Film Invasion – L.A. & Lima

2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Feature Film

A Moorish knight gains immortality after secretly imprisoning three ancient dragons, but becomes the unwilling fuse for a modern dragon apocalypse in the process.

• Writer(s): Marcus Nel-Jamal Hamm

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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In 837 AD Sicily, a Moorish knight named Mundir survives a dragon hunt thanks to Strega, a sorceress who binds three dragons into his body, granting him immortality and the hidden power to become the Dragon King—if he can keep the beasts contained. Centuries later in 1984 New York, Nefertiti Jackson—an Egyptian goddess living in human form—awakens from a fractured vision of a dragon apocalypse where Mundir appears to be the cause. Determined to prevent the end of the world,

In 837 AD Sicily, a Moorish knight named Mundir survives a dragon hunt thanks to Strega, a sorceress who binds three dragons into his body, granting him immortality and the hidden power to become the Dragon King—if he can keep the beasts contained. Centuries later in 1984 New York, Nefertiti Jackson—an Egyptian goddess living in human form—awakens from a fractured vision of a dragon apocalypse where Mundir appears to be the cause. Determined to prevent the end of the world,

2026 Official Selection: Drama – Short (under 20 mins), Thriller – Short

A small-town sheriff investigating a missing person discovers a freestanding door that tempts her with the life she once refused.

• Director(s): James Graham
• Writer(s): James Graham
• Producer(s): Michael Keen, Tali de Assis, Roger Mancusi (Executive Producer), David Scarpetti (Executive Producer)
• Key Cast: Annabel O’Hagan, Christian Johansen, Lauren McCann, Dan Berkey, Ernest Anemone
• Cinematographer(s): Med Ayed
• Production Designer(s): Sasha Newkirk
• Sound Designer(s): Michael Kelly
• Composer(s): Keegan DeWitt

Language: English

Runtime: 19m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Sheriff Sierra Ashgrove investigates the disappearance of Adam Yarrow, an ex-lover who returned home to care for his dementia-stricken father. In Adam’s house, she finds a freestanding red door that offers her something impossible: a “perfect” life where she married Adam and they had a daughter. Faced with this possibility, Sierra must choose between the impossible life she could have had and the imperfect but real life she does have.

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2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Short Film

The Debutante’s Gown: one sick fit, who is wearing who

• Writer(s): Ashley Heathcock

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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In a small historic river town full of charm and folklore, a haunted debutante gown is plucked out of a quirky antique shop by a community theatre director. Emily returns home to take care of her dying Grandmother, being home ignites past trauma. She searches for a heathy distraction and lands the lead role for The Debutante. When the gown goes on it’s light-out for Emily. The gown uses her like a puppet to carryout gruesome acts of horror.

In a small historic river town full of charm and folklore, a haunted debutante gown is plucked out of a quirky antique shop by a community theatre director. Emily returns home to take care of her dying Grandmother, being home ignites past trauma. She searches for a heathy distraction and lands the lead role for The Debutante. When the gown goes on it’s light-out for Emily. The gown uses her like a puppet to carryout gruesome acts of horror.

2026 Official Selection: Featurette – Drama

Some decisions don’t arrive as a single moment – they arrive as a flood of everything you’ve ever been.

• Director(s): Grace Sims
• Writer(s): Grace Sims
• Producer(s): Grace Sims, Don Ohmer, Jonathan Bowles
• Key Cast: Sydney Cole Alexander, Bates Wilder, Jerah Milligan, Taylor Rose, Dee Freeman, Jake Ryan, Savannah Rose Wells
• Editor(s): Natalie Hill
• Cinematographer(s): Riede Dervay
• Production Designer(s): Brittany Ingram
• Sound Designer(s): Alex Bologna
• Composer(s): Lilliana Villines

Runtime: 20m

Country: United States

Synopsis: In a kaleidoscope of memories Maxine (Sydney Cole Alexander; Severance, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning) must navigate the surreal and transformative decision of terminating a pregnancy; questioning the very fabric of her identity and future.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror

Have your cake…and it eats you.

• Director(s): Ren Ariel Sano
• Writer(s): Ren Ariel Sano
• Producer(s): Ren Ariel Sano, Logan Mack
• Key Cast: Daisy Lopez, John-Michael Sedor
• Editor(s): Joe Carugati
• Cinematographer(s): Logan Mack
• Production Designer(s): Grace Alie
• Sound Designer(s): Elizabeth McClanahan
• Composer(s): Sylvain Kauffman

Runtime: 9m

Country: United States

Synopsis: An unsuspecting young couple bring a cursed candle to a friend’s 30th birthday party and unleash an unlikely evil that comes to collect its just desserts.

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2026 Official Selection: Thriller – Short

The only way out is through.

• Director(s): Cameron Zayec
• Writer(s): Sarah Huston
• Producer(s): Sarah Huston
• Key Cast: Sarah Huston, Shonee Samia, Allyson Henson, Lucy London, Bryan Probets, Shanay De Marco, Chloe Botha
• Editor(s): Cameron Zayec, Sarah Huston
• Cinematographer(s): Cameron Zayec, Matthew Davies
• Production Designer(s): Genevieve Morrow Ganner
• Sound Designer(s): Cameron Zayec
• Composer(s): Chloe Botha

Language: English

Runtime: 15m

Country: Australia

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: Refusing to accept the loss of her girlfriend, Quinn spirals through the suffocating confines of prison. In the depths of her grief she must navigate her unraveling mind and confront her inner demons. The only way out is through.

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2026 Official Selection: Drama – Featurette

Finding her place begins with finding her voice.

• Director(s): Anastasia Kuplinova
• Writer(s): Sarah Jane Coleman
• Producer(s): Rhea Damani
• Key Cast: Jordan Cathryn, Matthew Sy
• Editor(s): Christine Yu
• Cinematographer(s): Truman Hatfield
• Production Designer(s): Chinmayee Kharche
• Sound Designer(s): Annie Okuhara
• Composer(s): Keaton Lewis, Scott Tucker

Language: English, Russian

Runtime: 27m

Country: United States

Synopsis: A young musician has spent years silencing her gift out of fear and self-doubt. But when someone finally sees her for who she is, and who she could be, Mira must decide whether to keep running from her past or embrace the music within her.

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2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Pilot/Series

After their colony ship explodes above an untamed alien planet, an ex-soldier and xenobiologist join forces to survive the perilous wilds while unraveling an insidious conspiracy.

• Writer(s): Amy Kay DuBoff

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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After their colony ship mysteriously explodes above an untamed alien planet, ex-soldier Evan and inquisitive xenobiologist Anya join forces to survive the world’s wondrous yet perilous wilds. While investigating the crash, they unravel the first threads of an insidious interstellar conspiracy—a revelation that will spark a desperate hunt for ancient alien technology capable of reshaping human civilization forever. Adapted from the internationally bestselling novel.

After their colony ship mysteriously explodes above an untamed alien planet, ex-soldier Evan and inquisitive xenobiologist Anya join forces to survive the world’s wondrous yet perilous wilds. While investigating the crash, they unravel the first threads of an insidious interstellar conspiracy—a revelation that will spark a desperate hunt for ancient alien technology capable of reshaping human civilization forever. Adapted from the internationally bestselling novel.

2026 Official Selection: Sci-Fi – Short

Find a way or die trying.

• Director(s): Anthony Ferraro
• Writer(s): Anthony Ferraro
• Producer(s): Clint Carney, Anthony Ferraro, William McHugh, David Michael Yohe, John Dunnigan
• Key Cast: Don Scribner
• Editor(s): Anthony Ferraro
• Cinematographer(s): Jon Schweigart
• Composer(s): Matthew Patterson Curry

Language: English

Runtime: 19m

Country: United States

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: Aging and adrift, a spacefisher gets one final shot at greatness when a long-lost comrade tips him off to a mythical catch — a moment that would rewrite the meaning of his entire life.

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2026 Official Selection: Comedy – Short

On the morning of her wedding, a bleeding bride and her maid of honor scramble to hide a crime, a gun, and a secret plan to prove her love.

• Director(s): Sean Dube
• Writer(s): Patrick Quinlan, Sean Dube
• Producer(s): Patrick Quinlan, Sean Dube
• Key Cast: Candice Bennett, Carrie Poyer, Patrick Quinlan
• Editor(s): Sean Dube
• Cinematographer(s): Sevag Chahinian
• Composer(s): Adam Finne & Mallory Finne

Language: English

Runtime: 10m

Country: United States

Synopsis: On the morning of her wedding, a bleeding bride and her maid of honor scramble to hide a crime, a gun, and a secret plan to prove her love.

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