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INDUSTRY SESSIONS
I WILL BE ALRIGHT
SHORTYTELLING
Opportunity for Creators and Filmmakers: Enter the Reel Vertical Impact Creator Contest
LA Shorts is excited to spotlight the Reel Vertical Impact Creator Contest from ReelShort — a unique opportunity for short-form creators to submit original vertical content for a chance to win up to $100,000 in cash prizes and potential collaboration with one of today’s fastest-growing mobile streaming platforms.
Submit your vertical videos (45–90 seconds, shot on phone or camera) in English — either as a standalone episode or a full series (10+ episodes encouraged). Categories include Romance, Suspense, Beyond Genres, and ReelShort Adaptation. Creators must own all rights; exclusivity is not required.
Open worldwide. Contest launched July 18. Learn more and submit at ReelShort.com
RECEPTION IS A SEPARATE TICKET
Opening Night Reception
$30.00 Advance
$70 Door
ReelShort is transforming entertainment with vertical short-form storytelling, and we’re excited to share it with you at the LA Shorts Festival this weekend!
Meet the ReelShort team and featured stars, discover how to break into vertical content, and learn about our Global Short Vertical Contest offering up to $100,000 in cash prizes and opportunities for production deals.
We’re eager to see what you can create in a short period of time for a vertical screen and how your stories can thrive on our platform.
Don’t miss your chance to connect, ask questions, and explore how to get your work featured.If you’re not attending this year, no worries! You can still connect with the ReelShort team at pr@reelshort.com or fill out the contest interest form to stay informed about upcoming projects and contests.
Learn more and submit your entry at: ReelShort.com
For Immediate Release
OSCAR QUALIFYING LA SHORTS CROWNS DAOOD ALABDULAA’S “WALUD” BEST OF FEST
People & Things, Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado and Classroom 4 also take top awards
LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2025. The 29th LA Shorts International Film Festival announced its winners at last night’s award ceremony in Echo Park. 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). Categories that Oscar Qualify are Best in Fest, Best International Film, Best Documentary and Best Animation Film.
Daood Alabdulaa was awarded Best in Fest for German-Syrian co-production WALUD and the Polish drama PEOPLE & THINGS directed by Damian Kosowski, won Best International Film. .Classroom 4 directed by Eden Wurmfeld – winner of Best Documentary at Aspen Shortsfest won Best Documentary and Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado, directed by Natalia León, an animated short that won the jury award at the Sundance Film Festival won Best Animation Film.
The full winners list:
Best of Fest
Walud by Daood Alabdulaa
Best International
People & Things by Damian Kosowski
Best Drama
A King's Curtain by Grant M Johnson
Best Comedy
The Lot by Raffaele Vesco
Best Animation
Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León
Best Experimental
Memoir by Aiden Keltner
Best Documentary
Classroom 4 by Eden Wurmfeld
Best Sci-Fi
Dream Machine by Dan Egan
Best Horror
Mermaid by Ginger Gonzaga
Best Music Video
Dominant by Nik Kleverov
Best Web Series
Samson's Hammer by Vahan Bedelian
Best Vertical
Undercover Prison King by ReelShort
Best A.I.
Torment by Sijia Zheng
Best High School Film
Why Can't We Just Be Ghosts? by Patrick Jang
Best Actor
Caley Versfelt in Believe
Immaculate Heart Community Filmmaker Award
Walud by Daood Alabdulaa
Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León
Classroom 4 by Eden Wurmfeld
The Window on Death Row by Linda Freund
Seeds from Kivu by Néstor López, Carlos Valle
A City That Cares by Aaron Hosé
On Healing Land, Birds Perch by Julian Cautherley
Exodus by Bob Miller
Fenice by Sterling Hampton
The Immaculate Heart Community awards $5,000 in cash prizes.
About the LA Shorts International Film Festival
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 Canadian Screen Awards and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain GOYA AWARDS. 66 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award® nominations, with 17 taking home the Oscar.
Now in its 29th year, LA Shorts is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles. The festival screens over 400 films and attracts 10,000 attendees each year, including Hollywood industry professionals and emerging undiscovered independent filmmakers.
For more information visit www.LAshortsFest.com
For press inquiries, please contact Deborah Gilels at deborah@lamediaconsultants.net.
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Academy Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, some of these films may go on to receive Oscar nominations.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
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's
Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
ACCT presenters of the Canadian Screen Awards – eligible international film festivals
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain
Official qualifying festival for the Goya Awards, Spanish short films selected for the festival are able to to submit for the 36 edition of the prestigious Awards.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Tickets are available to purchase on each film program page
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
AUGUST 4, 2026
1:00 PM
ANIMATION PROGRAM 25
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The Last Dance
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Compy
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Dokkaebi
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Tunnel Vision
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The Flight of Atlas
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The Worm's-Eye View of the Bird
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Beyond Silence
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Memory Jar
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How Not to Die on an Alien Planet
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A Little Death
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Under the Lake
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The Flesh Dress
Celebrating 30 years of
SHORTYTELLING
