Los Angeles-based filmmaker Garin Hovannisian took the Best of Fest award at the 2023 LA Shorts Film Festival for his film Nowhere, and punched his ticket for the Oscar race. Set in the city called Nowhere, shadows dream of a life without their human masters.

Other Oscar qualifying winners are Best International Film for It Takes a Village (Armenia) directed by Ophelia Hanutyunyan, Best Animation for The Brave Locomotive directed by Andrew Pierce Chesworth, and Best Documentary for The Noble Guardian directed by Anna Coren.

Los Angeles-based Immaculate Heart Community awarded five (5) individual, $1,000 cash prizes onto participating filmmakers whose representative work (respectively) demonstrates enlightenment, inclusivity, and independent spirit. Recipients include Jasmine Bissete, Chloe Campos, Lorena E. Gonzalez, Melika Jamshidabadi, and Tanxuan Shi.

The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences OSCAR®, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television ACCT Canadian Screen Awards and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Spain GOYA AWARDS. 66 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award® nominations, with 17 taking home the Oscar.

LA Shorts is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles. The festival screens over 350 films and attracts 10,000 attendees each year including Hollywood industry professionals and emerging undiscovered independent filmmakers.

Complete list of winners of 2023 LA Shorts Film Festival

Best of Fest
Nowhere – Director: Garin Hovannisian

Best International
It Takes a Village… (Armenia) Director: Ophelia Harutyunyan

Best Drama
The Kill Floor – Director: Carlos Avila

Best Comedy
The Avon Lady – Director: Carolina Espiro

Best Animation
The Brave Locomotive – Director: Andrew Pierce Chesworth

Best Experimental
Red Man – Director/Writer: Xinhao Lu

Best Documentary
The Noble Guardian Director Anna Coren

Best Sci-Fi
Dream Maker (Turkey) – Director: Mohsen Mehri Darouei, Milad Kiaei

Best Horror
Get Away – Director: Michael Gabriele

Best Music Video
Pronto – Light Light (Switzerland) Director Maximilian Speidel

Best Web Series
Space Rats (Australia) – Director Darwin Schulze, Basil Scott-Mitchell

Best High School Film
Sharing the Floor – Director/Writer Lily Brooks O’ Briant

Best Actor
Dusan Brown (“All In”)

Best Actress
Janessa St. Pierre (“Hair or No Hair”)

Best Script
Jimmy Prosser (“Korean Shooter”)

Immaculate Heart Community Cash Prizes

$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Director: Melika Jamshidabadi

$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Director: Chloe Campos

$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Director: Lorena E. Gonzalez

$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Director: Jasmine Bissete

$1,000 CASH PRIZE
Director: Tanxuan Shi