Announcing Winners of 9th Annual HollyShorts Comedy Film Festival
The 9th edition of the HollyShorts Comedy Film Festival wrapped this weekend with an exuberant celebration of bold voices and boundary-pushing humor in short-form storytelling. Now firmly established as a premier showcase for comedic innovation, the festival continues to spotlight the next wave of writers, directors, and performers redefining the genre. Held May 2–4 in Los Angeles, this year’s festival featured 88 official short film selections and culminated in an awards ceremony honoring the most standout works—including the prestigious Best of Fest Grand Prize, awarded to Jane Austen’s Period Drama by Julia Aks and Steve Greist. Following a lively opening night at Fabric Studios in Mar Vista, festival organizers also announced that the 2025 selections will remain available to stream on BitPix TV for one additional week, with next year’s dates set for May 1–3, 2026.
2025 HollyShorts Comedy Winners 😂
Best of Fest Grand Prize
Jane Austen’s Period Drama — Julia Aks & Steve Greist
Best Cringe
The Hole Truth — Christine Lakin
Best Alternative
Dumb Rich Sluts — Cara Norris
Best Horror Comedy
Dry January — C.J. Arellano
Best TV Episodic
The Hype — Justin Casselle
Best Student Comedy
Death! — Matthew B.C.
Best Rom Com
Bootie’s — Milana Vayntrub
Best Dark Comedy
And Now I Lay Me Down — Rani DeMuth
Best Web Series
WASP, Episode 4 “Joshua Tree Was A-mah-zing” — Jon Mackey
Best TV Comedy Pilot Screenplay
Commercial Space — Written by Trent Miller & Lesa Miller
Best Comedy Feature Length Screenplay
VOODOO VALENTINOS — Written by Michael Louis Gould
Best Short Comedy Screenplay
Olivia Colman Says My Farts Don’t Stink — Written by Lisa Marie Tedesco
Festival Partners and Supporters
This year’s event was made possible with the support of 88th Street Productions, Alta Global Media, Magic Mind, Dulce Vida Tequila, vitaminwater, Angel City Pizza, Monta Factory, Badawï Media Group, TEOLEO Radio Show, BehindTheBooth, and Kodak.
Festival Management: Hollings Rankin
Design: Dalton Corr
Social Media: Aira Antunes
Technical Operations: Kevin Anderson and Simple DC
Festival Co-Founders: Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont