Aneil Karia’s The Long Goodbye starring Riz Ahmed won the Grand Prix at the Academy Awards®-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival’s 17th edition. Best Live Action went to Little Bear from director Nicolas Birkenstock and the prize for Best Animation short went to I Am A Pebble from Berteraut Mélanie, Bresson Yasmine, Coulombier Léo, Grondin Nicolas, le Chapelain Maxime, and Massé Louise. The three films now qualify to compete at the 2020 Oscar®.

The 18th Annual Oscar®-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival will take place August 11-20, 2022.

Winners of 2021 HollyShorts Film Festival

Best Animation: I Am A Pebble from Berteraut Mélanie, Bresson Yasmine, Coulombier Léo, Grondin Nicolas, le Chapelain Maxime, Massé Louise

Best Cinematography: Lasse Ulvedal Tolboll for Under the Heavens

Best Comedy: The Deep End directed by Sean Pettis

Best Commercial: Widen The Screen directed by Kevin Wilson Jr.

Best Composer: Brian Hall & Jonah Ramey for The Night I Left America

Best Director: Jayil Pak for Georgia

Best Documentary: Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma directed by Topaz Jones & rubberband

Best Drama: I Would Never directed by Kiran Deol

Best Editing: David Marks for Electromagnetic

Best Horror: Lilias Adie directed by Elize du Toit

Best International: Fabiu directed by Stefan Langthaler

Best LGBTQIA+: Bracha directed by Mickey Triest & Aaron Geva

Best Live Action: Little Bear directed by Nicolas Birkenstock

Best Midnight Madness: M*therfucker directed by Adam Long & Adam Peterson

Best Music Video: Tell Me A Story directed by Sasha Solodukhina

Best Podcast: Carcerem by Shane Salk

Best Producer: Henry Tumwesigye for The Night I Left America

Best SciFi: Jack and Jo Don’t Want To Die directed by Kantú Lentz

Best Screenplay: Dummy written by Andrew Kaberline

Prizes: Seattle Film Summit & 88th Street/HollyShorts grant of $25,000, and Final Draft software. Finished film will screen at HollyShorts 2022.

Best Student Film: Team Meryland directed by Gabriel Gaurano

Best Thriller: Reklaw directed by Polaris Banks

Best TV Series: Cronos directed by Michael Middelkoop

Best TV Screenplay: Half-Assed written by Tracie Laymon

Best VFX: Untitled Earth Sim 64 directed by Jonathan Wilhelmsson

Best Web Series: Best Before directed by Laura Bergeron & Maxime Robin

Grand Prix Best Short: The Long Goodbye directed by Aneil Karia

Hawk Films Screenplay Award: Glaciers written by Frank Berry & Matthew Bates

HollyShorts Honorable Mention: Koreatown Ghost Story directed by Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum

HollyShorts 3rd Place Screenplay: David written by Jacob Mittlestadt-Raab

Latinx Award: Nuevo Rico directed by Kristian Mercado Figueroa

SAG Indie Award: Some Still Search directed by Nesaru Tchaas

Shot on Film Award: The Archivists directed by Igor Drljača

Shot on Film Honorable Mention: Beity directed by Isabelle Mecattaf

Shot on Film Award – Super 8MM: Strong Son directed by Ian Bawa

Social Impact Award: Under The Heavens directed by Gustavo Milan

Special Jury Mention: Staff Pick by Mitchell deQuilettes

Women in Film Award: Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine directed by Ethosheia Hylton

Women in Film Screenplay Award: Sara written by Jessica L. Hinkson