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HollyShorts Oscar-Qualifying Film Festival 2022 continues to celebrate PRIDE with a unique selection of films including a trans lead and a non-binary director and many more LGBTQ+ films.

HollyShorts (HSFF) brings together top creators, industry leaders, and companies and has launched many filmmakers into the next stages of their careers. HollyShorts, regular on MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee list”, also engages its community and spotlights short films year-round through monthly screenings, panels, and networking events. HollyShorts Film Festival will take place in-person between August 11-20th, 2021 at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, with the annual Awards Gala set to take place on August 20th, 2022.

HollyShorts continues to celebrate pride with its unique film selections.

The Oscar-qualifying film festival line-up features Zen Paces FRAUD starring trans actress Dana Aliya Levinson as a petty credit card fraudster who finds her life forever changed when her latest target surprises her with an unforeseen proposition.

P.J. Palmer’s heart-wrenching NORTH STAR starring Emmy-nominated actor Colman Domingo playing a rural rancher and his ailing husband, struggling against poverty and isolation, make a heart-breaking decision to preserve the dignity of their marriage.

Sam Max’s chilling short CHAPERONE stars Zachary Quinto as the chaperone who picks up a young man in his car. As the two drive together and settle into an austere rental house in the country, the details of their arrangement become guttingly clear.

STARFUCKER directed by gay and LGBTQ+ activist Antonio Marziale tells the tale of an intimate evening between a film director and an escort which is disrupted when a familiar face arrives.

Kaz PS directs PROXY starring DeWanda Wise a woman who is a surrogate for a couple with fertility issues who decide they no longer want the child she is carrying for them when the child is found to have a genetic illness.

April Maxey shines with her film WORK the story of Gabi played by Marisela Zumbado who struggles to move on from a recent breakup and impulsively drops into an old job at an underground lap dance party, where she runs into a friend from her past.

COMING OUT WITH THE HELP OF A TIME MACHINE directed by Naman Gupta is a unique, never before seen LGBTQ, sci-fi, immigrant family drama.

Harris Doran’s F^¢k ‘Em R!ght B@¢k starring queer Baltimore rapper Ddm Ddm, when a queer black aspiring Baltimore rapper must outwit his vengeful day-job boss in order to avoid getting fired after accidentally eating an edible.

Queer director Gbenga Komolafe’s 100% USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC HOMEMADE TOFU tells a story about trans people that you don’t see often, one that really strays away from tragedy and the harsh realities of the world.

HARD directed by Robin Takao D’Oench follows the story of a teenage boy who experiences awkwardness and struggles to navigate the uncertainties of his sexuality after his first time with a girl doesn’t go as expected, forcing him to confront his feelings of desire for his best friend.

Sarah Kaskas’s THE WINDOW shares the story of two girls who meet a year after the Beirut explosion in their old bedroom. Surrounded by a view of the port’s remains, the two women attempt to resolve their shared trauma and broken relationship.

Valentin Stejskal’s 5PM SEASIDE dives into Nikos, a solitary truck driver’s 4oth birthday, he arrives on a remote beach. where he’s going to meet his former military buddy Christos, whom he hasn’t seen for many years.

Aisha Evelyn’s ALEX  shares the story of a  young unassuming black woman who is forced to reckon with judgement when all-too-familiar systems kick into gear and things accelerate out of control.

ALL I EVER WANTED directed by Erin Lau shares the story of rom-com obsessed teen Christine has always longed for the picture-perfect romance – but she’s soon confronted with the fact that her ideal prince charming might actually be a princess charming instead.

 Tan Yi’s ALL THE CROWS IN THE WORD is a story about an 18-year-old school girl shenanigans enters a night of adventure in the adults’ world.

LGBTQ+ advocate Rylee Jean Ebsen’s BOOMERANG follows a flailing millennial forced to move back into her childhood bedroom and navigate life with her dysfunctional parents. Determined to take on a lover, she re-connects with a middle school crush.

CATALINA directed by Tyler Rabinowitz starring LGBTQ+ Sam DiGiovanni as a queer man and his two childhood best friends reunite for a weekend camping trip on Catalina Island.

Writer Rae Binstock and director Zoe Martinson’s DIVR shares the tale of three founders of an exclusive lesbian sex app that may be shattering the start-up world’s glass ceilings, but the pressures of success have begun to threaten the integrity of their friendship – and worse, their brand.

Sining Xiang shares a heart-warming story with his film FOREIGN UNCLE, when Sining brings his American boyfriend, Patrick, back to China to visit his family. After Sining accidentally comes out to them, everyone’s attitude towards Patrick goes south – except for Sining’s 7-year-old nephew, Naonao.

Emma Needell’s LIFE RENDERED is set in the near future, Mark splits his time between rural Colorado and virtual reality. In rural Colorado, he is his disabled father’s caretaker. In virtual reality, he finds LGBTQ+ love.

SKIN CAN BREATHE  by Chheangkea Ieng is a lyrical short film about a boy coming of age and coming of worlds. It is about our longing to understand our own complex network of identities that gets very confusing very fast when they collide with one another.

In the short hybrid documentary, THE ACT OF COMING OUT the filmmaker, Alexandra Stergiou invites queer and trans actors to interpret what she calls “the never-ending process of coming out.” The film takes the form of a casting tape, and the actors perform the ordinary yet emotionally charged act in ways both devised and improvised, with Stergiou rotating between the roles of director and scene partner.

Sean Lionadh’s TOO ROUGH follows the story of Nick who after a night of intoxication, hungover and hysterical wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie and must conceal him from his own homophobic and dysfunctional family.

Nicole Castro, Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont said in a joint statement: “It’s truly a pleasure to announce this year’s official selections for HollyShorts as we embark on our 18th anniversary of the Oscar-qualifying festival with 2 Academy Award winners this past year and 6 nominees. This year, we have a record of 41 countries represented in the official selections, which truly speaks to the global impact short films are having. We can’t wait to share these incredibly talented short films at this year’s festival and thank all the filmmakers who have submitted along with all of our amazing staff and incredible sponsors for supporting us.”

This year’s hybrid celebration of short films will take place in-person with screenings at world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the official festival streaming platform BITPIX.

Born out of the Oscar® Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, Bitpix is a new Premium AVOD platform, featuring the world’s best short films. The platform is already live in alpha mode and available via Bitpixtv.com. Bitpix is streamed through the app for download on Airplay, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, AppleTV, Chromecast, IOS, Roku.

To view the full list of official selections visit:  http://hollyshorts.com/official_selections_2022

HollyShorts screenings will take place from August 11-20 at TLC Chinese Theatres, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. 3rd Level, Hollywood, CA, 90028, followed by the annual awards gala on August 20.

For additional information and tickets visit: www.hollyshorts.com

To purchase an All Access Early Bird Badge visit: Hollyshorts2022.eventive.org/passes/buy

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