Author: Sherman Oaks Film Festival

2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Short Film

Screenplay Awards Ceremony · Sun, Dec 6, 2026 · 2:00 PM

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Driven to the desert by her mother, a woman is forced to confront a terrifying legacy passed down through generations.

• Director(s): Kyle Hatley
• Writer(s): Kyle Hatley
• Producer(s): Kyle Hatley

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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A drive through Death Valley becomes a brutal rite of passage when a woman learns her mother has brought her there to show her that motherhood is not juts a gift, but a curse, a covenant, and a test of survival.

2026 Official Selection: Short Film – SciFi

A romantic night in isn’t all it seems when a man discovers his lovestruck date has a peculiar room full of male mannequins.

Program 21 – Cutting Edge Spotlight · Sun, Dec 6, 2026 · 5:15 PM

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• Director(s): Monisha Dadlani
• Writer(s): Monisha Dadlani
• Producer(s): Monisha Dadlani, Sofia Snyder
• Key Cast: Monisha Dadlani, Alexander Chard
• Editor(s): Will Mason
• Cinematographer(s): Brian M Tang
• Production Designer(s): Elli Kypriadis
• Sound Designer(s): Brianna Tang
• Composer(s): Xander Rodzinski

Language: English

Runtime: 15m

Country: United States

Synopsis: A romantic night in isn’t all it seems when a man discovers his lovestruck date has a peculiar room full of male mannequins.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama

New to the city, Marci battles a crippling fear while searching for answers from barista Kurt. As time runs out, she must find the courage to reveal the truth.

Program 09 – Authenticity Spotlight · Sat, Dec 5, 2026 · 6:00 PM

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• Director(s): JOHN SCHWERT
• Writer(s): JOHN SCHWERT, CAMERAN BELLAMY
• Producer(s): JOHN SCHWERT, CAMERAN BELLAMY, ERIK MURPHY
• Key Cast: CAMERAN BELLAMY, KYLE RIGGS
• Editor(s): John Schwert
• Cinematographer(s): Erik Murphy
• Sound Designer(s): Ross Wissbaum
• Composer(s): Jason Hausman

Language: English

Runtime: 14m

Country: United States

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: Marci’s arrival to a new city finds her facing a crippling fear that conflicts with her determination to fulfill a promise.  She follows a handsome local barista named Kurt to his home and work in search of an answer to her pressing question.  Marci’s opportunities, days, and courage dwindle as she holds out for the right moment, the right place, and the right sign.  As time runs out, she must confront what brought her to Kurt and reveal the truth to him.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Animation

Stranded on a distant world, a small, worn-out robot named Helen wanders through strange, beautiful landscapes, guided only by a song and the quiet weight of an unfinished mission.

Program 18 – Inspiring Spotlight · Sun, Dec 6, 2026 · 3:15 PM

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• Director(s): Carlos Fernandez Puertolas
• Writer(s): Anthony Hodgson, Carlos Fernandez Puertolas
• Producer(s): Paige Johnstone
• Key Cast: Lauren Culjak (voice captain)
• Editor(s): Carlos F. Puertolas
• Cinematographer(s): Carlos F. Puertolas
• Production Designer(s): Carlos F. Puertolas
• Sound Designer(s): Denis Nechipurenko
• Composer(s): KOTOMI (Lauren Culjak)

Language: English

Runtime: 9m

Country: Spain

Synopsis: Stranded on a distant world, a small, worn-out robot named Helen wanders through strange, beautiful landscapes, guided only by a song and the quiet weight of an unfinished mission.

The short film was created by a single artist, whose creative journey at times mirrored the lonely travels of the robot in the story.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Animation

A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone

Program 06 – Poignant Spotlight · Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · 9:45 PM

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• Director(s): Parker Croft
• Writer(s): Spike Milliken, Parker Croft
• Producer(s): Nolan Gould, Parker Croft, Erika Totoro
• Key Cast: Sean Marquette, Sharon Powers, Bill Welden

Language: English

Runtime: 5m

Country: United States

Synopsis: A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone.

The first installment of the Hard Times anthology, Hell, follows the patriarch of a dying farm on the outskirts of Ash Harbor as he is methodically ground down by the machinery of despair. What begins as endurance curdles into something far more existential, a portrait of collapse told through dust, labor, and silence.

Hell made its world premiere in 2026 at Animation Dingle,

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2026 Official Selection: Feature Film – Horror

In 1981, porn filmmakers chase the slasher craze with a low-budget ripoff, as spring-breaking coeds are stalked by a killer beekeeper at a camp with a tragic past.

Program 05 – Friday the 69th · Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · 9:30 PM

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• Director(s): Alex Montilla
• Writer(s): Alex Montilla
• Producer(s): Alex Montilla
• Key Cast: Amy Letcher, Rob Zoppo, Bud Galloway, Amber Kellehan, David Arnold Rubin, Anna Bess, Alex Montilla
• Editor(s): Alex Montilla
• Cinematographer(s): Alex Montilla
• Sound Designer(s): Ignacio Kriman
• Composer(s): Chris Ranier

Language: English

Runtime: 1h 32m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Friday the 69th, the first-ever period-piece feature shot entirely on an iPhone (probably… don’t Google it), is a microbudget slasher-comedy paying tribute to early ’80s B-movies. In 1981, adult filmmakers chase the slasher craze by making their own ripoff, only to unleash a killer beekeeper with a vendetta on a group of spring-breaking coeds. With a scene filmed at the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre house, it channels the DIY spirit of El Mariachi into a cult horror romp.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama

A young woman battles with a toxic relationship while going through the last stages of an ectopic pregnancy. Will she break the generational trauma or continue the cycle?

Program 04 – Impactful Spotlight · Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · 9:20 PM

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• Director(s): Denise Borraz Trepat
• Writer(s): Denise Borraz Trepat
• Producer(s): Denise Borraz Trepat, David Guthrie
• Key Cast: Adam Wesley, Denise Borraz Trepat
• Editor(s): David Guthrie
• Cinematographer(s): Stephen St Peter
• Production Designer(s): Savannah Sokoloski
• Sound Designer(s): Private Island Studio
• Composer(s): Anna Ortiz Wienken

Language: English

Runtime: 17m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Recovering from an ectopic pregnancy, Deianira has to face another devastating truth: her husband has been unfaithful.

As the couple attempts to reconnect over a single night, the reality between them grows heavier.

Through raw and intimate flashbacks, ENOUGH explores the emotional wreckage of betrayal, the weight of womanhood, and what it takes to break the cycle of generational pain.

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2026 Official Selection: Screenplay – Screenplay – Short Film

Screenplay Awards Ceremony · Sun, Dec 6, 2026 · 2:00 PM

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She doesn’t want to die alone. He doesn’t want to live without her. One of them is lying.

• Writer(s): Tiana Stuart

Language: English

Country: Not Specified

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Tracy, in her early 40s, is dying and increasingly alone, with few friends and a family that feels more like an obligation. Then she meets Corey: warm, steady, unbothered by her diagnosis. As her body fails, he moves in to care for her, and she hands over not only her trust but also her trust fund. When her prognosis shrinks from months to days, Corey’s devotion takes a dark turn: he wants to die beside her, in one final act of love.

2026 Official Selection: Series Episode – TV/Streaming/Web Series

How are you supposed to do "inner child work" when your inner child is a little shit?

Program 17 – Dynamic Spotlight · Sun, Dec 6, 2026 · 2:00 PM

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• Director(s): Molly Daniels
• Writer(s): Jem Splitter, Molly Daniels
• Producer(s): Rachael Morrow, Jem Splitter
• Key Cast: Tegan Higginbotham, Paige Joy Ryans, John Leary, Fiona Macleod
• Editor(s): Emily Robb
• Cinematographer(s): Samuel Galloway
• Production Designer(s): Madelin Latomanski
• Composer(s): Matthew Tankard

Language: English

Runtime: 22m

Country: Australia

Los Angeles Premiere

Synopsis: A depressed, dysfunctional physicist accidentally sent back in time tries to fix her future by mentoring her troubled 14-year-old self — a whole-ass handful with her own mischievous agenda.

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2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Drama

We Have Been Gifted.

Program 14 – Haunted Spotlight · Sat, Dec 5, 2026 · 9:45 PM

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• Director(s): Landon Hogue
• Writer(s): Landon Hogue
• Producer(s): Landon Hogue, Megan Elisabeth Kelly, Ben Humphrey
• Key Cast: Landon Hogue, Megan Elisabeth Kelly
• Editor(s): Elyza Veta
• Cinematographer(s): Ben Humphrey
• Production Designer(s): Madeleine Berry
• Sound Designer(s): Megan Baer
• Composer(s): Alanna Quiton

Language: English

Runtime: 14m

Country: United States

Synopsis: When a traumatic loss leaves a young couple desperate and squalid, a man becomes disillusioned over an onion he finds in the dirt. Believing it is a gift from a higher power, he falls into a psychological spiral.

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