Winter/2026 winners of Venice Shorts LA

Venice Shorts of Los Angeles is an annual festival and seasonal competition that serves as an essential platform for global short filmmakers. It features live screenings of short films in LA cinemas through its annual programming and hosts an IMDb qualifying seasonal competition that celebrates diverse short filmmaking and talents worldwide. Dedicated to showcasing international and American short films across various genres, Venice Shorts is a beacon for independent artists. It fosters creativity and talent in short filmmaking by offering a platform for both emerging and established filmmakers. The popular seasonal competition draws diverse submissions from artists working on short films, scripts, and other projects. Venice Beach, the birthplace of Venice Shorts, has a historical connection with Hollywood. Since 1905, it has been a hub of creativity, making it an ideal backdrop for the movie industry's evolution and enriching cinema's cultural tapestry.

Here are the seasonal winners for Winter/2026:

Best Narrative Film

Ace

Director: Raymond Edwards

Best Documentary Film

Unseen paradise

Director: Ernesto Arenas

Best Indie Short

A Recipe for Redemption

Director: Will Scott

Best Director

elle/elle

Director: Kelley Kalí

Best First Time Filmmaker

Cathlin McCullough

The Oldest

Best Actress

Anna Zaitseva

DATING A SUSPICIOUS MAN

Best Actor

Phillip Andre Botello

You Still See Dead People

Best Experimental

Human-Cannabis III: Tracing Green

Director: Arthur Liou

Best Animation

Clay Bird

Director: Kiran Bhakta Joshi

Best Web/TV Pilot-Series

And They Were Roommates

Director: Emily Rose Lyons

Best LGBTQ

404

Director: Raphael Eidelman

Best Thriller

Homeboy

Director: Charles Kennell

Best Science Fiction

Ekelbrode

Director: Ben Montgomery-Pierson

Best Music Video

Speedtalk

Director: Nick Rijneveld

Honorable Mention Music Video

Lullaby

Director: Oleksandr Shvets

Best Horror

Killer First Date

Director: Brad Rundblade

Best Comedy

The Godfathers

Director: Tristan Chandra

Best Producer

Tiffany Tuong Vi Duong, Sivani Babu, Sabine Bergmann, Joseph Aurelio Henry, Brynne Eliza Rardin, Vinh Pham and Juli Minette Berwald

The Rebel Reef: Seeds of Hope

Best Cinematographer

Alexander Naughton

A Stable for Horses

Best Editor

Peyton Love

The Projectionist

Best Student Film

Idil Hermansen

PICK UP

Best Female Director

REGARDING ROSE

Director: DONNA MAGNANI

Best Screenplay

Hedonism

Jessica Lynn James