Short
World Premiere
School - Pasadena City College

A daughter embarks on a cosmic journey after experiencing the loss of her father.

Director: Mariko Wordell
Producer: Mariko Wordell
Writer: Mariko Wordell 
Cast: Genevieve Ackles, George Ackles, Elaine Ackles, Evangeline M.Nuguid 
Cinematographer: Felipe Mercado
Editor: Mariko Wordell

Awards: Pasadena City College Film Festival: Best Film Advance Filmmaking, and the Audience Favorite Award. 

Short
USA Premiere
School - Brown University

A downtrodden man becomes an axolotl. He remembers that he killed someone, and had run back to an aquarium store, his home, to bid farewell to his daughter - a confession filled with confusion, anger, and lies.

Director: Zhihao Zheng
Producer: Dongcheng Jiang
Writer: Zhihao Zheng 
Cast: Cong Lu, Jian Li
Cinematographer: Dinghao Zhang
Editor: Zhihao Zheng

Awards: Winner of 2024 Sussexiff

Instagram: @amphibian_film

Short
World Premiere

School - University of Southern California

When a mute, male prostitute’s night takes a dangerous turn, a traumatic experience in his motel room forces him to decide between remaining in a financially supportive situation, or leaving his abusive pimp in  search for the legendary 'golden bird', a mere memory from his childhood.

Director: Mason Deaver
Producer: Julian Barahona, Mason Deaver
Writer: Mason Deaver         
Cast: Dylan De Angelo, Tyler Marquis
Cinematographer: Sanay Saboo
Editor: Mason Deaver

Instagram: @masondeaver

Animation 
Los Angeles Premiere

School - University of Southern California

A traveler chooses a direction from a blank sign by a forest, which leads her into spooky, dark woods filled with the unknown. Yet, when she is in despair, she encounters magical beings that reveal the beauty surrounding her. In the end, when she reaches another crossroads, she confidently picks her next path.

Director: Ziyan (Ella) Zhou
Producer: Ziyan (Ella) Zhou, Jingtong (Rosemary) Wu as assistant producer
Crew: Ziyuan Yue as composer, Danielle Croland, and Eunji. Y. Lee as animator, and Eli Staub as sound mixer.

Awards: 2024 Los Angeles Animation Festival - Best Student Director / Best Student Dramatic Short

Website: https://ziyanzhoustory.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ella_zhou4/

Drama
School - California State University Northridge

When a young woman prepares to move away from her hometown and her sister, the trauma that she thought was in her past finds its way into her present. She knows she can claim her independence, but she doesn't understand that battles are fought better when we have allies at our side.

Director: Abigail Salmon
Producer: Celeste Bird, Yuliia Zolina, Abigail Salmon
Writer: Abigail Salmon
Cast: Allison Landis, Abigail R. Blythe, Skylar Grace, Charlie Belle Parsells, Eric E. Johnston, Amy S. Johnson
Cinematographer: Jack Motter
Editor: Audrey Kuehl, Nicholas Tjen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dahliasmonstersfilm

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahliasmonstersfilm/

Short
School - Chapman University

When the only woman in a writer’s room learns that she’s just the “diversity hire,” she must cement her spot as a valuable employee through her writing talent alone.

Director: Aiko Lozar
Producer: Lani Wild and Sam Chen
Writer: Skylar Penland
Cast: Yulia Belyaeva, Ida May, John L. Curtis, Aaron Smithson, Tack Sappington, Jeffrey Allan Waid
Cinematographer: Alonzo Labiosa
Editor: Evan Nowack

Awards: We were nominated for best short in the Great Reel Ladies category at The Great Film Festival in 2024.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diversityhire.film/

Los Angeles Premiere

School - Santa Monica College 

A Coming of Age short film about four troubled teen runaways. The four girls each have a different reason for leaving home. It's all fun and games until they get drunk and plan to burgle a house, which ends in tragedy. The movie ends with Mazzy, the ring leader, about to recruit three new runaways. The film encompasses the feelings that all teens can relate to, friendship, not knowing where your life is going to take you, and finding the beauty in the unknown.

Director: Marley Gazaryants
Producer: Rosalia Cortese, Erille Weiss, Marley Gazaryants.
Writer: Marley Gazaryants              
Cast: Rosalia Cortese, Joelle Faden, Sibyl Wulf, Bianca Turner, Austin Hebert. 
Cinematographer: Blake Zundel
Editor: Asher Weiss

Awards: Screened at the Topanga Film Festival in the Emerging Topanga Auteurs Category. 

Instagram: @marleysmediaa

Documentary Short
School - Kenilworth Junior High

A teen growing up in Petaluma California looks back on the stranger abduction in her town involving a teen (Polly Klaas) of the same age that rocked the nation thirty years ago and its lasting legacy of striving to make the world a safer place for children.  

Director: India Anne Mitchell
Producer: India Anne Mitchell
Editor: India Anne Mitchell

Awards: Best of Festival at Alexander Valley Film Festival and Sonoma County Student Film Festival. Screened at over 200 film festivals around the world.

Instagram: @indiaannemitchell

Short

School - Depaul University

A slacker detective gives into his desires and becomes a full time drunk poet.

Director: Cole Carey
Producer: Cole Carey
Writer:  Cole Carey            
Cast: Trent Ross Helton, Dave Fript, Shaefer Lunt, Dennis Fuentes, Luke Notkin
Cinematographer: Jameson De Longh
Editor: Jack Abahams, Cole Carey

Awards: Semi Finalist at Blow Up Film Festival

Short
School - Loyola Marymount University

Haunted by his life changing familial loss, a boy ventures into escapist childhood memories while chasing his missing, cherished LEGO minifigure.

Director: Tapio Tokunaga
Producer: Syuen Chia, Meera Macki (co-producer), Charlotte Trudeau (co-producer)
Writer: Tapio Tokunaga, Julia Pai
Cast: Jingbei "Sebastian" Bai, Megumi Morino, Albert Lew
Cinematographer: Samuel Boyar
Editor: Max Carmona

Awards: MINIFIG was selected for official selections at the LA Shorts International Film Festival, Hokkaido International Film Festival, and Hollywood International Diversity Film Festival.

Website: https://www.tapio-tokunaga.com/projects/2024/minifig

Instagram: @tapiotokunaga

Short
School - California State University, Fullerton

A young woman's journey to find love- backed by a nature documentary narrator observing her every move. Through Nicole's idealistic and overly romanticized view of love and finding a partner, the film offers a female perspective on navigating the proverbial jungle of the dating scene.

Director: Amanda D’Ambrosio
Producer: Martina Tucker, Coral Lomeli
Writer: Amanda D’Ambrosio
Cast: Nicole Anneliese Smith, LaToya Blakely, Lo Weaver, Matt Tang, Vincent Doud, Collin Riley, Kasper Michaels
Cinematographer: Ryan Deng, Anthony Gilbert
Editor: Jacob Carroll, Georgina Medina

Awards: Finalist, Los Angeles Student Film Awards; Second Place, Mometu Short Film Contest; Collegiate Showcase, Newport Beach Film Festival

Website: link

Instagram: @natural_selection_film

Short

School - California State University Northridge

Director: Lital Mizrahi
Producer: Maya Bellew, Sofia Ribeiro, Gisselle Olmedo-Torres
Writer: Lital Mizrahi             
Cast: Talia Martin, Ben Bocko, Hovhannes John Babakhanyan, Sera Heywood-Rakhimova, Emilene Bell, Lilah Dunham, Willow Hale, Nancy Van Iderstine, Saana Laigran Campana, Murphy Towne
Cinematographer: Nick Talarico
Editor: Sophie Wade, Mikayla Hulsey, Rey Repshas

Awards/acolades: Recipient of the Changing Lens Hackman Capital Grant

Instagram: @nerotshelshabbat

Short
West Coast Premiere
School - University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas

Joaquin Gonzales, a veteran artist battling his traumatic past while facing eviction. Haunted by memories of war and lost dreams, he must rediscover his passion for art in a final attempt to find redemption before it’s too late.

Director: Jake Rogers
Producers: Jake Rogers, Susanna Alford, Trey Guinn, McKenna Moczygemba
Writer: Jake Rogers
Cast: Frank Flores, Trey Guinn, Erik Halley, David F. Mendez, Lily Patino, Gabriel Hill
Cinematographer: Leland Campbell
Editor: Jake Rogers

Awards and Accolades: Best Screenplay and Best Overall Film at UIW Film Festival, May 2024. Competed in the preliminary round of the 51st Student Academy Awards

Website: https://www.jakerogerscreativevisions.com

Instagram: @rogerscinemaproductions

Short Short Film
USA Premiere

School - Los Angeles County High School of the Arts

After a chance encounter in the park, a teenage boy shares music with an elderly woman, uncovering her past as a renowned musician and sparking a conversation about love, dreams, and the importance of appreciating life's journey.

Director: Henry Kaufman
Producer: Hera Farago
Writer: Henry Kaufman
Cast: Henry Kaufman, Teri Ralston, Daniela Arias
Cinematographer: Sabrina Zukowski
Editor: Henry Kaufman

Awards/Additional: Selection at Newport Beach Film Festival, All American High School Film Festival, Los Angeles International Shorts Film Festival, Student Los Angeles Film Festival Nominee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henryonfilms/

Short Documentary

World Premiere

School - NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Through his words and guitar, a young musician tells his unconventional story.

Director: Lindsay O'KeefeProducer: Lindsay O'Keefe
Writer: Lindsay O'Keefe
Cast: Teddy Cosmo Coppes
Cinematographer: Lindsay O'Keefe
Editor: Lindsay O'Keefe

This is Lindsay O'Keefe's senior thesis film. She graduated from NYU Tisch in December 2024. She is now an Avid-certified editor who is moving to LA in February 2025. To hear more of Teddy Cosmo's amazing music, look him up on Spotify or Apple Music!

Short
West Coast Premiere

School - Quinnipiac University

Sadie tries to write a maid of honor speech on the day of her sister's wedding while recovering from her drunken mistakes the night before.

Director: Audrey Scafati
Producer: Jessica Glatt
Writer: Audrey Scafati, Isabella Foley, & Krista Birong
Cast: Siena D’Addario, Kate McLeod, Rita Rehn, Michele Merlo, Sofia Goorno, Annaelise Kennedy
Cinematographer: Isabella Foley
Editor: Krista Birong

Awards: Sadie's Speech was produced by an entirely female group. It was awarded the Audience Choice Award at Mystic Film Festival and was an official selection at the Mystic Film Festival, the Chain NYC Film Festival, and the New York Lift-Off Film Festival.

Instagram: @sadiesspeechfilm

Student Short, Animation
School - ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, CA)

A rookie survivor of a failed vegetable mission now has to survive the hardest mission of them all: a vegetarian night market. 

Director: Emma Nebeker
Producers: Emma Nebeker, Emma Chai, Emily Choi
Writers: Emma Nebeker, Emma Chai
Cast: Andy Pineda, Emma Chai, Matt Kim, Sonny Santana, Daniela Estevez
Editors: Emma Nebeker, Emma Chai

Awards, accolades, and additional details: 1st Hokkaido International Film Festival, Official Selection (Hokkaido, Japan)  South Central Film Festival, Official Selection (Los Angeles, CA)  Cinemaking International Film Festival, Official Selection (Dhaka, Bangladesh) Squish Movie Camp, Official Selection (Rotterdam, Netherlands) PBS Fine Cut SoCal, Semifinalist (Burbank, CA) 

Website: https://www.emmanebeker.com/#/sliceoflife-public/

Instagram:

Director’s (Emma Nebeker’s) Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/emmiichi/

@emmiichi

Stop motion student short film 
School - Woodbury University 

Director/Producer/Writer/Cinematographer/Editor: Juliet Herrera-De Anda

Awards: PBS Fine Cut 2024 Finalist, ASIFA-Hollywood Scholarship Issued by ANIMATION EDUCATORS FORUM · Aug 2023, Women in Animation Laika Scholarship 2024, Woman, Life, Freedom Film Festival Semi-Finalist, Los Angeles Animation Festival-SILVER STUDENT STOP MOTION

Website: https://julietherreradeanda.weebly.com/

Instagram/Tik Tok: Drawsjuju

Short

School - Notre Dame High School

When Ralph Anderson reluctantly rejects a part of a dish served by a prestigious American restaurant, neither him nor his friend Hunter find themselves prepared for what comes next.

Director: Vaughn Eknoyan
Producer: Aaron Rips
Writer: Vaughn Eknoyan
Cast: Kameron Johnson, Niko Chakos, Nick Conocenti, David Lopez, John Chakos, Peter Chakos, Michael Lopez, Caelum Goldstein, Remy Eknoyan, Vaughn Eknoyan
Cinematographer: Dexter Carbone
Editor: Vaughn Eknoyan

Awards, etc.: We shot it after-school across two consecutive Mondays in March. Elie Janesian of Koko’s Middle Eastern Restaurant was very accommodating during the shoot as well.

Won awards of merit in the Film Short (Student) & Original Score (Student) categories at the BestShorts film festival in September 2024.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaughn.eknoyan.art