LA Expo
2025 Film Series Finalists
The 2025 Film Series Competition winners have been announced. Click button below to view a list of winners.
Music Videos
CANNONBALL - Taoma
DIRECTOR
VONJAKO
WRITERS
VONJAKO (Screenplay), Taoma (Music & Lyrics)
PRODUCERS
VONJAKO, Tomasso Gimgnani
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
VONJAKO
SYNOPSIS
A man's desire for freedom and self-expression drives him to pursue his own path, compelling him to break away. A dream can become reality when one pushes the boundaries to the extreme. But is this reality truly real, or just an illusion?
DON’T BE AFRAID - Night Crickets
DIRECTOR
Ramzi Abed
WRITERS
David J, Victor DeLorenzo, Darwin Meiners (lyrics and music), Ramzi Abed (screenplay)
PRODUCER
Ramzi Abed
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Ramzi Abed
SYNOPSIS
Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut Jr's "Slaughterhouse Five" and current world events, an ambient and atmospheric story unfolds of an American worker reflecting on modern life in the age of the apocalypse.
GIDDY UP! - Shania Twain
DIRECTOR
Marmo Films
WRITER
Justin "Marmo" Marmorstein
PRODUCERS
Mike Mihail, Joanna Delane, Masora Fukuda
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Cesar Withingham
SYNOPSIS
When working class people hear Shania Twain’s “Giddy Up,” it transforms their everyday activities into an impromptu party.
GLIDIN’ - Ken Jayis
DIRECTOR
Sin Ru Lim
WRITER
Sin Ru Lim
PRODUCER
Kirk Ryde
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Shi Fang Teo, Kirk Ryde
SYNOPSIS
A lonely child dreams of being an astronaut and achieves the dream with the help of a musician and finds not only a new world, but a new home in the world once left behind. A positive story about the beauty of life.
PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE - Vaja
DIRECTOR
Vaja
WRITERS
Vaja, Steve Horner (screenplay), Depeche Mode (Music & Lyrics)
PRODUCERS
Vaja, Stever Horner, David Christopher Lee, Michael W. Abbott
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Artur Gubin, Dave Lang, Rob Polgar
SYNOPSIS
A powerful woman's journey in a futuristic dystopian world of different people in a society that challenges individuality & race. Visual and emotional scenes resonate with those who see the beauty of diversity, empathy, and the universal bond that connects us all.
MIOMANTIS - Me the Machine
DIRECTOR
Dagmawi Abebe
WRITER
Me the Machine
PRODUCERS
Me the Machine, Timothy Vallez, Ivan Daniel Luna
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Anthony Mangini
SYNOPSIS
Miomantis [Scars] portrays an aftermath of betrayal, where pain and torment lead to an extreme metamorphosis, highlighting a destructive encounter of insufferable trust and self-evolution. A chilling, cathartic release where healing can only be unlocked through one’s scars.
Independent short films
ALL CHOKED UP
DIRECTOR
Allison Volk
WRITER
Allison Volk
PRODUCER
Andrea Nordgren
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Scott Park
SYNOPSIS
A woman must decide whether to save her husband when he starts choking on a sandwich during lunch.
DISCOUNT DOUG
DIRECTOR
Joshua Nathan
WRITER
Joshua Nathan
PRODUCER
LAZE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Dawit Adera
SYNOPSIS
A prominent radio voice actor, Doug Buckles, falters during his most important recording job of the year - the New Year's Eve Super Sale advertisement - for the largest car dealership in Central California.
LESBOPHILIA
DIRECTOR
Michelle West
WRITER
Tennessee Martin
PRODUCERS
Michelle West, Tennessee Martin, Wilbur DiTullio
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Sarah Phillips
SYNOPSIS
Chase is head over heels in love with Eliana, but they’ve got a problem that’s about to prove very hard to deal with and must decide how unconditional their love really is.. Lesbophilia is a story about freedom, pleasure, and leaving the past behind.
NANI
DIRECTOR
Mainak Dhar
WRITER
Mainak Dhar
PRODUCERS
Shardul Sharma, Grace Presse, Humaira Newaz
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Samudranil Chatterjee
SYNOPSIS
On the final day of Ramadan, an estranged daughter makes her annual trip to her parents home. Between simmering goat curry, sibling jabs, and a grandmother who sees more than she says, Maisha’s visit home takes an unexpected turn, revealing cracks in the family’s carefully held facade.
TRENDING
DIRECTOR
Felix Martiz
WRITER
Felix Martiz
PRODUCER
Sergio Monserrate
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Emilia Mendieta Cordova
SYNOPSIS
Andres, disengaged and apathetic, finds himself in a physical altercation during school. When his older brother intervenes to protect him, Andres chooses to document the brutality on his phone, exposing the corrosive impact of social media on a desensitized and detached youth.
TWO BREATHS
DIRECTOR
Kateryna Kurganska
WRITER
Kateryna Kurganska
PRODUCERS
Timur Guseynov, Kateryna Kurganska, C. Craig, Don John
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Timur Guseynov
SYNOPSIS
After a man-made disaster decimates an evergreen island, a stranded 11-year-old girl must find the tenacity to leave behind her home with the help of an unlikely friend.
Student Films
BINGE!
DIRECTORS
Sam David Zhang & Rohit Relan
WRITERS
Sam David Zhang & Umut Ipek
PRODUCERS
Hector Martinez & Annine Fan Zhang
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Sam David Zhang
SCHOOL
American Film Institute Conservatory
SYNOPSIS
A man watching TV stumbles upon his new favorite channel: himself.
EL BAR DE HERNANDO
DIRECTORS
Andres Bernal & Maria Gomez
WRITER
Andres Bernal
PRODUCER
Andres Garcia
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Andres Bernal
SCHOOL
New York Film Academy
SYNOPSIS
Yiyo works at a salsa bar as a bartender, but tonight, he falls in love with a woman who has attended the venue. During the night, he must take a step out of his comfort zone when he realizes he might have a chance with this beautiful woman.
GAZE
DIRECTOR
Yash Saraf
WRITERS
Yandy Liu, Guan Christina Huang
PRODUCER
Guan Christina Huang
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Yandy Liu
SCHOOL
American Film Institute Conservatory
SYNOPSIS
OPALESCENT
DIRECTOR
Liz Mealey
WRITER
Liz Mealey
PRODUCERS
Yi Wang, Yang Qian
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Liz Mealey
SCHOOL
American Film Institute Conservatory
SYNOPSIS
In a world where extreme social pressure conforms, a girl yearns to express herself more openly, but she doesn't find the courage to do so until one day at the laundromat she encounters a glowing stranger who is unapologetically different.
REMEMBERING COLIN STALL
DIRECTOR
Peter G. Levine
WRITERS
Peter G. Levine
PRODUCERS
Annie Riedel, Indeana Underhill
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Indeana Underhill
SCHOOL
Cornell University
SYNOPSIS
A young man’s decision to run away from home gets him wrapped up in the nefarious ritual of an elderly couple grieving their dead son.
THE ALLY
DIRECTOR
Jennifer Marie
WRITERS
Jennifer Marie
PRODUCERS
Jennifer Marie and No Wooden Nickels LLC
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Julio Cesar Flores
SCHOOL
New York Film Academy
SYNOPSIS
Jan Snyder is energetic, helpful, and in love with black culture and hip-hop. Jan knows music, but she can sometimes get too comfortable with her co-workers at a record label, especially her black co-workers. Jan crosses the line by accident with her new boss Makeba and is at risk of losing her new promotion.
THE LIGHTS ABOVE
DIRECTOR
Luke J. Salewski
WRITER
Luke J. Salewski
PRODUCERS
Avo John Kambourian, Alex Chang
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Young Li
SCHOOL
University of Southern California
SYNOPSIS
Months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a determined journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese American photographer to prevent another attack.
WHEN YOU HEAR HOOFBEATS
DIRECTOR
Jasmyn Ramirez
WRITER
Jasmyn Ramirez
PRODUCER
Jasmyn Ramirez
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Angel G. Manriquez
SCHOOL
California State University, Monterey Bay
SYNOPSIS
A college student grapples with a rare and unexpected diagnosis.
