The Annual Festival’s Opening Night Will Feature Lena Headey, Debra Messing, Dane Cook, Aisha Tyler, Brittany Snow, Matthew Modine, Anthony and Ann Russo, among others.
Over six-thousand submissions later, the Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival is thrilled to announce their star-studded opening night lineup. With last year’s Best Short winner “Skin” going on to win the Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short, the stakes for accepted films were more competitive than ever for the festival’s landmark 15th Anniversary. HollyShorts’ Opening Night festivities will be on Thursday, August 8th at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, CA
HollyShorts Co-Founder Theo Dumont (L), Jaime Ray Newman, Guy Nattiv, after the 91st Annual Academy Awards.
Source: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Leading the way is Lena Headey’s “The Trap” starring her Game of Thrones co-star Michelle Fairley and James Nelson-Joyce (The Rook), with Headey and Nelson-Joyce coming out to celebrate Headey’s directorial piece. Janina Gavankar (True Blood) and Russo Schelling’s (Mr. Robot) short film “Stucco” will premiere with stars Debra Messing, Aisha Tyler, and Michael Ealy in attendance. Dane Cook (Good Luck Chuck) will make his HollyShorts debut along with Monib Abhat (NCIS: Los Angeles) with their dramedy “American Typecast.”
Newly inducted Academy members Andrew Carlberg and Guy Nattiv will be returning along with producing partner Jaime Ray Newman after winning the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for their film “Skin.” Carlberg will be presented with the HollyShorts’ Indie Maverick Award by Charlie Carver (Teen Wolf). Nora Kirkpatrick (Crazy Rich Asians) will be premiering her award-winning script “Best Seller” after winning the Best Screenplay Award in 2018 and receiving the ultimate prize package to produce the script into a short from Seattle Film Summit. “Best Seller” Executive Producer Olivia Wilde is set to receive the Visionary Award for her work on the indie smash Booksmart. Rounding out the evening will be Brittany Snow’s directorial debut “Milkshake” starring her Pitch Perfect co-star Anna Camp, along with “Holy Moses” starring Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia) and Dan Bakkedahl (Veep); Bakkedahl will be present to represent the dramatic film.
HollyShorts organizers are also unveiling the HollyShorts 2019 Alumni Special Jury members who will be on hand at the festival’s opening night celebration: Anthony Russo (The Avengers Series), Ann Russo (Captain America), Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time), and Matthew Modine (Stranger Things). The remaining accepted films will be announced in the coming days.
About HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) #HSFF2019
The annual Academy Awards® Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival will celebrate its 15th year in August 2019. HollyShorts (HSFF) brings together top creators, industry leaders, and companies and has launched many filmmakers into the next stages of their careers. HollyShorts, a regular on the MovieMaker Magazine Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, also engages its community and spotlights short films year-round through monthly screenings, panels, and networking events. HollyShorts Film Festival will take place between August 8-17, 2019 at TCL Chinese Theatres 6 located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028.