Official Selections: LA Indie Film Festival
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Complete Line-Up Below
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Use Index to learn more about each film.
FIRESIDE
Short
In the winter of 1998, sixteen-year-old Hanyu Liu returned to his hometown with his parents to run a mutton restaurant.
The subtle tension between his father and an old friend, coupled with his own growing closeness to a new companion, slowly unveiled hidden fissures beneath the family's seemingly tranquil surface.
As the boy's first inklings of desire intertwined with the unspoken past of his father's generation, that late-night gathering around the wooden table laden with mutton dishes began to radiate an unsettling warmth.
Director: Xiaopei Wang
Producer: Ying Zhuge
Writer: Xiaopei Wang
Cast: Shuming Mo, Yu Fu, Xianzhe Zhang, Yuanqi Jia, Jinhan Chen, Youxiao Sun
Cinematographer: Dongze Li
Editor: Dongfeng Han
Selected Awards and Recognition:
Platinum Award, Best Student Short – FIRESIDE, Independent Shorts Awards (Los Angeles, USA), 2025.
Award of Excellence (Special Jury Mention) – FIRESIDE, Index Film Fest (Los Angeles, USA), 2025.
Foreign Film Winner – FIRESIDE, Manhattanhenge Film Festival (USA), 2025.
Honorable Mention – FIRESIDE, Hollywood Shortsfest (USA), 2025.
Honorable Mention – FIRESIDE, California Women‘s Film Festival (USA), 2026.
The film has received 15+ awards and selections internationally (2025–2026).
Fractured
Short
West Coast Premiere
Fractures follows a father as he struggles to balance the needs of his young daughter, Sophie, while navigating the tension between his new partner and his late wife’s mother. Set during Sophie’s 7th birthday, the film explores themes of unresolved grief and family conflict, exposing the emotional cracks that threaten to tear them apart.
Director: Roman Gubin
Producer: Inna Korobkina, Roman Gubin
Writer: Roman Gubin
Cast: Layla Douglas, TJ Cheslea, Inna Korobkina, JoAnn Nordstrom
Cinematographer: Daniel Zlobin
Editor: Enrico Ferri
Website: www.romangubin.com (director's website)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romgubin/ (director's insta)
J.J.
Short, Drama
West Coast Premiere
As foster parents seek permanent safety for their son in court, a routine hearing unravels into a life-altering reckoning.
(Based on true events)
Director: Adam Dietrich, Elliott Gilbert
Producer: Anne Beyer, Adam Dietrich, Elliott Gilbert
Writer: Paula Goldberg
Cast: Anne Beyer, Aalok Mehta, Jason Douglas, Ren Fanka, Amanda Joy Erickson, Arianne Martin, Denise Lee, Nikki Dixon, Major Dodge, Nene Nwoko, Azai White
Cinematographer: Jon Blaze
Editor: Jon Blaze
Winner: Outstanding Achievement Award (Drama Short), Best Short of the Season - Runner -up (Special Jury Mentions) - Indie Short Fest.
When a child enters "the system", their future depends on the diligence of Child Protective Services and the sound ruling of the Family Court Judge.
Unfortunately, rarely is the biological parent's mental health state under thorough investigation.
J.J. tells the tragic story shared by far too many foster children in the United States.
From the filmmakers to the cast, this project was born out of a shared belief in speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Knawbone Creek
Web Series
A suburban man's life is turned upside down by a tragic event. While attempting to mitigate the damage, He crosses paths with a malevolent stranger who takes sadistic delight in making the man's bad situation worse. Much, much worse.
Director: Scott Vandiver
Producer: Scott Vandiver, April Smallwood
Writer: April Smallwood
Cast: Preston Flagg, Matthew Flynn, Lora McHugh, Eduardo DeColosio, Shenita Moore
Cinematographer: Christopher Pearson
Editor: Jeremy Inman, Lea Vrabelova
Festival of Cinema: NYC - 2025 Best Web Series. Breaking TV/Film: London – Best Director and Best Thriller/Crime series.
Website: https://www.apricottproductions.com/
Instagram: @knawbonecreek
Facebook: Knawbone Creek