Peter Frampton and Director (and fellow musician) Rob Arthur kicked off the 57th Nashville Film Festival on Thursday, September 24, 2026, showing their documentary “Frampton” to two theaters packed with film and music lovers.
A local resident since 2014, Frampton and Arthur stopped in each theater prior to the showing of the 104 minute documentary and delivered remarks.
Frampton acknowledged that the film would be “the entire story—-the good and the not-so-good.” It was not quite everything that has happened in his amazing life, but the bio-pic covered a lot of ground.It seemed long at 104 minutes, but the audience, now exposed to films that routinely run 3 hours, seemed okay with its length.
Now 76 and afflicted with a degenerative muscle condition known as Body Myositis that has him using a cane, the accomplished musician who literally owned 1976 after “Frampton Comes Alive,” his breakthrough album was released, made remarks to the assembled audience that urged perseverance. A Frampton quote “You have to accept the things you cannot change. I learned that in AA (2002) and in many other places What I have is not life-threatening, but it is life-changing, and I’m going with the flow.” “Frampton Comes Alive” stayed on the Billboard ranks for 97 weeks, 10 of them at Number One and spent 55 weeks in the Top 40. It was the third-best selling album of 1976.
DOWNFALLS
Peter Frampton in the 1970s.
After tremendous success, a cover photo (shirtless) by fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo caused Frampton to be viewed less seriously as a musician. It was a miscue akin to Burt Reynolds’ centerfold appearance when his “Deliverance” appearance had critics mentioning Oscar nods. Director Cameron Crowe, who gave Frampton a job as technical advisor for his 2000 film about the rock life, “Almost Famous,” agreed that that photo, plus Frampton’s appearance in the turkey “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with the BeeGees, a Robert Stigwood production, were missteps that led to Frampton’s downfall after huge success. For “Almost Famous” Frampton had to teach lead actor Billy Crudup to play guitar in just 6 weeks. (Frampton also had a small role as a tour manager,) Crowe gave much credit to Frampton for nailing the film’s 1973 authenticity,
INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
Connie Wilson at work covering the 57th Nashville Film Festival on September 24, 2026.
Frampton’s first wife, Mary Lovett (1972-1976) spoke. She alluded to Frampton’s leaving her for J. “Penny” McCall, but spoke of him in a friendly fashion, with references to Penny’s drug use and dalliances with other men, which was discovered by Frampton upon his return to his small Bahamas house. Wikipedia put that second relationship this way: “Frampton was sued by J. “Penny” McCall in 1978 for palimony. McCall asked for Frampton’s earnings during the five years that they were together. According to McCall, she left her husband and gave up her job as a rock promoter and devoted herself full-time to Frampton, just as he achieved superstar status. A New York judge ruled that Frampton and McCall never intended to marry each other and “never held themselves out to the public as husband and wife” and dismissed her complaint because to act otherwise would condone adultery. The case set precedent in New York, “All three of Frampton’s kids, Jade, Julian and Mia appear and speak of his recent fragility due to his health issues. Peter has performed with his son, Julian.
INTERVIEW SUBJECTS
Those featured on the documentary, talking about Frampton’s prowess as a musician from an early age included Ringo Starr, Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Bill Wyman, Kate Hudson, Cameron Crowe, Sheryl Crow, Matt Pinfield and Tom Morello—as well as archival footage of David Bowie. Bowie (then David Jones) was a student in Beckenham, Kent at the Bromley Technical School where Frampton’s father was head of the art department and taught Bowie (who used to spend lunch hours with Frampton playing Everly Brothers songs.) Bowie reached out in 1987 and invited Frampton to join him on his Glass Spider tour, which helped revitalize Frampton’s career. Another good friend (who wrote him a check for $100,000 when Frampton found out he was penniless because his manager had stolen from him) was Music Producer Ahmet Ertegan, co-founder and president of Atlantic Records.
PERSONAL LIFE
Married three times with three children, Frampton and others mused on life at the top and the demands of fame. Also, the pressure of always striving to “best” one’s previous highs was tremendous.These remarks echoed some by Mick Jagger in a recent New York Times interview.Today, Frampton acknowledges the importance of family, but, at the peak of his fame, he was touring nearly all of the time. After the Bahamas incident, Frampton got drunk and crashed his car, almost losing his arm.
Still, Frampton has a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, introduced by old friend Roger Daltrey, who wondered why it took so long to vote him in. Daltrey said that there weren’t many people he’d fly all the way to Cleveland in January to introduce, [which caused me to laugh out loud.] Sheryl Crow performed “Every Day Is A Winding Road” at the January, 2024, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Crow shared a touching story of attending a Frampton concert “live” at the age of 14, her first, that made her think she would like to do that for a living.
TRUE FRIENDS
David Bowie, who was taught art by Frampton’s father, the head of the art department at Bromley Technical Schoot in Beckenham, Kent was an old school classmate who helped him when he was down and out. Another old friend who appears on the documentary was former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, who met the young Peter Frampton at age 14 and was amazed by his talent. Wyman used the young man in a group when Frampton was just a teenager.
PITFALLS OF FAME
The familiar saga of a manager ripping off the star and the star’s struggles with substance abuse featured in the documentary, which was well-received by the crowd and opens a week of films in a year with quite a few fewer major studios release on the festival circuit —a trend started by “One Battle After Another” last year, which skipped the festival circuit and went directly to theaters.
Peter Frampton at the 57th Nashville Film Festival from September 24-30, 2026.
Archival footage from the UK (Susanne Salvati) and the U.S. (Paul Cain) were edited into an entertaining look at much of the career of the musical master of whom Ron Wyman (a Rolling Stone for 30 years) said, meeting him in 1965 at the tender age of 14, “God Almighty! This kid is amazing!” Daniel E. Atullo was thanked specifically by the documentary’s star and director for shepherding the film through to completion.It is a tribute to an indomitable spirit, a true talent and a man who refuses to give up. “I am stronger than I thought.”
As we filed out of the theater on this opening night, the song Peter Frampton was playing onstage, as the film’s credits rolled, was “My guitar gently weeps.”
Acclaimed casting director John Papsidera has shaped some of Hollywood’s most memorable films through the art of casting and its essential role in storytelling. With six Artios Awards for outstanding casting, as well as six nominations and two Emmy Awards for his work in television, his credits span more than 250 film and television projects—including Austin Powers, Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, Zombieland, Interstellar, Oppenheimer, The Odyssey, HBO’s Westworld, Paramount’s Yellowstone and many more. He’ll share insights into discovering talent, building iconic ensembles, and bringing unforgettable characters and stories to life.
PANELIST
John Papsidera (L), Connie Wilson (Center) and Director Jason Reitman (R) after the showing in Nashville of “Saturday Night Live” on September 21, 2025. Papsidera will present on a panel at the 57th Nashville International Film Festival, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the National Museum of African American Music on Friday, September 25, 2026. Come back for my report on his remarks. [Should be an interesting discussion of the casting choices in the recent “The Odyssey.”]
BACKGROUND
John Papsidera started his professional career as a trained actor graduating from Florida State University with a BFA degree and attending post-Graduate studies at Circle in the Square in New York City. Starting as a casting assistant at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, John moved into feature film casting and worked on such big budget action films as Clear and Present Danger, The Net, Anaconda and Cutthroat Island.
Starting in 1997, Papsidera embarked on forming his own casting company and over the past 27 years has been the Casting Director for over 250 films and television projects. His film credits include, the original Austin Powers, Boiler Room, Memento, Batman: Begins, The Longest Yard, The Prestige, Enchanted, The Dark Knight, Zombieland and Zombieland: Double Tap, Inception, The Grey, The Dark Knight Rises, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Gangster Squad, Men Women and Children, Interstellar, Venom,Uncharted, Dunkirk, Tenet, Honey Boy, The Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters; Afterlife, Ghostbusters; Frozen Empire, Twisters, Oppenheimer, Saturday Night, James Gunn’s Superman and The Odyssey. Television credits include, HBO’s If These Walls Could Talk, Live from Baghdad, Carnivale, Lackawanna Blues, Prison Break, Showtime’s Ray Donovan, Hulu’s Casual, Netflix’s Lost In Space, HBO’s Westworld, HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, Paramount’s Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, Lioness, Lawman: Bass Reeves, The Offer, Land Man, The Madison, Netflix’s Wednesday and The Night Agent, Amazon’s Fallout and Mob Land for Paramount+.
AWARDS
His achievements in the field of casting include 35nominations and six prestigious Artios Awards for outstanding casting and six nominations and two Emmys for his work in television. In 2025, John was also awarded the Hoyt Bowers Award for excellence in casting and his body of work and outstanding contribution to the casting profession. Papsidera formed his entertainment company, Automatic Sweat, in the fall of 2000.
PERSONAL
“Joke,” “Bobby,” “Little Bug,” “Next,” “Birds of Paradise,” “Grown” at HollyShorts
Judi Dench in “Joke” at HollyShorts 2026.
“Joke” is British and features Judi Dench in a scene that is closest to the end and lasts for under 5 minutes.It is 13’20” of jokes that Mooncalf Presents—itself a funny opening. None of the actors rang any bells in my head, with the exception of Dame Judi Dench, but the jokes are pleasant. So, what are the jokes of “Joke?”
1) A deacon is critiquing the very first sermon of a young girl who, among other things, entered by sliding down a banister, ripped up her sermon and threw it in the air after delivering it and—suggests the older priest ever so gently—“When you mention David and Goliath,you might say that David slew Goliath, rather than saying he went medieval on his ass.”
2) A deaf patient is told that his headaches might be alleviated if he put his head between his wife’s breasts. The patient is asking about his wife’s hearing and is told to ask her something softly and gradually move up towards her repeating the question. We learn by the end of THIS joke that the deaf one is not the wife but the husband. And the doctor assumed that the patient understood the breasts in question were attached to the patient’s wife, not the doctor’s!
3) A joke that involved confusion between yachting, versus anal sex was my personal favorite. It’s too long for the set-up, but suffice it to say that the punch line, “He only did it twice. Once he got sick and the second time his hat flew off,” was worth a chuckle.
4) The opening Archbishop of Canterbury joke and the piece involving masturbation were weaker than the others, but upheld the British tradition of randy references. The joke that Dame Judi was cast in (last of the short) was the weakest and involved a rooster; use your imagination.
“BOBBY”
This was a minute and a half and it was fantastic! Henry Burge wrote and directed and there is great action. The low pulsing beat of the music by Connor Musarra with sound design by Eliot Connors was terrific. Bobby has apparently taken at least $10,000. There are some people after him; they aren’t kidding around. I definitely want to see this one as a feature length film or TV series. I hope Anthony Skordi, Siri Miller, Noam Shapiro, Charlz Williams return in a longer feature length film. Director of Photography was Travers Jacobs. This minute and a half was riveting entertainment!
“LITTLE BUG”
Martin Freeman in “Little Bug” at HollyShorts 2026.
Starring Martin Freeman and written and directed by Matt Branston, a very cute Russian dog is chosen to go into space in 1957. Laika, the dog, is being sacrificed for experimental purposes. The pup is so cute and friendly that the phrase we hear from Alexandra Barredo and Martin Freeman, as father and daughter, is “I’m sorry we picked you.” Launched into space in 1957 and officially named Laika, “Little Bug” was the affectionate nickname of the small pup. At the end of the short film onscreen it says, “We did not learn enough to justify the death of this dog.”
“BIRDS OF PARADISE”
Stand-up comic Janeane Garofolo portrays Carmella Camin, a resident of Staten Island who is sick and tired of the hordes of feral wild turkeys that poop all over the place. At one point, she is shown bagging 149 pounds of turkey droppings and lugging it from the grounds. This is apparently a real thing in Staten Island, with no solution in sight. Sean Price Williams directed with Music Supervision by Nick Crane.
Michael Rapaport as Jake Rabinowitz in “Next”at HollyShorts.
Janeane Garofolo is the sole performer. She is great in the part.
“NEXT”
Michael Rapaport appears as actor Jacob Rabinowitz, who is auditioning for a role at the Denizen Theater in Water Street, New Paltz, New York. Denizen is the only European style Cinema Arts Venue in New York and collaborated on this 14’49” film written by Neil LaBute and directed by AdanPeltier.
Rapaport shows why he was used so regularly in Woody Allen movies, displaying true acting chops. He enters the audition with some credits in television and theater, including “guy at the next table in an episode of The Sopranos.” But it is the director—well-played by Mark Feuerstein as Tom (“Tommy”) Jeffries—whose memory conjures up their 7th grade year at Bowman East Junior High School, where the two were classmates.
MarkFeuerstein as Tom (“Tommy”) Jeffries in “Next” at HollyShorts 2026.
Apparently young Jake, when in junior high school with the director now casting his next project, bullied little Tommy Jeffries pulling his pants down in the school cafeteria and taking his lunch money.
Jake, who was the bully, is now to perform the monologue from “The Iron String” for its Writer/Director. I couldn’t help but think about another man with power who loves to humiliate others as retribution.
Director Jeffries has Jake do the scene over and over, changing the notes he gives him and ends by dismissing his childhood nemesis with a curt “We’ll let you know.”
Both actors were terrific in their parts. The piece was an exercise in humiliation but also perhaps a seasoned actor’s way of commenting on directors, in general. Perhaps the message beneath the words is to always be nice to others, because those you abuse on the way up you may meet on the way down.
I watched this one more than three times, to enjoy the great performances by the two leads and to ponder the message.
“GROWN”
An Honorable Mention should go here to the 15’ 16” film “Grown” that featured three girlfriends going out for a night on the town with fake I.D.’s. I laughed out loud when one of the three, getting her first look at her fake I.D. said, “Why are we from Idaho?” She also remarked that the photo was one submitted for a doctor’s appointment (facial work?). Sounded perfect.
As the trio sets off on their adventure, via subway, they encounter a loud drunk who leers suggestively at them. They immediately bury their faces in their phones. When the drunk comes close and says, “Where are you going tonight, ladies?” one of the three pipes up, “Your Mom’s house.” This is not well received by the drunk.
As they exit the subway ( I saw Bergen on a large sign, which is the only city In New Jersey I’ve ever been to; it was subsequently absorbed by Jersey City, New Jersey) one of the girls gets her period. Attending to this becomes a major need, including a stop at a convenience store. Frankie is the only one who has money, which the store clerk demands in order to let them use his rest room. Frankie slaps down a $100 bill and bolts for the rest room in the back.
The three reach the club where the bouncer (Zachary Zamski) immediately calls out the fake I.D.’s and denies the trio entry to the club. One feisty member of the trio even attempts to rush the bouncer, which does not work out well. At that point, a comment is made about the night’s planned entertainment and whether they can, indeed, take in the concert (which may have precipitated rushing the bouncer.) One of the girls says, to Frankie,“That was the plan, before we almost got triple fucked on the subway and you free-bled all over Brooklyn.” The line caused me to laugh so hard that Diet Dr. Pepper came out of my nose.
Kudos to Audrey Circello who wrote and directed. Writers don’t get enough credit, and this writing was exceptionally funny. Additional praise for Olivia Scott Welsh (Shawna), Sydney Leisir (Sabrina), and Savy Jackson who played Frankie. Willa Troy edited. The music was great (Selfish Soul, performed by Sudan Archives.)
An entertaining 15-minute short at HollyShorts 2026.
Synopsis: “Christmas Angels follows a single mother and her young daughter as they navigate poverty, and a mother’s determination not to let their circumstances rob her child of joy.” The duo are homeless, but (apparently) using wire (later used to make Christmas ornaments) to pick locks and find shelter from the wintery blasts. Loosely inspired by writer and co-director Ida Hoffman’s own life with a mother trying to raise three kids by herself, the film marks Ida Hoffman’s debut as a filmmaker.
Ida wrote the piece, directed it and stars in it with a skeleton crew and shot on a shoestring budget. Writer/Director Ida and Co-director Remington Hoffman do a great job of presenting the very attractive mother/daughter duo in distress. Remington deserves praise for the cinematography.
Una Bay Hoffman plays the part of Ida’s young daughter. She is charming in this real-life role. Any mother of a girl thinks their daughter at this age is the cutest child ever. Una certainly is in the running for that title in this film. She reacts with completely genuine familiarity. Most of the charm of the piece comes from watching the mother/daughter duo interact, although it is unlikely that homelessness was ever this much fun in real life or carried out in such high-style surroundings.
PLOT
It was a bit difficult, at first, to understand why Ida and her child hide from the male figure who enters the house, seemingly to pick something up. We later figure out that it is supposed to be Mitch Keeler, the real owner of this pricey piece of real estate.
When the security guard (Benjamin Chamberlain) discovers the mother and child within the house, dressed in large fluffy bathrobes, he apologizes, at first believing Ida’s story that the two are house-sitting. A quick call to Mitch Keeler quickly reveals that “Sarah Smith” is not really house-sitting. The security guard informs Ida that he is going to have to contact the police. At this point, the resourceful Mom Ida asks for a bit of time behind the door to change the two into clothes. They immediately flee.
However, in the very next scene, (apparently somewhere close by), the mother/daughter duo are shown knocking on doors selling home-made wire Christmas tree ornaments house-to-house (to buyers Niles Antoli and Josie O’Brien). The mother/daughter trespassers learn from Niles and Josie that most other residents in this upscale neighborhood have already left for the holidays, which is helpful news that comes at the right time.
The last scenes depict Ida once again picking the lock to gain entry.
CONCLUSION
The lovely homes—exterior and interior—and the beautiful child and mother make the cinematography (by Remington Hoffman) interesting and beautiful, featuring Christmas decorations and lovely homes. Watching the two frolicking and seeking shelter from the elements as occurred at the first Christmas in Bethlehem (in a manger and a stable) is touching. The film—shot with natural light—is beautifully photographed; the sound design is by Lucas Heinel.
The 13’ 25” short is pitched as “timely” in depicting the disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots” in today’s society. The only thing wrong with that logic is that the ability to lock-pick one’s way into posh lodgings for free seemed incredibly easy and unbelievably fast, since the two bogus lodgings seem to have been right around the corner from one another.
Plus, the mother/daughter duo appeared to be the legitimate residents. They are clean and cute and well-dressed in large fluffy robes that they also have apparently “borrowed.” Said the synopsis: “The story feels especially relevant now as economic inequality continues to grow and impact vulnerable populations, including single parents. While conversations around poverty often focus on statistics, Christmas Angels brings the human experience into the foreground and reminds audiences that dignity, imagination, and love are vital and exist far beyond someone’s circumstances.”
At times, this looked like an advertisement for luxury bedding or super-fluffy lounging bathrobes. The sets are beautiful and so are Ida and Una.
Homelessness never looked so good IRL .
Director Rosell Tursi retells the story of her 72-year-old Italian grandmother, Rosa Tursi, who was taken hostage by bank robbers Bernard Belisle and Pierre Racicot in Montreal, Canada on September 1, 1983 in the 25-minute mini-doc “The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers.”
THE STORY
Convict Bernard Belisle had escaped from Parthenais Prison, where he was doing seven years of time. Bernard and an accomplice, Pierre Racicot, chose to rob a Royal Bank at Bernar and Park Avenue in Montreal. When things did not go smoothly and they were on the run, they saw the open door of Rosa Tursi’s nearby first floor flat and entered.
Armed with guns and a grenade, the duo took Rosa hostage. Bernard recalled that Rosa resisted being handcuffed saying, “She was a tough lady.” The stand-off lasted for 24 hours, during which time Bernard drank a Mountain Dew from Rosa’s refrigerator, offering to pay her for the beverage. Bernard remembered vividly the smell of Italian tomato sauce in the kitchen. He vowed that he would rather die than go back to prison.
THE DIRECTOR
Pierre Raicot in 1983 at the crime scene.
Rosa’s granddaughter, Rosella, who has been editing movies (14) and television shows (28) since at least 2018 decided to track down the truth behind the oft-repeated family story. Rosa, herself, died in January of 2006 at age 94, so it is relatives like Anna Tursi Cirino (daughter) and Morena Taylor and one of the bank robbers, himself (Bernard) who tell the story behind the story. As daughter Anna Tursi Cirino put it, “She was sitting there watching her soap operas and then her life became a soap opera.”
THE ROBBER
One of the robbers, Bernard Belisle, appears and is interviewed. His vow regarding death over imprisonment caused him to inject himself with ethanol, used in veterinarians’ offices, before being taken prisoner and carried from the house on a stretcher. Bernard was taken to the hospital where he remained in a coma for 3 days.
Bernard Belisle in 1983 at the scene of the crime,
Bank robber Bernard Belisle today.
Officials tacked on another 10 years in prison for Bernard as punishment for the escape and the bank robbery. Now reformed, he works at St. Thomas of Assissi Church in Montreal. Bernard knew nothing about his former partner in crime.
ROSA TURSI
Grandma Rosa Tursi on the left, as seen in photographs from “The Time My Grandmother Was Taken Hostage by Bank Robbers” at the HollyShorts 2026 Film Festival.
Rosella’s grandmother refused to move from her first floor home, despite expressing concern that all in the family keep their doors and windows locked from then on and the Tursi family’s concerns for her safety. She lived there, alone, until her death in January of this year.
The story, written by Christine Champagne in collaboration with Rosella, was interesting, and original music was provided by Mandy Hoffman. Newspaper photos and actual testimony from the reformed criminal himself (after 40-some years) made this 25-minute short about a feisty grandmother from Italy, who emigrated from Italy to Canada in 1952 into an interesting and entertaining mini documentary.
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HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2026 AWARD NOMINEES
Top 10 Live Action Short Film Finalists Vie for the Festival’s Oscar®-Qualifying Award
The HollyShorts Film Festival today announced the nominees and finalists for its 22nd annual edition, recognizing standout achievements in short-form filmmaking from emerging and established storytellers around the world.
Taking place August 13–23, 2026 in Hollywood, HollyShorts brings together filmmakers, talent and industry leaders for screenings, panels, networking events and celebrations of independent cinema, culminating in the annual HollyShorts Awards Gala on Sunday, August 23.
At the center of this year’s competition are the Top 10 Live Action Short Film Finalists, competing for HollyShorts’ coveted Oscar®-qualifying awards, Grand Prix and Best Live-Action. They will also vie for the Best Director Award.
TOP 10 LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM FINALISTS
- Callback
- Echoes
- FAUX BIJOUX
- I Am the Prize
- Life Goes On
- Meeting Your Maker
- Never Give Up
- PALE SUN
- Talk Me
- VULTURES
BEST ANIMATION
- Apart
- Captives
- Gauze
- Saba
- With Tapes and Toasts in the Car
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- I Got My Brother
- The Chimney Sweeper
- The Second Life of Freddie Nole
- The Time My Grandmother Was Held Hostage by Bank Robbers
- When the Revolution Doesn’t Come
BEST DRAMA
- Copy, Save
- For Niko
- Gobstopper
BEST COMEDY
- Callback
- Disc
- The Oracle
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Hyena
- Shutterspeed
- The Kalgan Horse
BEST EDITING
- A Crime Across Four Landscapes
- How Brief
- HYENA
BEST HORROR
- Banshee
- Benny’s Second Birthday
- Thick Skin
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- Betty St. Clair
- King of the Iron Will
- La Lucha de Lucia
BEST STUNTS
- Floor
- kaya (ᜃᜌ)
- The Impression
BEST INTERNATIONAL
- FAUX BIJOUX
- Souvenir
- VULTURES
BEST MIDNIGHT MADNESS
- MORTY
- Thanks to Meet You!
- The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
- Archbishop Harold Holmes
- The Macks – Dually of Man x The Modern Grape
- Weval — Open Up That Door
BEST PERFORMANCE
- Down the Length
- I Am the Prize
- Katya
BEST PRODUCER
- Bobby
- Last Stand at Butte City
- Laundreams
SAGINDIE AWARD
- Them That’s Not
- FarEye
- Woman Land
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
- AMERICA
- EXTREMIST
- Water Cooler
BEST SCI-FI
- EUROPA
- Imprint
- Infinite Rifts
BEST STUDENT FILM
- Crisis Actor
- Pankaja
- See You, Soon
HOLLYSHORTS × FILMIO STUDIOS AUDIENCE SHORT FILM DISCOVERY PARTNERSHIP
HollyShorts and Filmio Studios have also revealed the Top 10 finalists for their Audience Short Film Discovery Partnership, with five winners set to share $15,000 in cash prizes:
- Another Day in New York — Adam & Sean Pine
- Anxiety — Vladyslav Fidryk
- Christmas Angels — Remington Hoffman
- DOMINO SPRINGS — Dan Hertzog
- From Way Up Here — Celeste Chaney
- Girl | Dad — Lianzi Fields
- Jes and Lora — Patrick Coleman Duncan
- Naughty Maids — Rommel Rojas
- Size Queen — Kenny Fierro
- The POP — Eric J. Rodriguez
KODAK AWARDS
KODAK BEST SHOT ON FILM — 35MM
- It Comes in Waves
- Kink
- Signal
KODAK BEST SHOT ON FILM — 16MM
- El Tiguere
- FAUX BIJOUX
- Gobstopper
BEST TV
- Do I Know You From Somewhere?
- Savage
- Too Romantic
BEST EFFECTS
- Europa
- Oneiros
- The Color
BEST WEB SERIES
- Birth is for P*ssies
- Love Bomb Squad
- Why Do You Hate Me?
MADE IN LA AWARD
- Aaron and His Dad Try To Find Closure & Lucy Celebrates Andie’s Birthday at Universal Citywalk Hollywood
- Christmas Angels
- Spill the Frijoles
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
- Beatport x Miller Mix: Georgia
- Reflections Under the Electric Sky
- shut the fuck up, when WE speak
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
- Miles of Life
- SET PACE
- Zina
BEST PODCAST
- abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
- Don’t Worry, No One’s Listening
- TWO THOUSAND AND LATE
ABOUT HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL
The Academy Awards® and BAFTA®-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival celebrates its 22nd edition in 2026, continuing its mission of championing short-form filmmakers and connecting emerging and established storytellers with audiences and entertainment-industry leaders.
The 2026 HollyShorts Film Festival runs August 13–23, 2026, headquartered at the TCL Chinese Theatres and venues throughout Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. The festival culminates with the HollyShorts Awards Gala on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
For festival information, schedules and tickets, visit HollyShorts.com
I watched three of the documentary short offerings from HollyShorts tonight. There are usually 4 or 5 such shorts queued up, but tonight there were seven. I still have some to go, and I’m still wondering how I can summon specific films for watching, like “Little Bug.”(Martin Freeman).
ERUCTATION
Kayla, of “Eructation.”First I watched the 7-minute short “Eructation,” about Kaley, who wants to set the world record for the loudest burp, (currently 107.3 decibels.)
Kayla gives us 4 sure-fire methods to help create gas to facilitate burping: consume cereal, soup, beer, sip through a straw and lay down for at least 4 minutes.Cinematographer Max Henderson captures Kayla’s husband, Eric, who is not amused by her obsession with eructation. Says Kayla: “I think he’s super-ready for me to be done. It’s hard on the marriage. I think he’s kind of jealous.”
In the course of the 7-minute film from Director Victoria Trow we learn that different household appliances have different degrees of loudness: Hairdryer- 87 decibels; Vacuum- 74 decibels; Blender – 95 decibels; Barking dog – 76 decibels; Lawn mower – 93 decibels; Leaf blower -105 decibels; Forest – 35 decibels.
Kayla does not break the world record for burping. Maybe she can go for farting next?
PLUMPED
This 12’11” Rolling Stone short gives credit to Kylie Jenner and 2013/2014 for giving insecure women permission to spend as much as $20,000 to improve their faces (in particular their lips) by having them injected with Botox in an attempt to “feel sexy.” One girl, pictured having a needle inserted into her lips, said it was painful, but added, “but it’s good pain.”
Ouch!
A MAN WHO TAKES PICTURES OF FLOWERS
A gorgeous film! Bravo!
Korean native Jung Myung Kim was the photographer who spent 40 years taking pictures of flowers in Korea. He described for the documentarian, who collated 6,000 hours of movie clip of flowers in Korea to make this gorgeous film, how he actually stole his first camera and then learned to operate it.
One surprising bit of information, for me, personally, was this:
Convallaria majalis) or Lily of the Valley is a highly toxic plant containing over 30 cardiac glycosides (like convallatoxin) and saponins. Every part of the plant—including the leaves, flowers, roots, berries, and even the water in a vase—is poisonous and can cause severe gastrointestinal and cardiac illness if ingested.
Yikes!
My parents had a flower bed of Lily of the Valley planted right outside the ground floor window of my bedroom. It was customary for me, on Saturday mornings, to climb out the window and wade through the bed of Lily of the Valley and disappear in the neighborhood, in an attempt to avoid my mother’s favorite early Saturday morning wake-up call to “pitch in” and begin cleaning the house.
Mom was a kindergarten teacher. She routinely roused me and my four-years-older sister Kay to help clean the house early on Saturday mornings. It was not high on our list of “favorite things to do.”
My sister generally weakly resisted Mom’s directions to “pitch in.” Kay probably evaded it using some health ploy, as that seems to have been her M.O.
I took more evasive action. I actually climbed out of the ground floor window, wading through the Lily-of-the-Valley plants, and took off. I used a similar strategy to avoid going to the dentist (Dr. Lowell Schrader), although that avoidance technique was launched from elementary school and never worked well, long-term. This technique might not be something that today’s youth could safely do, but in small town America then, it was not only safe, but savvy. Never knew I was risking life and limb by wading amongst the Lilies-of-the-Valley, however.
Let’s enjoy some of the gorgeous flowers that a
ppear in the 
short:
Iman Karram as Yara in “It’s Complicated,” screening at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
The 17’ 42” short “It’s Complicated”, executive produced by Zoe Saldana, is an Iman Karram one-woman show. Written, produced by and starring Iman Karram, It’s Complicated follows Yara, “a Palestinian-American screenwriter in Los Angeles, whose online Arabic lessons with Hana (Dina Shuhaiber), a poet and teacher living in Gaza, blossom into a profound friendship built on shared ambition, humor, and sisterhood. Mainly, we learn about Hana as she attempts to tutor Yara via Zoom, helping her to master speaking Arabic.”
CAST
Besides Iman Karram and Dina Schuhaiber as the pregnant tutor from afar, Liz Charky was the Director of Photography and Tarek Yamani contributed an original score. Darine Hotait co-wrote with Iman Karram. Amongst those thanked as supporters, in addition to Zoe Saldana, were Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Pedro Pascal, the Arab Film and Media Institute and the Islamic Scholarship Fund.
IMAN KARRAM
“Iman Karram is an Arab American actress, writer, and producer from Washington, D.C. …She spent her early years dancing competitively, interning on Capitol Hill, and performing in regional theater before earning degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Film at UCLA.
She recently starred opposite Michael Angarano and Michael Cera in the Tribeca-premiering feature “Sacramento”. Her project “Like The Tide”, was written, produced, and led by Iman. Celebrated for both her comedic instincts and her athletic background, recognized by LeBron James and the LA Rams, Iman brings a dynamic physicality and emotional intelligence to every role she takes on.”
Writer/Director/Actress Iman Karram of “It’s Complicated” at HollyShorts Film Festival.
The above 2 paragraphs, quoted from IMDBPRO, explain who Iman Karram is. I did not notice any “dynamic physicality” in her role as Yara. Yara’s conversations with the distant Hana, who is pregnant and awaiting the birth of a child, were not very dramatic, given Hana’s situation. We hear Yara attempting to master Arabic and cooking. While interesting, it seemed to skirt the very real life-and-death issues enveloping the Gaza Strip.
THE BACKDROP
With all the recent publicity involving Israel and Palestine and the Gaza Strip, a great deal of drama was omitted from this short that could have informed us about the ongoing Gaza Strip situation. That message was not driven home with any forcefulness. We see Iman cooking and chatting with Hana, but the short is largely lifeless regarding the visceral issues laid bare after the assault on Israel by 6,000 Hamas warriors on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,200 Jewish civilians and the abduction of 251 hostages to Gaza (what has been dubbed “the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.”)
THRUST/COUNTER-THRUST
That invasion of Israel by Hamas triggered the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike back at Gaza. There are estimates of 73,000 direct deaths, 463 famine death, and 10,000 presumed buried under rubble in the Gaza Strip, according to Wikipedia.
At least 173,900 Palestinian Arabs have been injured. Gaza now has the most child amputees, per capita, of any nation in the world, with more than 21,000 children disabled and 50% of casualties being women and children.
As of May, 2024, 84% of Gaza’s health centers had been destroyed or damaged, as had all 12 of Gaza’s universities. Eighty-five per cent of Gaza’s population were forcibly displaced and the government of South Africa instituted proceedings at the International Court of Justice alleging a violation of the Genocide Convention.
CONCLUSION
There was definitely an engrossing story that could have been told to add to the viewer’s knowledge of what is going on in the Gaza Strip.
This wasn’t it.
Nolan Gould of “The Liars of Black Mountain Road” at HollyShorts.
Nolan Gould, who played Luke Dunphy for 247 episodes of “Modern Family” between 2009 and 2020, appears in the HollyShorts 12’ 37” film opposite Millie Gibbons as Abbie. Gibbons played Kelly Neelan on “Coronation Street” for 172 episodes between 2019 and 2022. Millie also appeared in “Dr. Strange.”
Also mentioned in the credits of this Parker Groff directed short is Aidan Gould, Nathan’s brother, as Music Supervisor, with Ian Chase in charge of sound design. Perhaps the most remarkable music choice was the use of “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Anslem Douglas of Baba Men.
MUSIC
Gould removing the dead dog from the highway.
The choice of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” coincides nicely with the theme of the short, which involves a couple who accidentally hit and kill a dog on a highway (filmed near Los Angeles) and then attempt to do the right thing and contact the owner. There is a chip on the dog’s collar with the owner’s phone number and the couple does stop and notify the owner (Bill Welden) who drives out to recover the dead body of his pet.
TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES ?
But does Ethan (Nathan Gould) tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth in letting the owner know how his pet died? That is Abbie’s (Millie Gibbons) repeated question for Ethan. She feels it incumbent to tell the bereaved owner the whole truth of the tragedy. (A second song used is “There Is So Much Pain in the World,” performed by Touching Ice, but the tune that burrows its way into your consciousness is “Who Let the Dogs Out?”)
Who, indeed?
Millie Gibbons with Nolan Gould in “The Liars of Black Mountain Road” at HollyShorts Film Festival.
We never learn the answer to that question. You can draw your own conclusions as to which member of this couple—-Ethan or Abbie—is the most truthful and honest.
It was fun to see Nolan Gould as a much-older version of Luke Dunphy, although his remark on a talk show interview that he is a member of MENSA defies believability based on past performances as the youngest male “Modern Family” member. We can assume that he is such a good actor that he portrayed a dim bulb beautifully.
As always, smart to have a car be the “set” for this small slice of life, which has us pondering issues about truth and transparency that are germane with what’s going on in today’s world—especially the political world.