SPONSORS
WELCOME Welcome to the 16th edition of the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. The power of the arts will always prevail. 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, and after delays and adjustments due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we couldn’t be happier and prouder to have you join us for another edition of what’s become one of the world’s best short film festivals. While we would have loved to be with you all in person, we’ve worked diligently for months to make this virtual edition a reality. Challenges bring opportunities, and we feel our shorts platform Bitpix will be a step into the future for HollyShorts. We are also igniting a Drive-in Experience on November 16th, a festival first. We want to congratulate all of our exceptional official selections. We’re already looking at the 2021 edition, which will most likely contain many of these new elements but also hopefully some more in-person activations as we adapt to the new world. Independent Film and it’s communities will always prevail!
JURY JURY
REVIEW TEAM
Adaku Ononogbo Barry Rubinow Bobby Janic Carmen Cabana Cheryl Bedford Darrien Gipson David Dastmalchian David Magdael Doreen Spicer-Dannelly Effie Brown Fanshen Cox Digiavanni Gary Villareal Ghen Laraya Long Hainsley Lloyd Bennett James Dumont Janina Gavankar Jimmy Jean-Louis Juliet Berman Kalani Dreimanis Leah Philpott LeĂąa Bahrs Lirit Topaz Luis de Filippis Luka Peros Madeleine Moore Robert Dearden Roger Guenveur Smith Sharon Lawrence SJ Main Munoz Sue- Ellen Chitunya Tom Ortenberg Weiman Said Winter Tekenos-Levy Yvette and Shaun Redick Zack Cox Zorianna Kit
Antony Arnold April Mollner Cheryl Bedford Darren Thomas Denis Kulikov Eric Conner Erick Salomon Erin Benzicron Eryn Rea Federica Omodei Frantz Durand Hunter Palmer Karene Jullien Michelle Lee Reda Mustafa Shani Rotkovitz Sharla Mohammed Steve Reich Stevie Page Surjit Simplay Zack Wallace
SCHEDULE MONDAY NOV 9TH 2020 12:00 pm FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Umama Talia Smith After Life Vacation Alberto Belli The White Wall Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi Alive Jimmy Olsson Haute Cuisine Merryl Roche All Inclusive Teemu Nikki LIfe Goes On Henry K. Norvalls Of Thread and Almonds Rebecca Manly
2:30 pm DOCUMENTARY Pant Hoot Richard Reens USA vs. Scott Ora DeKornfeld , Isabel Castro Leon Jackson Tisi A Syrian Woman Khawla Al Hammouri, Louis Karim Sayad DeCaprio The Starr Sisters Bridey Elliott, Beth Einhorn Anas v.s The Giant Adrienne Collatos
5:00 pm HOLLYSHORTS OPENING NIGHT PART ONE Nimic Yorgos Lanthimos 8:46/Legendary Deon Taylor The Letter Room Elvira Lind Meats Ashley Williams The Fall Jonathan Glazer David Zach Woods Hunger Ward Skye Fitzgerald
7:30 pm HOLLYSHORTS OPENING NIGHT PART II Broken Bird Rachel Harrison Gordon I Wish for You Stuart Rideout Cruel Shoes - Kevan Peterson Furlough Phoebe Tonkin Query Sophie Kargman Theo Landon Liboiron Thirst Stefan Dezil Thompson Farm Jackson Lee Youngest Nat Wolff
10:30 pm SHOT ON FILM Next Time Talia Shea Levin The Tongues Marja Bål Nango Birthday Girl Portia A. Buckley Luisa And Anna’s First FIght Lena Tsodykovskaya Faraway Niko Yingqi Ren, Dae Hyun Kim Big Touch Christopher Tenzis Velvet Victoria DeBlauss Black Boys Can’t Cry Victor Gabriel Old Flame - A Super 8 Story Spencer Hetherington, Jesse Ricottone Tiny Star: Black Hole Patrick McHale Phantom Valley Nina Kotyantz
TUESDAY NOV 10TH 2020 10:00 am THE GOLDEN YEARS Write Me Pearl Gluck The Memory Shop Christaan Neu Better Half Pete Johnson, Adam Jones Faith Matteo Mosterts Vieux Revolver Shaan Couture Til LIfe Do Us Part Aaron Goldenberg The Gesture and the Word Helen Alexis Yonov Ahma & Alan James Y. Shih
12:00 pm EMERGING VOICES Simulacra Curry Sicong Tian The Catch Thais Drassinower Crescendo Percival Argüero Mendoza Caravan William Michael Anderson Fragile Moon Phyllis Tam St. Moritz Joseph Balaclav A Beautiful Nightmare Kevin Lee Maxwell Kindling Xinyi Zhu
2:30 pm WOMEN IN FILM BFFs Elia Urquiza The Birth Of Valerie Venus Sarah Clift Second Team Ria Pavia Swim To Steven Amy French Freeze Maya Albanese Virago Kerli Kirch Schneider Lip Service Emily Tremaine Phone Stack Cami Delavigne Sky West & Crooked Heather Edwards
5:00 pm COMEDY A Piece of Cake The Bragg Brothers The Adventures Of Whit Andrew Barchilon Come F*ck My Robot Mercedes Bryce Morgan Blocks Bridget Moloney They Wont Last Portlynn Tagavi Basic Chelsea Devantez The Startup Andy Landen The Shabbos Goy Talia Osteen Speech & Debate Cassandra Jean Amell A Simple F*cking Gesture Jesse Shamata F*cking Ghosts! Jason Cook 3 Texts Away From A Dick Pic Marty Fortney I’m Alright If You’re Alright Ben York Jones Holy Sh!t Jacob Meszaros
A FILM BY JOSEPH HOOTEN
US| MX S a c r i fi c e . Resilience. Hope.
EDITED DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION MATTHEW KEIBLER MUSIBYC DAVID MURRILLO R. COSTUME DESIGNER JAIME GONZALEZ BY JEREMY DENEAU DESIGNER ERIN LUNSFORD PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN TANG SOUND DESIGN PRODUCED CHASE BLOCK GEORGE C. HALL AND BRAD HARTWIG BY LILIANA GRANADOS AND DON OHMER BY CHRISTINA GONZALEZ AND DOMENIC ORSI WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JOSEPH HOOTEN
CASTING BY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
*Please visit www.usmxfilm.com for more info*
7:30 pm DOCUMENTARY II Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible Kristen Lappas, Tom Rinaldi Messania’s Story Laki Karavias Lions In The Corner Paul Hairston All On A Mardis Gras Day Michal Pietrzyk My Father The Mover Julia Jansch To Calm The Pig Inside Joanna Vasquez Arong
10:00 pm ADULT ANIMATION Un Diable Dans La Poche Antoine Bonnet & Mathilde Loubes Rain / Deszcz Piotr Milczarek Eadem Cutis: The Same Skin Nina Hopf Wade Kalp Sanghvi, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya 400 MPH Paul-Eugène Dannaud, Julia Chaix, Lorraine Desserre, Alice Lefort, Natacha Pianeti, Quentin Tireloque Blackheads Emily Ann Hoffman Eggshell Case Jernigan Gon. The Little Fox Takeshi Yashiro The Thin Blue Variety Show Gretta Wilson Tiffany Brittany Brooke Cevin Soling Dick PIcs! (A Documentary) Hannah McSwiggen, Russell Sheaffer
WEDNESDAY NOV 11TH 2020 10:00 am BACK IN TIME Under Darkness Caroline Friend Santiaguera/A Woman from Santiago Bettina Kadoorie Variables Sabina Vajrača Chi Chi Chelsey d’Adesky Into Light Jessica Graham GANEF Mark Rosenblatt Augustus Jon Alston
12:00 pm THE WONDER YEARS At Last Lorena Gordon Cranberry Nights Sara Robin Bittu Karishma Dube GUTTERPUNKS Luke Arnold Under The Lights Miles Levin Aye Ko Daniel Fahn Schoffman Illipino Maritte L Go Red Amit Shamir The Yellow Dress Alex Ko A Portrait of Frances, Enclosed Katie Schiller, Jacob Levy
2:30 pm MUSIC VIDEOS Kaada-Farwell Christian Holm Glad T.I.M. (The Invisible Me) John Santino Grammatico MorMor Some Place Else Human Killer Joe Mischo Moby Rich - Loser Scottie Cameron Repetition Kevin Mcgloughlin The Journey of Hope Jorik Dozy Repetition Kevin McGloughlin Abre los Brazos Mika Bast A$$ Level Allison Becker lophiile feat. NSTASIA | My Side Ruby Bones - Don’t Lose Your Head Brian Lonano Even If It Hurts Cara Stricker Anpu - Zoea POWEI SU Katie Gately: Waltz Samantha Shay James Arthur feat. Travis Barker - You Timon Birkhofer Aigel - You’re Born Andzej Gavriss World Premiere Video - The Music Video That Survived After Music Television Didn’t Mike J. Nichols Monster Rally - Adventure Zak Marx
5:00 pm THE BEST OF VFX Roughneck Andrew Hardaway The End Tommy Kenney Human Resources of Ugago David Oesch Recombined Regina Ainsworth Automaton Krzysztof Rost Lyon E-Sport Gaetano Naccarato Hekademia Gloria Mercer Adam 2.0 Devin J. Dilmore Barrier Morten Forland Kerbal Space Program 2 Ryan McCoy Skywatch Colin Levy BLUE & MALONE: CASOS IMPOSIBLES Abraham Lopez Here Comes Frieda Robin Takao D’Oench
7:00 pm LGBTQ+ liminal Daniel Abramovici My Brother Is A Mermaid Alfie Dale Vote Neil Honora Talbott Flourish Heather María Ács Buck Elegance Bratton, Jovan James Feeling Flush Erin Brown Thomas The Rain Poncho Andrea Rosen Flex Matt Porter Graceland Bonnie Discepolo (Ryan)
10:00 pm ACTION PACKED Hung Up Damon O’Steen Interlude Eli Snyder Twin Turbo Caity Lotz Wingmen Nicole Emanuele The Empires Surgeon Guillaume Main Aio Zitelli Jean-Marie Antonini Officer Down Simon Pearce US MX Joseph Hooten Cleaning House Shahaub Roudbari
10:00 am FILMS FROM AROUND THE12th WORLD II THURSDAY NOV 2020 Doggerland Jack Benjamin Gill Mizaru Sudarshan Suresh Ashmina Dekel Berenson Sticker Georgi M. Unkovski The Present Farah Nabulsi Snowflakes Faye Jackson Mardonas Legs Firas Khoury
12:00 pm SERIES FOR THE WEB Louey & Bri TV Oliver Ponce Lo: The New Adventures of Ultimate Man’s Ex-Girlfriend Meri Haitkin Coup! Matthew Klaus Esolda, Brian Goodheart Daughterhood Cecilia Albertini All American Sex Offender Chloe Lenihan Blackwater Boise Esquerra The Roommates Cameron Penn Cloudy River Sophie Hardcastle, Charlie Ford Deadhouse Dark Rosie Lourde, Joshua Long
2:30 pm LOVE, ACTUALLY A Glimpse Tom Turner Cross’n’Carry Sonja Orlewicz - Zakrzewska Lacrimosa Paolo Monico Until Dawn Matt Smukler Wichita Sergine Dumais Junebug Winter Dunn Prelude Tsubasa Matsumoto FLAWD. Jay Snow Squeegee Morgan Krantz Pieces Dylan Boom Adult Night Leslie Alejandro, Kevin Alejandro
HOLLYSHORTS ON BITPIX NOV. 9th @ 2:30 PST
5:00 pm PRESENTS: AMPLIFYING BLACK VOICES Gramercy Jamil McGinnis, Pat Heywood Sunday’s Child Maisie Richardson-Sellers 410 Stamped Nicole Taylor-Roberts Brother Ya’Ke Smith I Am Pilate Femi Oyeniran Not Black Enough Jermaine Manigault DA YIE Anthony Nti Mthunzi Tebogo Malebogo
7:00 pm
PRESENTS:
THE BEST OF SCI-FI AND FANTASY
Snake Dick David Mahmoudieh PROXY Sophia Banks I Want To Be Like You Caitlyn Sponheimer TOTO Marco Baldonado Polybius Sharon Everitt Snake Anthony Garland Immortal Natalie Metzger, Robert Allaire Narrow Anna Chazelle In Hollywoodland Jessica Sherif Muse Azhur Saleem An Uninvited Guest Richard B. Pierre Speak Only Good Of The Dead Arminio Rivero
7:00 pm CRIME SCENE Impermanence Phạm Gia Quý To Hell With Reno Kimberly Hunt Cagnolino Hugo Diego Garcia Sad Orangutans Rob a Bank Grant Raun Repo Aaron Rovner Tether Ed Westwick Mikey the Kid Nick Page The Fixer Michael Schilf
FRIDAY
NOV 13TH 2020
10:00 am TV TROPES The 410 Renuka Jeyapalan Pretty People Shelby Blake Bartelstein Dope Movies - The Meteor Man Ramiro Castro Jr. How Am I Doing Colleen Davie Janes Distemper Elias Plagianos Mary F*CK KILL Matt Ferrucci The World Between Us (Pilot Episode) ChunYang Lin
12:00 pm HEAVY HITTERS Welcome Back Tiffany K. Guillen Blood and Glory Satinder Kaur My Other Suit is Human Andrew Paul Montague The Hole Louis Lagayette Feeling Through Doug Roland The Hideaway Jane Stephens Rosenthal Masel Tov Cocktail Arkadij Khaet, Mickey Paatzsch
2:30 pm FAMILY MATTERS Harana Marie Jamora Lessons With Martha Matthew C. Johnson Zoe and Hanh Kim Tran Black Ghost Son Christopher Low Proof of Loss Katherine Fisher Falling Leaves Dimitri Yuri November 1st Charlie Manton Our Sister Rosie Westhoff Zinnia Mike Byrd
5:00 pm #TIMESUP Entitled Kelsey Fordham Nebraska’s Calling Kathryn Ferentchak The Three Men You Meet At Night Beck Kitsis Yellow Girl And Me Isabella Issa Real Talk Artemis Shaw Ferrotipos Null Garcia Next One Guglielmo Poggi To Us Sophia Conger Stud Boob Shaina Feinberg Still Wylde Ingrid Haas
7:30 pm FRIDAY NIGHT PRIME The Van Erenik Beqiri White Eye Tomer Shushan End-O Alice Seabright 1,2,3, All Eyes On Me Emil Gallardo Life On Mars Troian Bellisario The Other Side Josh Leong Henet Ward Morad Mostafa Anna Dekel Berenson
10:00 pm PRESENTS: FRIDAY NIGHT HORROR
Lovemaking of Trolls Felix Charin The Orchard Girl Nicholas Dunlevy, Erin Elders Ouzo and Blackcurrant Nat Luurtsema Waffle Carlyn Hudson Pieces of Me Julia Max The Girl In The Woods Laura Kulik Wash Kristofer “Kiggs” Carlsson 4x6 Jamie Gyngell The History Of Monsters Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz Killing Small Animals Marcus Svanberg Couples Therapy Tim Hendrix
SATURDAY
NOV 14TH 2020
12:00 am MIDNIGHT MADNESS After That, We Didn’t Talk Tari Wariebi Mister Cachemire Louri Philippe Paillé Logan Lee & The Rise of the Purple Dawn Raymond C Lai Weirdo Ashlea Wessel The Night Is Young Oliver Mörk Seek Aaron Morgan From The Makers Of Daniel Fissmer Urban Scout Matthew Vaughan Make A Wish Dinh Thai Wererock Chris Merrill Richard Nixon: Getaway Driver Kevin Daniel Lonano Inferno Bishal Dutta
10:00 am SHORT AND SWEET The Power Of Hope Kalia Love Jones A Cat Called Jam Lorraine Lordan HERE WE ARE: Notes for Living on Planet Earth Philip Hunt Odd Dog Keika Lee The Tattooed Torah Marc Bennett Hot Dog Flore Burban, Logan Cameron, Nicolas Diaz, Chloé Raimondo, Hugues Valin The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains* Jennifer Msuba Autism Ability* Scott Klumb Cramming Dan Pearlman How Much Am I Worth* Rachel Handler Bee Nick Brooks The Violin Jon Rosenbloom The Amazing Adventures of Awesome Allison Brown-Moore Home Of My Memories Javier Méndez Lafón
*
- winners
12:00 pm LATINX Acuitzeramo Miguel Angel Caballero The Last Light Angelita Mendoza The Tampon Erica Ortiz Eagle Jose Acevedo Sweet Potatoes Rommel Villa For Rosa Kathryn Boyd-Batstone Conjugal Visit Daniel Rubiano Nahjum Sebastian Torres Greene, Manuel Del Valle
2:30 pm ANIMATION
Umbrella Helena Hilario and Mario Pece Kapaemahu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe WIlson Winter In The Rainforest Anu-Laura Tuttelberg The Heretic Veselin Efremov The Levers Boyoung Kim Rag Doll Leon Lee There Were Four of Us Cassie Shao Into The Flame Sean McClintock Meudon Leah Dubuc The Coin Siqi Song Goldfish Daniel Zvereff Passage Asavari Kumar o28 Otalia Causse, Geoffroy Collin, Lousie Grardel, Antoine Marchand, Robin Merle, Fabian Meyran If Anything Happens I love You Will McCormack, Michael Govier
5:00 pm THRILLS AND CHILLS Clout Dennis Williams II The Diver Michael Leonard, Jamie Helmer Standstill Katia Shannon I’ll End Up In Jail Alexandre Dostie Swipe Niels Bourgonje David French Is A Piece Of Sh*t And I Want Him Dead Mark van Heusden Red Light Green Light Joseph I. Martinez, Will Martinez Moriah Nathan Tape The Chippie Louis Norton Selzer Bury Me Not Charlene Bagcal
7:30 pm SOCIAL IMPACT Lost Kings Brian Lawes Masha Krzysztof Chodorowski ALA KACHUU - Take and Run Maria Brendle Michelle Kenya Gillespie Agadez Ian Barling Awaken Leena Pendharkar Ashes To Ashes Taylor Rees
10:30 pm COMEDY AFTER DARK The Fourth Wall Kelsey Bollig A Hole James Solomon Cherry Cola Amandine Thomas Check Please Riley Cecil Taggart Lughead Corey Surge Stevie Eric L. Thompson For Your Consideration Poppy Gordon Volcano Karen Moore The Priest Michael Vukadinovich
SUNDAY
NOV 15TH 2020
10:00 am THE BEST OF CINEMATOGRAPHY The Coral Guardian David Dincer Bite The Hand Nolan Wilson Goff The Act Thomas Hescott Pleasant Canyon Ryan Jaeger Cinderella Games Daniel Alicandro Ornamentation Is A Gift Ray Smiling Eyes of Eidolon Davi Pena Inverno (Timo’s Winter) Giulio Mastromauro Last Dream Before Sunrise Tom Albanese
12:00 pm OTHERWORLDLY The Price of Cheap Rent Amina Sutton, Maya Tanaka Just Be Sarah Koteles Pipo & Blind Love Hugo Le Gourrierec Turducken Grant Newcomb Henderson Metamorphosis Emily Dubovi Audio Guide Chris Elena The Immortal Carl Firth Cycle of Apples Maha Al-Saati Hypernova Tate Young Meeting In The Cafe Leah R Brown
2:30 pm DRAMA An Occurrence at Arverne Robert Broadhurst The Recordist Indianna Bell, Josiah Allen I Go Home One Day Noel David Taylor Jane Kathryn Prescott Look At Me Nika Fehmiu Blackout Sofia Bonami Matilda James Rogers-Gahan Senor Masha Clark Land of Dry Bones Darrell Lake
5:00 pm AWARDS
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11/8/20 11:02 AM
MONDAY
NOV 16TH 2020
SEATTLE x HOLLYSHORTS FILM MARKET 1 It’s Hidden Within Angela DiMarco Smiling Skeletons Erin Rea Blind Vegeance Carter Johnson Broken Signals Benjamin J Strickland Such An Honor Nicole Pouchet A Perfect Circle Marc Furmie After Anyuta Clemy Clarke
HOLLYSHORTS FILM MARKET 2 DIDI Rehan Mudannayake A Strange Calm Austin Rourke Sofa Queen Jenny Kleiman The Dress Tadeusz Łysiak Unmothered Urvashi Pathania Invasion Ng Ka Kit, Law Chi Wai Patricia Cameron Fife High Score Serena Ryen & Ethan Itzkow Furthest From Kyung Sok Kim Tehrangeles Saumene Mehrdady A Head Shorter Sasha Sivan Bortnik Storybooked 3 Shern Sharma The Door Hetong Zhang
HOLLYSHORTS FILM MARKET 3 Making The Case Jennifer Callahan Who Goes There? Astrid Thorvaldsen Pandemic 19 Yung Chang, Annie Katsura Rollins Becoming Eddie Lilan Bowden Terra Visionis Vladimir Podgoretsky The Other Side of Night Jaclyn Noel Then Comes The Evening Maja Novaković When We Dance Charles Pieper The Crossing Juliana Penaranda-Loftus
STAGE 32 x HOLLYSHORTS FILM MARKET 4 Capsules Burton Chaikin Father’s Day Jim St. Germain Shiri Micah Coate The Invention Leo McGuigan Tomorrow Island Gwenn Joyaux Zoo Will Niava
PANELS 12:00 PM 3:00 PM
OPENING KEYNOTE: KAT COIRO
3:00 PM
MONDAY NOV 9TH 2020
HOW CAN YOU MONETIZE YOUR SHORT FILM?
A conversation with director, writer and HollyShorts alumna Kat Coiro (MARRY ME, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, DEAD TO ME) on how she went from HollyShorts filmmaker to in demand director and writer working on some of the industry’s hottest projects and her insights for emerging filmmakers.
TUESDAY NOV 10TH 2020 FESTIVAL FORMULA SPILL THE TEA Join Mark Brennan (Exit 6 Film Festival) as he talks to the whole Festival Formula team about festival strategy and submissions, and the festival landscape right now. Advice, tips, myth-busting, and some very frank conversations about what to expect when you step on to the worldwide competitive circuit. Panelists: Ian Bigness, Festival Formula Katie McCullough, Festival Formula Kate Stocker-Wright, Festival Formula Frankie Stewart, Festival Formula
There is a real market for Short Films at an international level and on diverse media outlets like TV, Airlines, Librairies, Theatre, VOD and more. This panel will reveal buyers’ perspective on the Short Film market, its requirements, expectations, how the buying process works and what Short Films brings them in terms of revenue and audience. Moderator: Audrey Clinet, CEO and Founder, EROÏN Panelists: David Van Poppel, Content Specialist, SPAFAX Antoine Schmidt-Roy, CEO/Founder, Nikita Ventures Wes Fleming, CEO - MINIFLIX, Executive Producer -Third Coast Films Katarina Eriksson, Acquisitions Executive / International Project Coordinator, UR
6:00 PM
PANELS INDIE FILMMAKER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE: Presented By Film Threat Join Chris Gore (Publisher/Editor, Film Threat), Bri Castellini (Film Community Manager, Seed&Spark), Larry Laboe (Executive Director, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles), and Alan Ng (Managing Editor, Film Threat) for a conversation on how indie filmmakers can navigate the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities of these unprecedented times. Panelists: Bri Castellini, Film Community Manager, Seed&Spark Larry Laboe, Executive Director, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Alan Ng, Managing Editor, Film Threat
12:00 PM
WEDNESDAY NOV 11TH 2020 LAUNCHING YOUR CAREER WITH YOUR SHORT FILM Presented by LA Media Consultants How can your short film open up the “big doors” in Hollywood, helping you to break into film and TV, and build strategic alliances? How can it help you attract the attention of an agent or manager? What steps can you take to turn your short into a feature film or episodic? How can you make the most of distributing your short on media platforms to get your name out there? Come see a panel of experts discuss how your short film can become the conduit for you to reach your Hollywood goals. Panelists include manager Seth Nagel, breakout writers Andrea Janakas and Michelle Sam (both of whom had short films that catapulted them to success), producer Garrick Dion, and Gunpowder & Sky executive Sophie Carroll. The panel is being moderated by Publicist/Media Consultant Deborah Gilels, and is sponsored by LA Media Consultants. Panelists: Seth Nagel, Manager/Producer Andrea Janakas, Writer Michelle Sam, Writer Garrick Dion, Producer Sophie Carroll, Sr. Manager, Gunpowder & Sky
3:00 PM
PANELS NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US Dr. Joely Proudfit of Native Media Strategies spoke those words to Cheryl L. Bedford, Founder of Women of Color Unite/Creator of The JTC List, regarding Native Sovereignty and a panel was born. With Joely’s permission, Cheryl borrowed the phrase regarding any content having to do with marginalized communities. Bringing together, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Disabled, LGBTQIA+, also representing sizeism, colorism and ageism; these WOC discuss what the phrase means to them and their communities. Moderator: Cherry Davis - Film Critic
6:00 PM
Panelists: Cheryl L. Bedford - Women of Color Unite/The JTC List Dr. Joely Proudfit - Native Media Strategies Thuc Nguyen - Bitch Pack/#StartWith8Hollywood Kayden Phoenix - Chicana Director’s Initiative Diana Elizabeth Jordan - Rainbow Cafe
AGENTS AND MANAGERS ROUNDTABLE Hear from top agents and managers on the state of the industry, what they are looking for, and insights for HollyShorts filmmakers, especially given the current climate. Moderator: Steven Adams, Founding Partner, Alta Global Media Panelists: Abraham Bengio | Endeavor Content Tracy Christian | TCA Mgmt Zach Cox | Circle of Confusion
12:00 PM
THURSDAY NOV 12TH 2020 DIAMOND FINDER: A Conversation With Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd on Casting & The Evolution of Short Filmmaking Presented by Entertainment Speakers Bureau
An intimate conversation with veteran casting director & producer Twinkie Byrd (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, Christmas Unwrapped, Notorious) Catch this rare one-on-one discussion with Twinkie, moderated by award-winning filmmaker Bobby Yan (Marz, Loreen’s Gotta Boogie), and gain insights from her multidecade career, her own transition into directing and exploring innovation in filmmaking. Presented by Entertainment Speakers Bureau.
3:00 PM
THE NEW NORMAL, Presented by SAGIndie
6:00 PM
PANELS
HOLLYSHORTS SCREENWRITERS ROUNDTABLE
Learn about the evolution of the indie film landscape, the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and the rules that still ring true in this candid conversation between film industry veterans. Moderator: Darrien Michele Gipson, Executive Director, SAGindie Panelists: Effie Brown, CEO, Gamechanger Films Fanshen Cox, Playwright, Actor, Producer, and Educator Yolonda Ross, Actress, Writer, Director, and Producer
A conversation with top HollyShorts screenwriting alumni on their journey, their current projects, and the lessons they have learned along the way to pass along to their fellow screenwriters. Moderator: Ben Andrews, Founder, Seattle Film Summit Panelists: Bob Dearden (IZOMBIE) Carlos Foglia (LORE, TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES) Winter Tekenos-Levy (SCHITT’S CREEK)
3:00 PM 12:00
FRIDAY NOV 13TH 2020 IMMIGRATION LAW FOR FILMMAKERS Presented by Zoe Kevork Law
A discussion on the main immigration issues for international artists and filmmakers who may be exploring their options to be able to work in the United States with attorney Zoe Kevork.
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH SEED&SPARK FOUNDER EMILY BEST An intimate conversation with Seed&Spark founder Emily Best on the creation and mission of Seed&Spark and the opportunities and challenges for filmmakers in an ever-changing industry landscape, moderated by HollyShorts co-founder Daniel Sol.
6:00 PM
PANELS HOLLYSHORTS ALUMNI - YOU MADE YOUR SHORT, THEN A FEATURE...NOW WHAT? Hear from top HollyShorts alumni on how you go from short to your first feature to what happens after that. This intimate conversation will explore insights from these established filmmakers on what they really wish they knew before they made their first feature and advice for HollyShorts filmmakers. Moderator: John Wynn (THE RISING HAWK, GRAND ISLE) Panelists: David Dastmalchian (BLADE RUNNER 2049, DUNE) JT Mollner (OUTLAWS AND ANGELS) Sarah Adina Smith (ROOM 104, HANNA)
12:00 PM
SATURDAY NOV 14TH 2020 LAUNCHING YOUR CAREER WITH YOUR SHORT FILM, Presented by LA Media Consultants How do you get your film into a festival? What are festival directors looking for? How do you adapt your festival strategy to the current climate, and how are festivals adapting themselves? Hear from festival directors from respected festivals across the country as they offer insight and advice on submitting to festivals, including what to consider when you are putting together your festival strategy, the opportunities festivals provide, and what’s changed (and what’s still the same!) in the COVID-19 world. Moderator: Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith, The Film Festival Doctor Limited Panelists: Adrian Barber, Festival Director, Bolton International Film Festival Michael Rabehl, Programming Director, Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival Paul Sloop, Shorts Programmer, Cleveland International Film Festival Ben Thompson, Shorts Programmer, Tribeca Film Festival
3:00 PM
PANELS HAS THE COVID WORKFORCE PARADIGM SHIFT MOVED THE NEEDLE ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE GREATER DISABILITY INCLUSION AND REPRESENTATION?
Presented by Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Has the evolution of innovative, adaptive technologies and the greater flexibility in working environments since the onset of COVID-19 influenced the way employers in the entertainment industry could look at increasing disability inclusion and representation? Moderator: Tim Gray, SVP, Variety
6:00 PM
Panelists: Dr. Tonya Browning, Vice President, Dell Digital Design, Dell Technologies Margot Nack, Senior Product Manager, Adobe’s Video & Audio Team Grace Wu, Executive Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS: Tips and Takeaways from Top Execs Film producers, development and acquisition executives reveal to HollyShorts filmmakers how they spot festival winners, how best to impress during festival meetings, the current state of the industry, and where content is headed. Moderator: Zorianna Kit, Journalist, Producer, and Film Critic Panelists: Steven Adams, Founding Partner, Alta Global Media Juliet Berman, Head of Development, Treehouse Pictures Lauren Bixby, VP Acquisitions, Lionsgate Ryan Black, VP, Acquisitions & Development, Grindstone Entertainment Group
PANELS 12:00 PM
SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATION: ANDREW CARLBERG
3:00 PM
SUNDAY NOV 14TH 2020
CLOSING CONVERSATION WITH TOM ORTENBERG
A one on one conversation with HollyShorts alumnus and award-winning producer Andrew Carlberg (SKIN) on how to craft your short film, his experience and insights from the short films he’s produced, and what shorts filmmakers should know.
Closing conversation with industry legend Tom Ortenberg (SPOTLIGHT, SNOWDEN, AKEELAH AND THE BEE).
THANK YOU THEO I’d like to thank my family, my wife Valerie, my two amazing daughters who can now read and give me to-do lists Camille and Emilie. I’d like to thank Daniel Sol and Nicole Castro for making this challenging 2020 edition a reality. Thanks to the entire HollyShorts Staff who work year round to make this a success. Thank you Kelly Davis Wilson, Kevin Anderson, Lauren Litt, Alexandra Schwab. Also thanking my Alta Global Media family Steven Adams, Luke Fitterer and Meagan Culberson. Thank you Tap Studios for adding a live element to this year’s festival. Thank you to our partners and sponsors for always supporting us! DANIEL Thanks to the HollyShorts team (Nicole Castro, Kelly Wilson, Luke Fitterer, Meagan Culberson, Steven Adams, Alexandra Schwab & Cindy Kitagawa) and the jury and reviewers for assisting in putting this years virtual fest together with these difficult circumstances! NICOLE Thanks to our amazing team for pulling off an incredible festival, despite the challenging and unfamiliar circumstances. As always, thanks to my #1 who supports like no other. Thanks to our Hosts, Volunteers and our incredible designer Carlos who is a master at his craft. We hope to see you Live and in person in 2021, but thank YOU for taking this new adventure with us. Be safe and see you soon.