly reccommend it. Gabi Lowe Executive Producer of the Documentary “Get Me To 21 – The Jenna Lowe Story”
