Welcome to LAIFF!

The Los Angeles International Film Festival returns in 2023 and it will be a hotspot for showcasing innovative cinema and new trends in indie filmmaking. This year’s LAIFF looks forward to screening a broad range of genres by international directors, and bringing the best of fresh filmmaking to film-loving LA audiences.

The Los Angeles International Film Festival discovers, supports and develops new talent in filmmaking, providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. Recognizing the important role independent films have in the history of filmmaking, storytelling, and culture, LAIFF wants to help empower the next generation of artists. The Los Angeles International Film Festival is an annual event showcasing independent films with an edge.

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News

LAIFF 2023 will be hosted at the Laemmle Monica Film Centre in Santa Monica.

LAIFF will be hosting a mini-market speed-pitching event. Film-makers will have to submit their pitch decks, and those chosen will be able to pitch to industry professionals. 

The SMASH website will allow you to create a pitch deck for free, and then to submit your pitch to the LAIFF mini-market. Go to https://www.mysmash.media and click on CREATE YOUR FREE PITCH and share your SMASH snapshot with pitch@laiff.org  by October 29th midnight!

The LAIFF mini-market speed-pitch will take place on November 2nd, 1-2pm in Santa Monica. If you are selected you will be notified by midday on October 30th with details.

Programme & Tickets

Official Selections

SHORT FILMS
Life of Riley by Lisa Datz
Sting Ray by Joey Krulock
Worth It by Kristina Thomas
New Eden by Michal Zebede
Savior of the Universe by Routong LiA
Dinner by Jack Gorman & Shannon Walsh
Living Still by Frederik Wiedmann
Sungazer Video by Alexandra Aristy
Terminally Unique by Talita Maia
Kelly and the Kung Fu Gators by Kristen Gish
Attempting Amends by Jayde Anderson
Dog Park by Andrew Danish
River by Rafal Sokolowski & Kanat Umurbekov
Weirdos by Paul Hollingsworth
When Living in a Car is Your Last Choice by Luciana Faulhaber
Breathe by Jeanelle Dupree
Ellie by Vinny O’Brien
Lovely by Naomi Shroff-Mehta
Nostalgia Transplant by Yuxing Xu
Pareidolia by Aaron Truss
Rasch und mit Feuer by Mia Watanabe Miller
Deva by Antonio Araujo
A killer Service by Gio Randazzo
Venus by Esmeralda Seay-Reynolds
Snafu by Phillip Soulliere
Standing On Water by Tommy Corey
A World Of Mirrors by Giuseppe Masi
The Best Gift in Life is Life Itself by Mauricio Ovalle
Closer by Daniel E. Catton
Welcome To The Neighborhood by Jason Lee Segal
No Air for Angels by Erin Elizabeth
In Deep by Andrew King Bach Bachelor
Lumps by David Nixon Jr.
Mare Immensus (Sea of the Boundless) by Jingchen Zhao
Catch Him by Leah V Bleich
The Suck by Chris Merrill
Wingwoman by Elle Misko
California Locos Renaissance and Rebellion by Dave Tourjé
Cracked by Max A Yoffe
The Trade (Short) by Jahmal Holland

FEATURE FILMS
Tonic by Derek Presley
Polarized by Shamim Sarif
Show Her The Money by Ky Dickens

Short films:
A History of Running Aground by William O’Hare
A Shame by Josette Eales
After The Storm by Han-Su Kim
Am I Crazy Do You Love Me by A.C. Lamberty
An Interview with the Times by Marc Cunningham
Black Knight Origins by Jonathan Debiase
Defibrillator by Madeleine Coghlan
Essentially Amy by Ari Groobman
Family Fiction by Matt Somogyi
Fire Born by Daniel Carsenty
First Time Long Time by Aidan McCarthy
Fleeced by Wesley Alley
GunTooSoon by Babajide Bamidele Kolawole
Guru$$ by Chris Johnson & Erik Passoja
Happy You Near by Naomi Rohatyn
HELL GIG by Ella Gale
Holy Smokes by Garrett Park Gallego
If Things Go South by Paul Boyd
In the Desert of Eternity by Ann Huang
Jeff Hilliard – Abandon by Jeff Hilliard
Jeff Hilliard – Consensual by Jeff Hilliard & Joey Danger
Kassandra by ivar wigan
Kill The Butterfly by Braden Joe
Kiss of Night by Benj Gibicsar
Margins by Emanuela Boisbouvier
Minutemen by Jason Nolte
Moving Out by Rachel Earnest
Muse by Thang Huy Nguyen
Our Beautiful World by Ian Williams
Out, Out by Mitch Iverson
Pretty Boy by Kevin Coleman-Cohen
Private Audition by Stephany V. Barbalho
Queenbird by Roxanna Dunlop
Relationship Killers by Noah A. Waters III
REWIND by Leo Lungaro
Samaritan by John Poliquin
Sheepish by Sonia Machado-Hines
Sola by Markus Madlangbayan
Swept Under by Ethan Soo
The Assassin’s Apprentice by Russ Emanuel
The Girl by Meredith Chin
The Iron Sheik Massacre by John Hennigan
The Powers That Be by Gina Jacqueline Yull
The Pulpit – Prelude by Tosin Morohunfola
The Record by Kristi Uribes
The Screening by Orhun Timur
This is Their Land by Michael O’Leary
This Side of the Fence by Osvaldo Reyes
Unspoken by Andrew Curtis Stark
Weight by Jairus Williams
What Is Your Raison D’être!? by Freddie Gardner
Whores by Sydney Painter
You Can’t Be Here by Zachary A Pope
Zippy Ride by Rikard Rodin

Feature Films:
Disco Bloodbath by Marcus Palmer
Frank Bey: All My Dues Are Paid by Tom Dwyer & Lisa Palattella
Montreal Girls by Patricia Chica
The Mistress by Greg Pritikin

The full list of the LAIFF 2021 Official Selection is as follows:
SHORT FILMS
A Quark’s Looking Glass by Adam Loxley
A Summers Day at Sherwood Park by Conor Forrest
A walk in the forest by Johanne Chagnon
Blue by Kyle Lawrence
BomPaPa by Annika Maria Udo Winther
Dinner? by Nick Blair
Disoriented Guide by Diego Mejia Lartilleux & Carolina Mejía Lartilleux
Dreams from the Edge by Ericka Nicole Malone
Embers by Tom Ganley
Evie by Alex von Hofmann
Fadi Awad – To Glory Land by Fadi Awad
Finding Tyler by Chris Brannan, Diana Reichenbach
Good Night by David Vincent Smith
I am Normal by Olia Oparina
If Birds Fly by Jack Pullman
Jump Seat by Aaron Colborn
Jupiter & Saturn by Diego Fuentes
Kiri and Lou: “Shine Your Light” by Harry Sinclair
Love, Sarah by Laura Nordin
Lunatic by Sohyun An
Madhur’s Phulkari by Jagdeep Raina
Mars Zone by Anastasia Arsan
Mylk by Ben Prendergast & Ngaire Dawn Fair
Oh Lahore by Jagdeep Raina
Plunge by Lee Steenbergen
Rare Enough by Ryan Lovell
Shadowed by Juliette Hagopian
Silicone Wave by Jeff Hilliard
Spell It Out in Neon by Tammy Minoff
Stronger by Clark MacLeod
Stud by Rane Jameson
The Beginning and End of Everything by Catherine Collins
The Doors by Caroline Mackintosh
The O Show by Sharad Khare
True Love by raymond edwards
Unwed Mothers by Xu Shuo
Vaka by Kelly Moneymaker
Your Lucky Money by Alexander Nguyen

FEATURE FILMS
A Will To Dream by Patrick Alcedo
Amazon Queen by Marlin Darrah
Between Forever by Scooter John Powell
Dark Cloud by Jay Ness
Dead Body by Andy Rossi
Disturbed Heart by Philippe Cormier
Dream Big — A Golden Time In The Golden State by Marc A Martinez
I’m An Electric Lampshade by John Clayton Doyle
Precarious by Weston Terray
Red Shoes by Isabella Weiss
Shanghai Story by Andrej Iliev
The Long Isolation by Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta
The Revolution Generation (working title) by Josh Tickell & Rebecca Tickell

Accordion Content

Opening night party, 7pm at Lanea (invite only, contact fest admin for details)

Shorts block 1: 7pm – 8:05pm <get tickets here>

Life of Riley by Lisa Datz
Sting Ray by Joey Krulock
Worth It by Kristina Thomas
New Eden by Michal Zebede

Shorts block 2: 8:25-9:30pm <get tickets here>

A Dinner by Jack Gorman & Shannon Walsh
Living Still by Frederik Wiedmann
Sungazer Video by Alexandra Aristy
Terminally Unique by Talita Maia
Kelly and the Kung Fu Gators by Kristen Gish

Shorts block 3: 7pm – 8:05pm <get tickets here>
Attempting Amends by Jayde Anderson
Dog Park by Andrew Danish
River by Rafal Sokolowski & Kanat Umurbekov
Weirdos by Paul Hollingsworth
When Living in a Car is Your Last Choice by Luciana Faulhaber

Shorts block 4: 8:25-9:30pm <get tickets here>
Breathe by Jeanelle Dupree
Ellie by Vinny O’Brien
TBA

Shorts block 5: 10pm-11pm <get tickets here>
Lovely by Naomi Shroff-Mehta
Nostalgia Transplant by Yuxing Xu
Pareidolia by Aaron Truss
Rasch und mit Feuer by Mia Watanabe Miller
Deva by Antonio Araujo

Shorts block 6: 4pm – 5:05pm <get tickets here>
A killer Service by Gio Randazzo
Venus by Esmeralda Seay-Reynolds
Snafu by Phillip Soulliere
Standing On Water by Tommy Corey

Shorts block 7: 5:25-6:30pm <get tickets here>
A World Of Mirrors by Giuseppe Masi
The Best Gift in Life is Life Itself by Mauricio Ovalle
Closer by Daniel E. Catton
Welcome To The Neighborhood by Jason Lee Segal
No Air for Angels by Erin Elizabeth

Feature 7pm: <get tickets here>
Tonic by Derek Presley

Feature 9:30pm: <get tickets here>
Polarized by Shamim Sarif

Shorts block 8: 4pm – 5:05pm <get tickets here>
In Deep by Andrew King Bach Bachelor
Lumps by David Nixon Jr.
Mare Immensus (Sea of the Boundless) by Jingchen Zhao
Catch Him by Leah V Bleich

Shorts block 9: 5:25-6:30pm <get tickets here>
The Suck by Chris Merrill
Wingwoman by Elle Misko
California Locos Renaissance and Rebellion by Dave Tourjé
Cracked by Max A Yoffe
The Trade (Short) by Jahmal Holland

Feature 7pm:  <get tickets here>
Show Her The Money by Ky Dickens

SUBMIT A FILM TO LAIFF

The Los Angeles International Film Festival accepts indie films in all forms and genres: drama, experimental, comedy, horror, slow cinema, sci fi, fantasy, animation, documentary, etc.

NOTE: all film submissions are preferred via Film Freeway.

  • Opening Date
  • Earlybird Deadline
  • Regular Deadline
  • Late Deadline
  • Extended Deadline
  • Notification Date
  • Event Date

Feature Films

$75 Early
$80 Regular
$85 Late

Short Films

$45 Early
$50 Regular
$55 Late

Music videos & short shorts

$30 Early
$35 Regular
$40 Late

Feature scripts

$45 Early
$50 Regular
$55 Late

Please send any related press materials, including electronic press kit and photos to info@laiff.org

All submissions must be received electronically, we do not accept DVD’s in the post.

The Los Angeles International Film Festival is open to USA and International films in each of the following categories:

FILM AWARDS

Feature Film (budget under $1m USD)

Micro-budget Feature (budget under $250k USD)

No-Budget Feature (budget under $25k USD)

Documentary Feature

Short Film

Short Documentary

Animated Short

Experimental Short

Horror / Sci-Fi Short

Short Short (under 5 minutes)

Music Video

Screenplay Award categories:

Feature Screenplay

Comedy Screenplay

Sci-Fi / Horror Screenplay

AWARD-WINNING FILMS

Best Documentary Feature – Show Her The Money by Ky Dickens

Best Drama Feature – Polarized by Shamim Sarif

Best Thriller Feature – Tonic by Derek Presley

Short Film (jury award) — Life of Riley by Lisa Datz

Short Film (festival director’s award) — The Best Gift in Life is Life Itself by Mauricio Ovalle

Short Film (audience award) Weirdos by Paul Hollingsworth

Short Documentary — California Locos Renaissance and Rebellion by Dave Tourjé

Music Video — Sungazer Video by Alexandra Aristy

Thriller Short — Ellie by Vinny O’Brien

Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short — Lovely by Naomi Shroff-Mehta

Experimental Short — A World Of Mirrors by Giuseppe Masi

Animated Short — Kelly and the Kung Fu Gators by Kristen Gish

Short Film (audience award) Weirdos by Paul Hollingsworth

Best Feature Screenplay — My Third Funeral by Sara Peet-Longlia

Best Horror/Sci Fi Screenplay – Six Dog Night by Aaron McKay

Best Comedy Screenplay — Jalla by Hasan Amhad

Short Film (jury award) — A Shame by Josette Eales

Short Film (festival director’s award) — Essentially Amy by Ari Groobman

Short Film (spirit of Los Angeles award) — Zippy Ride by Rikard Rodin

Short Documentary — After The Storm by Han-Su Kim

Music Video — If Things Go South by Paul Boyd

Thriller Short — Relationship Killers by Noah A. Waters III

Horror Short — The Iron Sheik Massacre by John Hennigan

Experimental Short — In the Desert of Eternity by Ann Huang

Animated Short — Weight by Jairus Williams

Best Feature Screenplay — The Burden of Light by Helen Alexis Yonov

Best Documentary Feature (jury award) – Frank Bey: All My Dues Are Paid by Tom Dwyer & Lisa Palattella

Best Documentary Feature (audience award) – Disco Bloodbath by Marcus Palmer

Best Feature Film (festival director’s award) – Montreal Girls by Patricia Chica

Best Feature Film (jury award) – The Mistress by Greg Pritikin

Best Horror/Sci Fi Screenplay –Typhoid Maria by Timothy Porter

Best Screenplay (spirit of Los Angeles award) — False Awakenings by Bruno Herman Kohfield-Galeano & Brent Weinbach

Best Comedy Screenplay — Godsend by Monika Bibik

Short Film (jury award) — I Am Normal by Olia Oparina

Short Film (audience award) — Dreams from the Edge by Ericka Nicole Malone

Short Documentary — Rare Enough by Ryan Lovell

Music Video — Silicone Wave by Jeff Hilliard

Action/Thriller Short — Shadowed by Juliette Hagopian

Sci-Fi Short — Evie by Alex von Hofmann

Experimental Short — Lunatic by Sohyun An

Animated Short — Kiri and Lou: “Shine Your Light” by Harry Sinclair

Best Screenplay — Dancing With Plato by Nahyr Galaz Ruiz

Best Low-budget Feature – I’m An Electric Lampshade by John Clayton Doyle

Best Micro-budget Feature – Dark Cloud by Jay Ness

Best No-budget Feature – Dead Body by Andy Rossi

Best Documentary Feature – The Revolution Generation by Josh Tickell and Rebecca Tickell

Best Feature (Audience Award) – Dead Body by Andy Rossi

No-Budget Feature — Hometown Proud by Naida Osline & Tyler Stallings
Micro-budget Feature — Marcus by J.R. Poli
Low-budget Feature — The Reunited States by Ben Rekhi
Documentary Feature — The Green Wave by Guido Verweyen
Best Feature (Audience Award) — The Crickets Dance by Veronica Robledo

Short Film (jury award) — The Boy’s Gone by Sarah Polhaus
Short Film (audience award) — Bad Suns by Kevin Ryan
Short Documentary — Legacy by Margo Weathers
Music Video — I Rise by Marla Antinoro
Horror Short — Eleanor by Chris Dawson
Sci-Fi Short — Proxy by Sophia Banks
Experimental Short — Fina’s Children by Valerie Dalena
Animated Short — Rude Sleeping Beauty by Paul Baker

Comedy Screenplay — Meeting Duran Duran by Bridgette Yaxley
Horror/Sci-Fi Screenplay — Dream No More by Ery De Jong
Feature Screenplay — The Weird Sisters by Brent Bishop

Press

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