2023 Awards

Grand Jury Award Winners

Best Feature Film – Drama – Donut
Best Feature Film – Horror – Abruptio
Best Feature Film – Thriller – Mind Thief
Best Featurette – Comedy – What Else Is On?
Best Featurette – Horror – Strawberry
Best Short Film – Animation – When Mama & Me Lived Outside
Best Short Film – Comedy – Priding Oneself
Best Short Film – Documentary – Full of Wonder: the art of Angie DeBord
Best Short Film – Drama – Let’s Pretend I’m Talking About You
Best Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – A Part of You
Best Short Film – Horror – D.O.D.
Best Short Film – Sci-Fi – Solus
Best Web Series – SLOANE and the COSMIC SCHLEP
Best Music Video – CROOKS – Heart Of Vengeance
Best Screenplay – Feature Film – Scoot
Best Screenplay – Short Film – Zits
Best Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – Goofy Foot
Best Director – Feature Film – Evan Marlowe, Abruptio
Best Director – Featurette – Jordan Pfeifer, Strawberry
Best Director – Short Film – Daniel Pradilla De Bedout, Let’s Pretend I’m Talking About You
Best Screenplay – Feature Film – Evan Marlowe, Abruptio
Best Screenplay – Featurette – Jordan Pfeifer, Strawberry
Best Screenplay – Short Film – D.O.D.
Best Performance by a Full Cast (Including Puppeteers) – Abruptio
Best Performer in a Lead Role – Comedy – Andrew Saunders, Priding Oneself
Best Performer in a Lead Role – Drama – Anaïs Noveras, Good Filipino Kids
Best Performer in a Lead Role – Horror – Faye Tamasa, Terror Firma
Best Performer in a Lead Role – Thriller – Angelique Pretorius, Mind Thief
Best Performer in a Supporting Role – Comedy – Regina Melzer, Annie and the Scar
Best Performer in a Supporting Role – Drama – Pavli Serenetsky, Donut
Best Performer in a Supporting Role – Horror – Burt Thakur, Terror Firma
Best Cinematography – Sebastián Rodríguez, Let’s Pretend I’m Talking About You
Best Cinematography – Alex Wohlin, The Call of Water

Filmmakers Award Winners

Outstanding Music Video – A Beautiful Escape
Outstanding Director – Music Video – Snorre Fuglsang Ruhe, CROOKS – Heart Of Vengeance
Outstanding Screenplay – Music Video – Snorre Fuglsang Ruhe, CROOKS – Heart Of Vengeance
Outstanding Performance – Music Video – Hayley Wen, A Beautiful Escape
Outstanding Short Film – Animation – Robots Don’t Tell Jokes
Outstanding Director – Animation – Kelli Caldwell, Robots Don’t Tell Jokes
Outstanding Screenplay – Animation – Tiny Gray-Garcia, When Mama & Me Lived Outside
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Hey Alexa
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Margot’s Off the Market
Outstanding Director – Comedy – Peter Macaluso, Priding Oneself
Outstanding Screenplay – Comedy – Peter Macaluso, Priding Oneself
Outstanding Acting – Cast – Comedy – Margot’s Off the Market
Outstanding Acting – Individual – Comedy – Ammanda Brooke Perrin, Margot’s Off the Market
Outstanding Short Film – Drama – The Funeral Photographer
Outstanding Short Film – Drama – The Story of This Life
Outstanding Director – Drama – Ashley Thompson, The Funeral Photographer
Outstanding Director – Drama – Alex Jiang, The Story of This Life
Outstanding Screenplay – Drama – Mark Strauss, The Funeral Photographer
Outstanding Acting – Cast – Drama – The Funeral Photographer
Outstanding Acting – Individual – Drama – Andy Sun, The Story of This Life
Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – BREARTH
Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – The Examination of a Species
Outstanding Director – Experimental/Arthouse – A Part of You
Outstanding Screenplay – Experimental/Arthouse – Seejon Thomas, The Examination of a Species
Outstanding Acting – Cast – Experimental/Arthouse – The Examination of a Species
Outstanding Acting – Individual – Experimental/Arthouse – Kibrea Carmichael, A Part of You
Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Mamu
Outstanding Short Film – Horror – The Erl King
Outstanding Director – Horror – Kaya Tone, The Call of Water
Outstanding Screenplay – Horror – Jim Vendiola, Pretty Pickle
Outstanding Acting – Cast – Horror – The Call of Water
Outstanding Acting – Individual – Horror – Abi Van Andel, Bad Trails
Outstanding Director – SciFi – Jonathan Brooks, Solus
Outstanding Short Film – SciFi – Pleroma
Outstanding Screenplay – SciFi – Pleroma
Outstanding Acting, Cast – SciFi – Hey Alexa
Outstanding Acting, Individual – SciFi – Stevie Lynn Jones, Hey Alexa

Audience Award Winners

A Brush With Death
A Little Help?
Annie and the Scar
Fish
Gnaw
Matched
Spirits

Programmer’s Prize

Back Home
Backwoods
Bro Code
Estate Sale
Exercised
Flakkus
Good Filipino Kids
Magic Box
Noman
Tax Time
Test Drive
Watcher

Award Definitions/Explanations

Grand Jury Awards – decided by the festival’s official selection committee.
Filmmakers Awards – given only to short films, these are decided by the Filmmakers Board a panel of filmmakers whose films have been Official Selections previous years.
Audience Awards – decided by highly scientific instruments placed throughout the theater to determine audience satisfaction.
Programmer’s Prize – festival programmer Jeff Howard, who watches thousands of films submitted to multiple festivals every year, needs to acknowledge that this festival’s official selections represent the top 8% of the films submitted and that it is truly ridiculous to give not give awards to films that truly represent the cream of the crop.

FILA 2023 Complete Schedule

FILA 2023 Screening & Events Schedule

All events take place at:
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas
128 Artsakh Avenue
Glendale, California 91206

Click to Purchase Tickets

Wednesday, June 21 @ 8 PM
FILA 2023 Opening Night Mixer
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas – Main Bar

Thursday, June 22 @ 6 PM
Program 1 – Visionary & Shocking
What Else Is On?
Crooks – Heart Of Vengeance
A Part of You
The Erl King

Thursday, June 22 @ 7 PM
Program 2 – Truth & Revelation
When Mama & Me Lived Outside
Bad Trails
The Story of This Life
Pretty Pickle

Thursday, June 22 @ 9 PM
Program 3 – Comedy & Calamity
Tax Time
Matched
Sloane and the Cosmic Schlep

Friday, June 23 @ 6 PM
Program 4 – Dynamic & Futuristic
Pleroma (Trailer Only)
Estate Sale
Back Home
Solus

Friday, June 23 @ 8 PM
Program 5 – Bold & Haunted
A Beautiful Escape
Spirits
Test Drive
Good Filipino Kids

Friday, June 23 @ 10 PM
Feature Film – Drama
Donut

Saturday, June 24 @ 6 PM
Program 7 – Magical & Fanciful
Margot’s Off the Market
Annie and the Scar
Fish
D.O.D.

Saturday, June 24 @ 8:15 PM
Program 8 – Terror & Flair
Exercised
Flakkus
Strawberry

Saturday, June 24 @ 10 PM
Feature Film – SciFi
Mind Thief

Sunday, June 25 @ 2 PM
FILA 2023 Screenplay Awards Ceremony

Sunday, June 25 @ 3 PM
Program 10 – Satire & Style
A Little Help?
Hey Alexa
Priding Oneself

Sunday, June 25 @ 4:30 PM
Program 11 – Avant-garde
Backwoods
The Examination of a Species
Let’s Pretend I’m Talking About You

Sunday, June 25 @ 6 PM
Feature Film – Horror
Abruptio

Sunday, June 25 @ 8 PM
FILA 2023 Closing Night Mixer
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas

Sunday, June 25 @ 8 PM
Virtual Screening Program Begins

Virtual Exclusives
A Brush With Death
BREARTH
Full of Wonder: the art of Angie DeBord
Gnaw
Magic Box
Mamu
Noman
Robots Don’t Tell Jokes
The Call of Water
The Funeral Photographer
Watcher

Sunday, July 1 @ Midnight
Virtual Screening Program Ends

2022 Awards

Grand Jury Award Winners

Best Feature Film – Comedy – RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Feature Film – Documentary – Conversion
Best Feature Film – Drama – Strangers
Best Feature Film – Experimental/Arthouse – Hallucinations
Best Featurette – Experimental/Arthouse – Spiritual Avail
Best Featurette – Thriller – Jon Law
Best Featurette – SciFi – SUPERNORMAL

Best Short Film – Animation – BomPaPa
Best Short Film – Comedy – The Last marriage
Best Short Film – Documentary – Lydia Emily’s Last Mural
Best Short Film – Drama – The Phoenix
Best Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – if I go
Best Short Film – Horror – Last Orders
Best Short Film – SciFi – Fieldtrip
Best Music Video – Stress Dreams
Best Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control

Best Screenplay – Feature – High School Lullaby
Best Screenplay – Short  – Two Anxious Bisexuals
Best Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – The Last Comedian On Earth
Best Screenplay – Animation – Dave’s Lucky Day

Best Director(s), Feature Film – Chris Guerra & Matthew John Koppin, RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Director – Pasquale Marrazzo, Te lo dico Pianissimo
Best Actress in a Lead Role – Sarah Cugini, Bitter Taste of Ginger
Best Actor in a Lead Role – Wyatt Bunce, Killer Whales
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Amanda Lehan, RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Andrew Robinson, SUPERNORMAL
Best Performance by a Full Cast – RE-OPENING: A Lockdown Mockumentary
Best Screenplay – Rudy Cimic, Cyber Underground
Best Cinematography, Feature Film – M. Wild, Hallucinations
Best Cinematography, Featurette – Bryant Jansen, SUPERNORMAL
Best Cinematography, Short Film – Soren Bendt & Paul Arion, Fieldtrip
Best Visual Effects – JM Marbach – Sophie Villy, Another Existence

Audience Award Winners

Feature Film – Comedy – Killer Whales
Feature Film – Documentary – Luminous
Feature Film – Drama – Roman Candle
Short Film – Comedy – My Friends The Plants
Short Film – Documentary – Logout of IT
Short Film – Drama – Blue Moon
Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – if I go
Short Film – Horror – Sorry
Short Film – SciFi – Empiricism
Music Video – Syzygy
Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control

Screenplay – Feature – The Passage of Sun
Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – Nutt To Butt
Screenplay – Short  – Happy Birthday

Filmmakers Award Winners

Outstanding Music Video – Jeff Hilliard – Consensual
Outstanding Director(s) – Music Video – Jeff Hilliard & Joey Danger, Consensual
Outstanding Director(s) – Music Video – Grant Kolton, Stress Dreams
Outstanding Screenplay – Music Video – Grant Kolton, Stress Dreams
Outstanding Performance – Music Video – Jeff Hilliard, Consensual

Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Just A Ghoul
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Mutiny!
Outstanding Director(s) – Comedy – Johan Tappert & Gustav Egerstedt, The Last marriage
Outstanding Screenplay – Comedy – Jameson DeSantis, Just A Ghoul
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Comedy – The Last marriage
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Comedy – JJ Nolan, Just A Ghoul

Outstanding Short Film – Documentary – Greg is Here
Outstanding Director – Documentary – Christoph Green, Lydia Emily’s Last Mural

Outstanding Short Film – Drama – Hedgehog
Outstanding Short Film – Drama – Sons of Toledo
Outstanding Director – Drama – Regina Pigsley, The Phoenix
Outstanding Screenplay – Drama – Regina Pigsley, The Phoenix
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Drama – Sons of Toledo
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Drama – Scarlett Leigh Cowan, Angel

Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse – The Poet
Outstanding Director – Experimental/Arthouse – Daniel Fries, DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Screenplay – Experimental/Arthouse – Sean Mogridge, if I go
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Experimental/Arthouse – DON-O-MITE
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Experimental/Arthouse – Daniel Amerman, The Poet

Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Best to Share
Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Escalation
Outstanding Director – Horror – Jon James Smith, Last Orders
Outstanding Screenplay – Horror – Jon James Smith, Last Orders
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Horror – Last Orders
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Horror – Christian Bachini, Escalation

Outstanding Short Film – SciFi – Black Hole
Outstanding Director(s) – SciFi – Soren Bendt & Paul Arion, Fieldtrip
Outstanding Screenplay – SciFi – Jamie Parslow, Black Hole
Outstanding Performance, Cast – SciFi – Empiricism
Outstanding Performance, Individual – SciFi – Aaron Moorhead, Black Hole

Outstanding Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Director – Pilot/Web Series – Sassy Mohen, How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Screenplay – Pilot/Web Series – Sassy Mohen, How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Pilot/Web Series – How to Hack Birth Control
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Pilot/Web Series – Xanthe Paige, How to Hack Birth Control

Programmer’s Prize for Uniquely Excellent Filmmaking

Adonai
do you have cigarettes?
Le Winner
The Desire To Live
The Monologue
Two Weeks to 29
We Are All In This Together

Award Definitions/Explanations

Grand Jury Awards – determined by the festival’s official selection committee.
Audience Awards – determined by highly scientific instruments placed throughout the theater to determine audience satisfaction.
Filmmakers Awards – given only to short films, these are determined by the Filmmakers Board, a panel of filmmakers whose films have been Official Selections previous years.
Programmer’s Prize – given to film(s) by festival programmer Jeff Howard, who watches thousands of films every year and might enjoy ‘off the beaten path’ films more than the rest of the jury members. This award was created so that Jeff will never be tempted to override an award jury.

FILA makes Top 100 Best Reviewed on FilmFreeway

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Congratulations! Your festival has ranked as one of the Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway for the month of February!

According to reviews from real FilmFreeway users, your festival ranks in the top 1% of more than 10,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world. No doubt, this ranking is a testament to the countless hours of hard work and care that you and your staff have devoted to creating such a wonderful event.

We’re especially proud to be partnered with amazing events like yours that help independent film continue to thrive.

Thank you FilmFreeway!

2021 Awards

Grand Jury Prize Winners

Best Feature Film – Comedy – Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers
Best Feature Film – Drama – The Imaginary State
Best Feature Film – Documentary – Another Child
Best SciFi FIlm – Elipsis
Best Short Film – Comedy – Sous Pression (Under Pressure)
Best Short Film – Documentary – The Kids Are Still Here
Best Short Film – Drama – Six Nights
Best Short Film – Arthouse – Acknowledgements
Best Short Film – Experimental – Cinema
Best Short Film – Horror – Koreatown Ghost Story
Best Music Video – ODDKO D4TM
Best Director – SB Edwards, Fall Back Down
Best Actress in a Lead Role – Co-Leads: Lyndsey Frank & Bree Helders, Bree and Lyndsey are Actors
Best Actor in a Lead Role – Benny Elledge, Kringle Time
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Aadila Dosani, Fall Back Down
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Vernon Wells, Kringle Time
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Ari Schneider, Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers
Best Performance by a Cast – Drama – The Imaginary State
Best Performance by a Cast – Comedy – Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers
Best Performance by a Voice Actor – Iggy Pop, Squirrel Mountain ‘Iggy To The Rescue’
Best Screenplay – SB Edwards, Fall Back Down
Best Cinematography – Henrik Jensen, The Imaginary State
Best Visual Effects – Christian Klein, Sweet Nothings
Best Production Design – In the Company of Crows
Best Screenplay – Feature (Unproduced) – go-LOVE-go John Griffin
Best Screenplay – Feature (Unproduced) – Splicer
Best Screenplay – Pilot (Unproduced) – She Creature Maria Krovatin & Chris Krovatin
Best Screenplay – Pilot (Unproduced) – Rennies Daniel Roche

Audience Award Winners

Documentary – A Perfect Vintage
Feature Film – Fall Back Down
Short Films – Comedy – “Screwball Short Film Program” – Coco and Colby, Bree and Lyndsey are Actors & Lizard Brain
Short Film – Drama -“Authenticity Short Film Program” –  Break, Delivery & Six Nights
Short Film – Experimental – “Poetic Short Film Program” – Acknowledgements, Telling Time, Liberate & It Doesn’t Matter
Short Film – Horror – “Horror Spotlight Program” – Clean Cut Clean Cut & The Strong Box

Filmmakers Award Winners

Outstanding Short Film – Documentary  – Woman of Courage

Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Achan and Ezra
Outstanding Short Film – Comedy – Kia Summer Sales Event
Outstanding Director – Comedy – David Labrecque, Sous Pression (Under Pressure)
Outstanding Screenplay – Comedy – Omri Rose, Achan and Ezra
Outstanding Acting, Cast – Comedy – Achan and Ezra
Outstanding Acting, Individual – Comedy – Jon Ebeling, Lizard Brain
Outstanding Acting, Comedy Duo – Gerald B. Fillmore & Vanessa Benavente, Hold For Applause
Outstanding Cinematography – Comedy – Eric Bader, Kia Summer Sales Event

Outstanding Short Film – Drama – 11-95
Outstanding Short Film – Drama – She Used to Laugh
Outstanding Director – Drama – Robert Brogden, Six Nights
Outstanding Screenplay – Drama – Greg Berman, She Used to Laugh
Outstanding Acting, Cast – Drama – 11-95
Outstanding Acting, Individual – Drama -Kelly Frye,  A Call Above the Clouds
Outstanding Cinematography – Drama – Ino Yang Popper, A Call Above the Clouds

Outstanding Short Film – Experimental – When Snow Falls
Outstanding Director – Experimental – Theodore Knighton, Cinema
Outstanding Screenplay – Experimental – Zack Browne, It Doesn’t Matter
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Experimental – Ted Louis Levy & Barbara Duffy, When Snow Falls
Outstanding Performance, Individual – Experimental – Ingrid Rogers, Liberate
Outstanding Cinematography – Experimental – Theodore Knighton & Co, Cinema

Outstanding Short Film – Horror – Clean Cut
Outstanding Directors – Horror – Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum, Koreatown Ghost Story
Outstanding Screenplay – Horror – Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum, Koreatown Ghost Story
Outstanding Acting, Cast – Horror – Koreatown Ghost Story
Outstanding Acting, Individual – Horror – Joseph Fox, The Strong Box
Outstanding Cinematography – Horror – Jon Keng, Koreatown Ghost Story

Outstanding Short Film – SciFi – Anomaly
Outstanding Director – SciFi – Michael Jeanpert, Anomaly
Outstanding Screenplay – SciFi – Christian Klein, Sweet Nothings
Outstanding Acting, Cast – SciFi – Anomaly
Outstanding Acting, Individual – SciFi – Roberto Calvet, Anomaly
Outstanding Cinematography – SciFi – Victor Ingles, Sweet Nothings

Outstanding Music Video – I Don’t Need A Sledgehammer To Start A Fire

Programmer’s Award Winners

Exceptional Filmmaking – Execution
Exceptional Filmmaking – Home By 11
Exceptional Filmmaking – In A Strange Room
Exceptional Filmmaking – Jiyan
Exceptional Filmmaking – Squirrel Mountain ‘Iggy To The Rescue’
Exceptional Filmmaking – The Sword That Waits

Prize Definitions/Explanations

Grand Jury Prizes – determined by the festival’s official selection committee.
Audience Awards – determined by highly scientific instruments placed throughout the theater to determine audience satisfaction.
Filmmakers Awards – given only to short films, these are determined by a panel of fifteen filmmakers whose films have been Official Selections previous years.
Programmer’s Prize – given to film(s) that festival programmer Jeff Howard cannot bear to see go without an award. These films are generally off the beaten path and break conventions of format and genre.

Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival

Film Invasion Los Angeles is proud to announce that we have achieved Top 100 Best Reviewed status!  We received this message from FilmFreeway:

“According to reviews from real FilmFreeway users, your festival ranks in the top 1% of more than 10,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world. No doubt, this ranking is a testament to the countless hours of hard work and care that you and your staff have devoted to creating such a wonderful event.”