Dian Weys’ “Vultures” has won the Best Short Film Grand Prize presented by Panavision at the 2026 HollyShorts 22nd Film Festival, taking the festival’s top honor and an Oscar-qualifying award.
The win earns Weys a $60,000 Panavision camera package for a future production, as well as three hours of complimentary legal consultation presented by Sheppard Mullin. “Vultures” also received the festival’s Best International award.
This year, HollyShorts also introduced the Best Performance Award, a new honor recognizing outstanding acting in short-form filmmaking. The inaugural award was presented to acclaimed actor Russell Tovey for his performance in “I AM THE PRIZE.”
Weys and Tovey headline a wide-ranging group of 2026 HollyShorts honorees spanning live action, animation, documentary, drama, comedy, genre, television, music, performance and screenwriting.
Three additional HollyShorts awards carry Oscar qualification this year: Best Live Action, awarded to “Pale Sun” by Adrian Moyse Dullin and Jawahine Zentar; Best Animation, awarded to “With Tapes and Toasts in the Car (Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot)” by Kiana Naghshineh; and Best Documentary, awarded to “The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers” by Rosella Tursi.
Other major winners include Jessy Moussallem’s “Faux Bijoux” for Best Director, Alyssa Loh’s “Copy, Save” for Best Drama, JJ Adler’s “The Oracle” for Best Comedy, Junxiong Zhu’s “The Kalgan Horse” for Best Cinematography, Altay Ulan Yang’s “HYENA” for Best Editing and Peter Vass’ “Banshee” for Best Horror.
HollyShorts + IMGN Short Film Fund
The HollyShorts Film Festival + IMGN Short Film Fund was awarded to “The Fiddler’s Stroke,” directed by Braden Barton, with a prize package valued at $25,000.
The package includes a $10,000 cash grant from IMGN, a Blackmagic Cinema 6K Camera from HollyShorts, and exclusive one-on-one mentorship opportunities with filmmakers and industry executives, including Oscar winners Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman. Kodak production benefits will also be provided to the winner and runner-up.
Additional Festival Prizes
HollyShorts’ 2026 prize slate includes production equipment, grants, mentorship, consulting and filmmaking resources provided by festival partners.
Abundance, the premium ceremonial cacao brand, is providing products to winners, while Cotrini Skincare is providing full-size bottles to all winners. Tafari is gifting custom scarves, and Fest Formula is providing consulting prizes to screenplay award recipients.
Kodak has partnered with HollyShorts to provide grants and prizes to the festival’s Best Shot on Film winners.
The First Entertainment Credit Union Made in LA Award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize, was presented to “Christmas Angels” by Remington Hoffman and Ida Hoffman.
HollyShorts + Film.io Audience Short Film Competition
“The Film.io and HollyShorts fan-powered competition invited filmmakers to activate their audiences, build lasting communities and demonstrate genuine market interest through the Film.io platform. The five winning projects were Girl I Dad by Lianzi Fields, From Way Up Here by Celeste Chaney, Naughty Maids by Rommel Rojas, Domino Springs by Dan Hertzog and Christmas Angels by Remington Hoffman. “These filmmakers did more than submit exceptional work. They activated their forever audiences, building communities of fans who can support their creative journeys far beyond a single project. That lasting connection between creators and audiences is exactly what we built Film.io to enable,” said Bryan Hertz, CEO of Film.io.”
HollyShorts and Film.io also announced the winners of their Audience Short Film Competition:
- “GIRL | DAD” — Lianzi Fields
- “FROM WAY UP HERE” — Celeste Chaney
- “NAUGHTY MAIDS” — Rommel Rojas
- “DOMINO SPRINGS” — Dan Hertzog
- “CHRISTMAS ANGELS” — Remington Hoffman
2026 HollyShorts Award Winners
BEST SHORT FILM GRAND PRIZE presented by Panavision: “Vultures” — Dian Weys (Oscar-qualifying award)
Best Live Action: “Pale Sun” — Adrian Moyse Dullin, Jawahine Zentar (Oscar-qualifying award)
Best Director: “Faux Bijoux” — Jessy Moussallem
Best Animation: “With Tapes and Toasts in the Car (Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot)” — Kiana Naghshineh (Oscar-qualifying award)
Best Documentary: “The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers” — Rosella Tursi (Oscar-qualifying award)
Best Drama: “Copy, Save” — Alyssa Loh
Best Comedy: “The Oracle” — JJ Adler
Best Cinematography: “The Kalgan Horse” — Junxiong Zhu
Best Editing: “HYENA” — Altay Ulan Yang
Best Horror: “Banshee” — Peter Vass
Best Costume Design: “Betty St. Clair” — Syra McCarthy, Kyle Casey Chu
Best Stunts: “Floor” — Jo Bareun
Best International: “Vultures” — Dian Weys
Verse LA Presents Best Midnight Madness: “The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much” — Eric Jackowitz
Best Music Video: “Weval – Open Up That Door” — Bear Damen, Merijn Scholte Albers
Best Performance: “I AM THE PRIZE” — Russell Tovey
Best Producer: “Laundreams” — Directors Evie Ward-Drummond and Amber Gadd; Producers Nina Georgieff, Anna Sophia Duff, Maxine Peake, Tobi Kyeremateng, Slick Films
SAGindie Award: “Them That’s Not” — Mekhai Lee
Best Sports Documentary: “ZINA” — Vicky Wight
Best Sports Narrative: “THE COLOSSEUM” — Nabil Kechouhen
Social Impact Award: “EXTREMIST” — Sasha Molochnikov
Best Sci-Fi: “IMPRINT” — Ran Jing
Best Student Film: “PANKAJA” — Anooya Swamy
Kodak Best Shot on Film, 35MM: “KINK” — Carissa Gallo
Kodak Best Shot on Film, 16MM: “GOBSTOPPER” — Pippa Feldberg Collins
Kodak Honorable Mention: “I THINK ABOUT KILLING YOU” — Ran Ran Wang
Best TV: “Do I Know You From Somewhere?” — Alan Scott Neal
Best Web Series: “Birth is for P*ssies” — Hannah Shealy, Celine Sutter
Made in LA Award: “CHRISTMAS ANGELS” — Remington Hoffman, Ida Hoffman
Best Music Documentary: “Reflections Under the Electric Sky” — Devin J. Dilmore
Best Podcast: “abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast”
ISA Story Award: “Know Your Lights” — Al Benoit
Best TV Pilot: “Rippers” — Joseph Oliver Hooten
Best Feature Screenplay: “Grave Command” — Evelyn Davis
Best Female Screenplay: “The PaRC” — Morgan Grice
Best Short Screenplay: “The Death Row Cook” — Jessica James
HollyShorts Film Festival + IMGN Short Film Fund: “The Fiddler’s Stroke” — Braden Barton
Sponsor Prizes
For our Oscar®-qualifying categories, winners will receive magnum bottles from Massican Wines, red wine from Arynca, and custom crystal-encrusted champagne glasses from The Èlliance.
We also have some amazing prizes lined up for our filmmakers. Thanks to our generous sponsors, winners will receive:
- Full-size luxury skincare from Cotrini Skincare
- Jewelry from OUFER (pronounced “offer”)
- Custom Mezcal bottles from The Lost Explorer
- Products from Abundance, the Official Ceremonial Cacao Partner of the HollyShorts Film Festival 2026
- Custom scarves from Tafari
- Fragrance from Puerto Rico courtesy of Fragancias Pitorro
- Gift bags from Jean Book Nerd, including pashmina scarves from Egypt
- Vibes Candy, with all their new flavors to get you home!
- Gift bags from SLĀ Golf (pronounced “slay”)
- One very lucky person will receive a custom-stitched Ghost Golf Bag
- KIND patches supporting mental wellness
- And, to save you money on Botox, everyone will receive the original wrinkle-free straw from Sipface
About HollyShorts Film Festival
HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Awards-qualifying festival dedicated to showcasing short-form filmmaking from emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. The festival brings together filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences in Los Angeles while providing a platform for independent storytelling and the next generation of filmmaking talent.
