Film Invasion – L.A. & Lima

2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror

Don’t break the routine.

Program: Shorts Block 8 · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 8:00 PM

• Director(s): Brenden Hubbard
• Writer(s): Brian Barnes
• Producer(s): Mylissa Fitzsimmons, Parth Marathe, Damon Russell, Brenden Hubbard, Bennett Krishock, Bryan Matthews, Shawn Christensen, Brian Barnes
• Key Cast: Ionie Nieves, Alejandro Rose-Garcia
• Editor(s): Josh Earl
• Cinematographer(s): Jack Mannion
• Production Designer(s): Christina Coleman
• Sound Designer(s): Nick Messitte
• Composer(s): Darren Morze

Language: English

Runtime: 16m

Country: United States

Synopsis: From the Academy Award winning team behind "Curfew." Still reeling from an incredible loss, a father (Shakey Graves) and daughter cling to a bedtime routine keeping them safe in a town where an unfathomable horror visits its inhabitants night after night.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror

Imagine you could become rich with with the push of a button – there’s just one small, tiny catch…

Program: Shorts Block 4 · Fri, Aug 21, 2026 · 9:30 PM

• Director(s): Ben Rejzer
• Writer(s): Ben Rejzer
• Producer(s): Gabrielle LeBlanc
• Key Cast: Garrett McKenna
• Editor(s): Ben Rejzer
• Cinematographer(s): Jens Ericson
• Composer(s): Jon Monroe

Language: English

Runtime: 16m

Country: United States

Synopsis: When posed a with a simple choice – get rich, but be hunted forever – a young man must fight sanity and survival under the careful watch of an tiny, striped tormentor.

2026 Official Selection: Drama – Short

An aspiring writer uses increasingly desperate and unconventional methods to overcome a crippling ailment – writer’s block.

Program: Shorts Block 5 · Fri, Aug 21, 2026 · 9:45 PM

• Director(s): Dave Rosas
• Writer(s): Dave Rosas
• Producer(s): Dave Rosas, David M. Rosas
• Key Cast: Dave Rosas, Mason Bancroft, James E. Clark, Daniel Maggio, Jessica Rosas
• Editor(s): Dave Rosas
• Cinematographer(s): Dave Rosas
• Production Designer(s): David M. Rosas
• Sound Designer(s): Dave Rosas

Language: English

Runtime: 15m

Country: United States

Synopsis: An aspiring writer uses increasingly desperate and unconventional methods to overcome a crippling ailment – writer’s block.

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2026 Official Selection: Comedy – Short

Two headstrong Koreans can’t agree on who’s treating who to dinner, causing their casual restaurant outing to spiral into a martial arts deathmatch.

Program: Shorts Block 1 · Fri, Aug 21, 2026 · 7:00 PM

• Director(s): Shane Chung
• Writer(s): Shane Chung
• Producer(s): Anna Castagnaro, Nick Leahy
• Key Cast: Richard Yan, Sukwon Jeong
• Editor(s): Madie Giaconia
• Cinematographer(s): Tristan Baumeister
• Production Designer(s): Abby Mac Kenzie, Lulu Abathra
• Sound Designer(s): Taniya Tleubayeva
• Composer(s): de Wolfe Music USA

Language: English

Runtime: 10m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Two headstrong Koreans can’t agree on who’s treating who to dinner, causing their casual restaurant outing to spiral into a martial arts deathmatch.

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2026 Official Selection: Comedy – Featurette

When the world loses the internet, one man must seek out the girl of his dreams the old-fashioned way,

Program: Shorts Block 7 · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 7:00 PM

• Director(s): Kody Newton
• Writer(s): Patrick Kaufmann
• Producer(s): Holden Weihs
• Key Cast: Fynn Erman, Charlie Johnson, Ainslee Kovacs, Joe Golden, Jade Jesser, Marcia Warne, Nic Carrier
• Editor(s): Kody Newton
• Cinematographer(s): Kody Newton
• Production Designer(s): Amanda Fitch
• Sound Designer(s): Cody Lockwood
• Composer(s): Kody newton

Language: English

Runtime: 21m

Country: United States

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: Nate thinks he’s met his dream girl at a party, but a passing comet has other plans when it somehow knocks out the entire world’s internet. Now he knows her name, but with no Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, he’s got no way to contact her – because why would he have bothered getting her number when social media can do it all? Nate and his best buddy Bart must now venture out in the rapidly crumbling post-internet world on a quest to find the girl the old-fashioned way.

2026 Official Selection: Horror – Feature

Meeting the parents is hard. Surviving them is harder.

Program: Mountain King · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 9:50 PM

• Director(s): Gabrielle Christensen
• Writer(s): Gabrielle Christensen, Graham Dunn, Simon Louis Ong
• Producer(s): Gabrielle Christensen, Graham Dunn, Simon Louis Ong
• Key Cast: Hannah Deale, Carter Sirianni, Iryna Malygina, Keoki Trask, Juan Paulo Munevar, Sarah Kim
• Editor(s): Dylan Lanham
• Cinematographer(s): Graham Barbour
• Sound Designer(s): Moises Uriarte
• Composer(s): Andrew Pattenaude

Language: English

Runtime: 1h 32m

Country: United States

Synopsis: In the highlands of Scandinavia, where folklore and reality converge, Hannah travels to surprise her boyfriend and meet his family. However, her unexpected arrival unlocks family secrets and unleashes mystic danger.

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2026 Official Selection: Comedy – Short

New love is tough, especially when your granddaughters are the matchmakers

Program: Shorts Block 6 · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 6:10 PM

• Director(s): Rachel Borders
• Writer(s): Sy Rosen
• Producer(s): Sy Rosen, Eliza Roberts
• Key Cast: Summer Kitchens, Sienna Kitchens, Eric Roberts, Penny Johnson Jerald
• Editor(s): Brice Beckham, David Fickas
• Cinematographer(s): Will DaRosa
• Composer(s): Nick Pierone

Language: English

Runtime: 12m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Summer and Sienna’s grandfather has been lonely since their grandmother passed away. The girls decide to find him a new match, which includes sneaking into a senior speed dating event.

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2026 Official Selection: Drama – Short

Some fears ask for nothing—and take everything

Program: Shorts Block 9 · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 8:05 PM

• Director(s): Mikheil Gabaidze
• Writer(s): The short film was based on Anton Chekhov’s "Death of a Civil Servant" story
• Producer(s): Sofiko Komakhidze, Elene Jafaridze
• Key Cast: David Jakeli, Zaal Goguadze, Tatia Tatarashvili
• Editor(s): Amiran Vadachkoria, Shota Gujabidze
• Cinematographer(s): Mamuka Chkhikvadze
• Production Designer(s): Luka Beselia
• Sound Designer(s): Naiko Kadidze

Language: Georgian

Runtime: 15m

Country: Georgia

Synopsis: The film’s central theme is the condescending attitude of a simple civil servant towards high-ranking government officials. The short film was based on Anton Chekhov’s "Death of a Civil Servant" story.
The film’s main character, a man, sneezes in a concert hall and puts a high-ranking official in an embarrassing situation. Despite apologizing, the main character feels a slavish fear that ultimately proves fatal to the man’s life.

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2026 Official Selection: Sci-Fi – Short

Some matches should never be made.

Program: Shorts Block 7 · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 7:00 PM

• Director(s): Bud Myrick
• Writer(s): Bud Myrick, Kevin Hoffer
• Producer(s): Michael Greenspan, Bud Myrick
• Key Cast: Erica Ibsen, Philip Michael
• Editor(s): Bud Myrick, Benjamin Djahanbani
• Cinematographer(s): Joshua Hess, Mark Kohl
• Production Designer(s): Ellen Lenbergs
• Sound Designer(s): Dal Lowe

Language: English

Runtime: 14m

Country: United States

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: A beautiful young woman craving connection risks revealing her true nature—only to fall for the wrong man, igniting a night of passion, poor decisions, and consequences you can’t sweep under a rug.

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2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Feature Film

Ceremony: Screenplay Awards Ceremony · Sat, Aug 22, 2026 · 6:00 PM

Bad men make beautiful mourners.

• Writer(s): Caprice Castano

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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When a detective is sent to investigate what appears to be the ritualistic suicide of seven women, it becomes clear their grieving husbands know more than they let on. The longer he questions them, the less certain he becomes of what happened, or of his own grip on reality. As the truth surfaces, it reveals something more dangerous than a crime: the power these husbands hold over the town, over each other, and over anyone who stands against them.