Film Invasion L.A.

Opening Night Gala

Rub elbows with filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals as we kick off our 2026 festival!

Program 01 — Shorts Block – Frenetic Spotlight

Four short films that balance conflict and intrigue while telling original stories that, whether comedic or dramatic, get more than a little intense.

1. Circumstantial Forgiveness
2. Supplemental
3. White Meat: Appetizer
4. Check Please

Panel: Indie Film Distribution

If you want your film to reach audiences then you need to know as much about distribution as you do about filmmaking.

Program 02 — MASC

What is masculinity? And what is it doing to us?

Program 03 — Shorts Block – Diabolical Spotlight

Four short films that are brilliantly inventive, occasionally dark, and purely original. Each filmmaker shares a crystal-clear vision within their genre-breaking story.

1. Firstborn
2. The Candle
3. Silent Scream
4. Cadavre Exquis

Program 04 — Shorts Block – Creativity Spotlight

Four short films that all share a focus on creativity and imagination, ranging from SciFi to Fantasy to deeply authentic Drama.

1. The Quiet Year
2. Wonderland
3. Everything Between Us
4. Talented

Program 05 — Shorts Block – Subversive Spotlight

A music video and four short films covering every genre imaginable, each telling a subversive and unexpected story.

1. Sober
2. Butt/Stuff
3. You’re Not Safe
4. Barbrix! or How to Maybe Capture a Psychic Hominid
5. The Bee

Program 06 — Shorts Block – Unbridled Spotlight

In each of these four short films, things have a tendency to get a little out of control. Hold onto your seats because whether Drama, Comedy or SciFi, these films take you on a ride!

1. 404
2. Dizzy
3. Intergalactic Ingenue
4. Right On!

Program 07 — Nothing to See Here: Watts

Sixty years after the 1965 Watts uprising, the neighborhood America wrote off has shown us what is still possible.

Screenplay Awards Ceremony

Each nominated screenwriter present gets to "pitch" their script to the audience and then we announce the Grand Jury Awards!

Program 08 — Shorts Block – Infectious Spotlight

Three short films that add up to one of the most enjoyable blocks of the year. Inherently fun and energetic, these films manage to be inspiring, heartwarming, and even humorous.

1. The Ottoman
2. Little Matchmakers
3. Closure

Program 09 — Shorts Block – Madcap Spotlight

Four amazingly original and frequently hilarious short films join together in this block for a house party of butt-kicking cinema.

1. Fireflies in the Dusk
2. Star-Crossed
3. The Debut
4. No Signal

Program 10 — Shorts Block – Avant-garde Spotlight

Cinema is ART! These four shorts put the art of cinema front and center, ranging from the experimental to the expressionistic to and finishing with a pair of stunning thrillers.

1. EQUAL
2. Imago
3. Hide
4. The Door

Program 11 — Shorts Block – Auteur Spotlight

Three short films from filmmakers who bring their unique vision to wonderfully original and deeply personal stories.

1. Yellow Jersey
2. the HOLE truth
3. Vasomotor Rhinitis

Program 12 — Shorts Block – Crossroads Spotlight

Five wonderful short films featuring characters in moments of crisis and decision. NOTE: MATURE CONTENT. The festival feels strongly in the artistic merit of these films, but we warn sensitive viewers to exercise caution.

1. Something Borrowed
2. Afterthoughts
3. Majorette
4. Bad Insect
5. No Mercy

Program 13 — Mountain King

Meeting the parents is hard. Surviving them is harder.

Program 14 — Shorts Block- Eclectic Spotlight

Four short films that tell authentically personal stories regardless of genre, as each film brings a fresh perspective to the screen.

1. The Reveal
2. MascLooking
3. Starfisher
4. Just Visiting

Program 16 — Shorts Block- Visionary Spotlight

This block begins with a stunning music video and then follows with three mind-blowing, visionary short films.

1. Soda Gardocki – Waltzes, Trains, Wires & Wood
2. The Black Bart of Taco King #17
3. Chicken Salad
4. The Brutal Alchemy of Water

Program 15 — Where Is America The Beautiful?

Part documentary and part cinematicart, this beautiful film searches for Americathrough real story, music and spoken word.

Program 17 — Shorts Block – Vibrant Spotlight

From surreal sketch comedy to horror noir to a mind-bending SciFi spectacle, this eclectic mix of three vibrant short films has something for everyone.

1. Hey Halifax, Hello! Today!
2. Lone Wolf
3. Focal Point

Program 18 — Sell Your House

A first-time director convinces his best friend to sell his house to fund their first film “The Last Stop In Yuma County.” Everything goes GREAT!

Program 19 — Shorts Block – Authenticity Spotlight

Three short films that tell deeply personal stories with authenticity and originality, leaving their audiences moved and uplifted.

1. Hill Boy
2. A King’s Curtain
3. The Country They Call Life

Program 20 — The Way We Move

Amber Galloway, a trailblazer in sign language interpretation, takes us on a journey into the profound bond between the Deaf community and music.

Program 21 — What We Dreamed of Then

A passionate swim coach and dedicated father navigates the turbulent reality of invisible homelessness when he is forced to live out of his van.

Program 22 — Journeys

Understanding the world of Psilocybin assisted psychedelic therapy and those that are turning to the treatment.

Program 23 — Shorts Block – Groundbreaking Spotlight

Originality, imagination, and authenticity come together in this block of three superbly made short films. Each story takes the audience on a journey… but to where?

1. Consumed By You
2. Stay In The Car
3. Lone Crew

Closing Night Mixer

Open to the public, after our final screenings everyone is invited to celebrate Indie Cinema at the LOOK Cinemas main bar!