Official Selections: LA Indie Film Festival
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Complete Line-Up Below
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Use Index to learn more about each film.
Reeling
Feature
Los Angeles Premiere
After a life-altering accident, Ryan struggles to fit in with old friends and family at a birthday luau on his family’s homestead. As the pig slowly roasts in an imu pit and the partygoers cut loose, the celebration boils over when Ryan uncovers the missing memory of when his life took a tragic turn.
Director: Yana Alliata
Producer: Jack Forbes and Werner Herzog
Writer: Yana Alliata and Amy Miner
Cast: Ryan Wiestewald, Hans Christopher, Nikki DeParis
Cinematographer: Rafael Leyva
Editor: Chris Punsalan
Any awards, accolades or additional details about the process you would like to mention:
SXSW Narrative Feature Competition, Hawaii International Film Festival Made in Hawaii competition, San Diego International Film Festival Quarter Finalist, San Francisco Indie Fest Official Selection.
Instagram: @reelingmovie
Refuctoring
Short
World Premiere
At his 30th birthday, Moody, an elusive aloof, is trying to pull an Irish exit as his friends hunt him down, desperate to ask one question, ‘does Moody like his gift?’
Refuctoring is this touching, dark comedy taking place in one room, over one night, between three friends. Set against the joyous event that is one’s own birthday, the kitchen is its opposite. It’s purgatory, it’s hell, it’s everything in between and nothing at all, as Moody comes to clash over what the gift says about him and his life. 'Am I what people say I am?
Director/Writer/Producer/Editor : Louis Momméja
Born in New York but raised in Paris, Louis is a screenwriter and director who uses surrealism and comedy to convey emotionally charged narratives that explore themes of loss, belonging and emptiness. After being an assistant of a comedy series creator and working in development at a game studio, Louis’ return to the indie filmscape comes as a follow-up to his last short, the multi-awarded dark comedy, Death Jam. Strong from his experience, and driven by his passion, Louis aims to bring unique narratives to the screen, while supporting original voices to do so too.
Producers : Paul-Lou Lemieux
Born in France, Paul-Lou is a creative producer that specialises in the production of short and feature films, music videos and commercials — in New York and Paris. He got into production after film school and is now running his own production company in New York for more than a year. Supporting and bringing each idea to production from A to Z by working at the deepest and closest with his crew, Paul-Lou uses his knowledge, network and expertise to lead each project to its peak.
Producers: Ilona Cazorla
Ilona is a producer and actress based both in New York and Los Angeles. Passionate about storytelling and indie filmmaking, her goal is to create art that not only entertains but also empowers and enlightens. Through her collaborations on feature indie films as well as documentaries about feminism and social change, she strives to amplify voices, challenge norms and ignite change. She is currently co-producing the feature film Mermaids and producing the ambitious short films Refuctoring and Smoking Pasta.
Cast : Joel Watson, Addie Guidry, Rose Lane Sanfilippo, Omar Javed
Cinematographer: Mete Gültiken
Born in Turkey, raised in France. Jumped into the cinematographer’s chair after film school to shoot commercials, music videos and narrative shorts as a DP in Paris. Moved to New York in 2021 to pursue a career as a cinematographer and shot several narrative shorts screened at major film festivals.
Production Designer: Mariana Soares
Brazilian born, Brooklyn-based, Mariana is a production designer and art director that has been working in the art department in New York for over 10 years. She designed and collaborated with several major brands, such as Spotify, Mattel, Steven Madden, Google, Penguin books, and so on, and with musicians such as Paul McCartney and a Place to Bury Strangers. Mariana has received the Thiborough Film Festival Award, Maverick Movie awards for best production design, and a Mattel award for best Latin American design. She did Production Design for 8 indie films, including the sci-fi feature film, ReEntry, starring Sam Trammel (True Blood) and Emily Deschanel (Bones).
Editor : Alexandre Altmayer
Instagram: @refuctoringfilm
Shirin Neshat: Voice of a Woman
Short
West Coast Premiere
In the short doc, Shirin Neshat: Voice of a Woman, internationally acclaimed Iranian American artist Shirin Neshat discusses the foremost theme of her work- women's bodies as a locus for political and religious exploitation. Beginning in the 1990's with her series The Women of Allah and carried through to her most recent exhibition The Fury, she continues to risk criticism and judgement as she furthers the issue of women's rights today, distinguishing between art and propaganda which is increasingly misunderstood in our current globally divisive environment. Shirin Neshat: Voice of a Woman is a timely call to action to women globally to unify and fight for equality as women's rights are being violated and eliminated around the world.
Director: Sophie Chahinian
Producer: Sophie Chahinian
Writer: Sophie Chahinian
Cast: Shirin Neshat
Cinematographer: Matthew Hindra
Editor: Matthew Hindra
In addition to being accepted to the 26th LA Indie Film Festival, we were accepted to the 33rd Hamptons International Film Festival with two sold-out screenings and Shirin Neshat in attendance, as well as The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival 2025.
https://www.theartistprofilearchive.com/extra/shirin-neshat-voaw
Instagram: @TheArtistProfileArchive
Facebook: The Artist Profile Archive
Strolling Down Brighton Pier
Music Video
A young Edwardian gentleman, working as a photographer, falls madly in love with a captivating woman as she takes her daily stroll down Brighton Pier. Finally mustering the courage to approach her, he is devastated to discover that there's someone else in the picture.
Director: Kenny McCracken
Producer: Kurt Rosenberg, Angus Light, Brent Rogers, Nick Hale, Zach Stevens
Writer: Kurt Rosenberg, Kenny McCracken
Cast: Scott Hunter, Bobbie Seavill, Will Richardson
Cinematographer: Jonathan Nicol
Editor: Brent Rogers, Kenny McCracken
Website: kurtrosenbergmusic.com/film
Instagram: @kurtrosenbergmusic
The Lot
Short
"Chasing the dream" is nice and idealistic. But let’s be real - it’s chaos. You have to survive while trying to thrive. Nico survives by selling cars. And on the same day he gets the biggest opportunity of his Hollywood career, a sale lands in his lap that could cover 7 months of bills with one handshake. Do the callback, or land the sale? Nico chooses the third option... with chaotic results.
Director: Raffaele Vesco
Producer: Raffaele Vesco, Meegan Barnes, Santi Naidoo, Raul Perez, Jesse Townes
Writer: Raffaele Vesco, Jesse Townes
Cast: Jesse Townes, John Bradford, Christopher Woods, Rolando De La Maza, Mueen Jahan, Jaclyn Tuchman, William Wiggins, Conrad Wrobel, Chandler Rylko, Cameron Quinn, James Trabucco, Pyeta Kyaw
Cinematographer: Jackie Bao, Joewi Verhoeven
Editor: Raffaele Vesco, Joe Murphy
Winner Audience Award best narrative shot at 2025 IFF Boston - Winner Best Comedy at 2025 LA Shorts International
Instagram: @raffivesco
The Ride
Narrative Short
A ’76 Plymouth reflects on its journey, witnessing decades of human life, capturing moments of freedom, temptation, and redemption as it changes hands from one owner to the next.
Director: Slava Denisov
Producer: Anila Nugmanova, David Hachuns
Writer: Grigory Borodavkin, Slava Denisov
Cast: Ron Perlman, Fernando Lopez, Isabel Powell, Michael Jovanovski, Shakira Barrera
Cinematographer: Andrey Valentsov
Editor: Slava Denisov
Best Director — Studio City International Film & TV Festival
Best Cinematography — SIMI Film Festival
Best Editing — SIMI Film Festival
Best U.S. Short Film — South Texas International Film Festival
Audience Award — Calabasas Film Festival
Best Short Film — Boston Film Festival (41st)
Best Director — Burbank International Film Festival
Best Short Film — DaVinci Film Festival
Audience Award — San Jose International Short Film Festival
Outstanding Experimental Film — Micheaux Film Festival
Instagram: @theridefilm2025
To Get To The Other Side
Short
World Premiere
An uptight businessman really needs to get to work, but he runs int a slight issue when he tries to cross the road.
Director: Galdino Hladecek
Producer: Galdino Hladecek
Writer: Galdino Hladecek
Cast: Abhik Jain
Cinematographer: Galdino Hladecek
Editor: Galdino Hladecek
Instagram: galdinohladecek
Traffic
Student, experimental, animated, music video
Reggae band Artikal System is on a classic Pacific Coast Highway road trip to their next venue. The trip comes to a halt in a never-ending bumper-to-bumper hell, but it's the prettiest, most colorful hell you could ask for.
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor: David Scott
This is my senior film for the CSULB animation program that I made entirely solo, minus the song, of course. For this film, I had to develop my own experimental animation process to recreate a psychedelic "stratacut' animation style in 3d which became the most eye-boggling part of the whole film that's unlike anything you've seen before. What you end up with is a film I worked tirelessly to create, which ultimately becomes a short yet enjoyable and colorful experience set to some great music. I've been fortunate enough to be invited to film festivals all over, including one at the TCL Chinese Theater, a semi-finalist at the Cypher Blue Music Video Film Festival, and a winner of best sound at the Marina Del Rey Film Festival.
Instagram: @theDavissimo
Virginia in the Woods
Short
Written by the Co-Creator of Lost, Virginia in the Woods is a psychological mystery about Virginia, a woman living in seclusion with her adult daughter in a remote forest home. As days blur together, Virginia experiences strange lapses in time—missing moments, shifting memories, and an unsettling sense that something is being kept from her. The deeper she searches for clarity, the more reality twists around her, leading to a chilling revelation about her daughter’s secret and the truth she may not be ready to face.
Director: Charlie Chappell
Producer: Charlie Chappell, Jeffrey Lieber, Holly Long, Alexa Cappiello
Writer: Jeffrey Lieber
Cast: Holly Long, Alexa Cappiello, Jake Reiner
Cinematographer: Allie Schultz
Editor: Charlie Chappell