Filmmaker Brett Ratner will close the Academy Awards qualifying 2017 HollyShorts Film Festival with a special Keynote conversation presented by Kodak Motion Picture and Entertainment. The Conversation will take place during the HollyShorts Awards this Saturday, August 19, at the Harmony Gold Theater moderated by Steve Bellamy, Kodak’s President of Motion Picture and Entertainment.

Because of the overwhelming interest of directors moving back to film and last year’s strong showing of shorts captured on film, HollyShorts added a film-only category this year that received a substantial amount of submissions. Ultimately, 10 shorts were selected: Miss World by Georgia Fu, Frank Embree by Skinner Meyers, Nathan Loves Ricky Martin by Steven Arrigada, Real Artists by Cameo Wood, Goodnight Eulogy Created by Roi Vissel / Director: Yonatan Weinstein, To Be Free by Esther de Rothschild, Little Bird by Georgia Oakley, That Unusual Brick by Jesse Burks, Blood Letting by William Davis. Jason Ruscio’s newly restored film eclipse which premiered at Telluride and won top prize at the Student Academy Awards is also in the category and screens on August 18 at the festival.

The 13th edition of HollyShorts, which is LA’s biggest shorts film festival has been taking place this week at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater, Roosevelt Hotel, and other venues throughout Hollywood. This year’s festival received an all-time record of over 4,000 submissions from 65 countries. The 400 + shorts are competing for the Best Short Film Prize and Grand Jury Prize, Best Director among other top categories.