More than 400 films will compete at this year’s annual HollyShorts Film Festival that will take place Nov. 9 through 15.

Most official selections are from the United States while over 120 come from other countries, including a few from Latin American nations like Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Spain. Forty percent of all competing shorts are directed by women, according to fest organizers. HollyShorts is an Academy Award-qualifying festival.

This fest’s 16th annual edition will be held online over its own streaming platform Bitpix and will also host a short film market for the first time, the fest announced. Targeting leading buyers of shorts, the HollyShorts Market Week will take place the week after the competition screenings.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Some standouts of the fest program include: Michael Schilf’s The Fixer, starring Jesse C. Boyd, Veronica Diaz Carranza and Danny Trejo; Lucifer stars Kevin Alejandro and Lesley-Ann Brandt’s Adult Night; and Jose Acevedo’s Eagle, starring Daniel Taveras, Antonio Ortiz and Roy Wood Jr.

Another highlight is Sweet Potatoes by Los Angeles-based Rommel Villa Barriga, one of three winners in this year’s Student Academy-Award narrative category. 

Great Britain made history at the festival this year by becoming the nation with the most shorts ever accepted in HollyShorts with 30 films in competition, followed by Canada (14), and France (12). Spain and Mexico each have 3 shorts in competition while Peru and Brazil each have one.

OTHER SELECTIONS
Notable films include the animated short Cruel Shoes written and narrated by Academy Honorary Award winner Steve Martin; I Wish For You featuring Jeremy Irons; the Will Ferrell comedy David directed by Zach Woods of television series Avenue 5 fame; Deon Taylor’s 8:46 starring Tyrese Gibson and featuring CeeLo Green; and the high school drama At Last directed by Lorena Gordon and featuring George Lopez.

Founded in 2005 by Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont, HollyShorts Film Festival showcases works that are 40- minutes or less in various categories such as short animation, short live action, short documentary, music video, webisode, commercials, youth film and digital microbudget. The fest was recently designated an Academy Awards qualifying festival, according to HollyShorts official website.

Before co-founding HollyShorts, Sol worked at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Pasadena International Film Festival and Lionsgate, according to his Facebook page.

Check out the trailer below for The Fixer.

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