Official Selections: 8th LA Student Film Festival
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film
Choice
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/
Diversity Hire
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.
Dahlia's Monsters
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