LA Shorts Fest

Fresh out of UCLA, a 23 year old Shane Black wrote Lethal Weapon. The enormous success of the film, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, helped launch one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood history with three sequels. Within the industry, Black was credited for reinventing and reviving the “buddy” action film genre.

Black’s love of Film Noir, firebrand cops, tough-as-nails but down-and-out private eyes, and secret agents on the run allowed for memorable protagonists in The Last Boy Scout starring Bruce Willis and The Long Kiss Goodnight starring Geena Davis. But it wasn’t until 2005, after a retreat from Hollywood lasting almost a decade, that Black returned to filmmaking as both writer and director on Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. A film-noir action-comedy about a petty thief from New York who finds himself embroiled in a Hollywood mystery, the masterfully directed film stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Routinely praised by critics, Black received numerous awards for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang including Best Original Screenplay from The San Diego Film Critics Association.

Black’s “maverick” style of screenwriting incorporates his tongue-in-cheek sensibility, bold side comments and jokes about situations taking place within his story, even the occasional jab at studio executives and readers. Copiously studied, often copied, but never equaled, Shane Black’s iconoclastic work has secured him a place in Hollywood as one of its highest paid screenwriters. His dedication to and mastery of the filmmaking craft have earned him this year’s distinction of Maverick Filmmaker.

Winner of Golden Globe Awards for best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, 4 Emmy Nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Though Sandra has appeared in many unseen short films, one of her more recent ventures "Kind of a Blur" directed by her friend Jon, was screened at LA Shorts Fest in 2005. Sandra loves many short things: short walks, short skirts, short airplane rides and above all, short films. She thanks LA Shorts Fest for this opportunity.

Andrew Reimer: Sr. VP of Acquisitions and Productions for HBO
Andy Reimer has been involved in film production, acquisition and distribution for over 20 years, most recently as Sr. VP Production and Acquisition for HBO Video. Previous positions include President at DEJ Productions, and Sr. VP Acquisition at First Look Studios. He has also worked for Lions Gate Entertainment and Warner Bros. Credits include Executive Producer: “Crash”, “The Matador”, “Peaceful Warrior” and others. As an executive, he has been involved in the production and acquisition of over 300 independent films.

David Bossert: Creative Director at Walt Disney Animation Studios

David A. Bossert has been with the Walt Disney Company for more than 24 years. His film work includes The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Pocahontas, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, Fantasia 2000 and the Academy Award-nominated shorts Runaway Brain, Destino and Lorenzo. Over the years he has served as a Producer, Director, Associate Producer, Artistic Coordinator, and Visual Effects Supervisor on various films.

Alex Meenehan: Creative Executive at Smoke House
Smoke House is George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s production company, and Alex has been with the company since its inception in August ’06. She graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and remains active in the alumni community.

J. Sikura: Director of Development at The Robert Evans Company
Mr. Sikura handles motion picture development for legendary producer Robert Evans, who’s past films include The Godfather, Chinatown, The Saint, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The company carries a first-look production deal with Paramount Pictures.

Ernest Hardy: Film Critic for the L.A. Weekly
Ernest Hardy’s music and film criticism have appeared in the New York Times, the Village Voice, LA Weekly, Rolling Stone, the LA Times, Flaunt and the LA Weekly. He’s a contributor to the reference books, 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide.

The LA Shorts Fest is now entering its 12th year as an Academy accredited Festival. We have a proud history, 30 of our festival shorts have received Oscar nominations, including 9 winners. Because the Festival attracts the best up-and-coming young directors and writers, we have embarked on an ambitious program of talent discovery development.

The Festival will feature a select few directors/writers from the creative community whom we feel show promise in the entertainment industry, based on their films and projects (scripts, treatments, story ideas etc.) in development. The Festival will then invite industry professionals to meet these fortunate directors/writers, who will have a rare opportunity to introduce themselves and their projects to you and your company.

We are currently creating a network of industry professionals consisting of agents, managers, producers, financiers, and distributors that we would like to participate in this talent discovery project.

If you currently have a profile active you will need to login and go to MyAccount to update your information and projects.

Keep in mind that the creative community is in the beta stage, so if you experience any problems or have any questions please email us.