Mena Suvari to serve on the jury of the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival.
LOS ANGELES, CA (LA ELEMENTS) 7/30/2025 – “I’m honoured to join the HollyShorts jury this year,” says Screen Actors Guild Awards winner, Dame Penelope Wilton. “This festival is a celebration of bold creativity and the power of storytelling in its most distilled and impactful form.”
The HollyShorts Film Festival returns this summer with an all-star jury, lighting up Hollywood from August 7-17 at the legendary TCL Chinese Theatres.
Some of the other high-profile names who will adjudicate this year’s selection include Celia Imrie (Bridget Jones, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, Zero Dark Thirty), Essie Davis (The Babadook, Babyteeth), Lewis Tan (Deadpool 2, Cobra Kai), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, The Office), Mena Suvari (American Beauty, RZR), Catherine Curtin (Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things), Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons), Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience), Bradley James (Merlin, Damien), director Adam Graves who was a 2025 Oscar nominee for his live-action short Anuja, and director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Lords of Dogtown) who was last year’s recipient of HollyShorts Visionary Award.
Winners of HollyShorts awards in four key categories earn automatic Oscar qualification: Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, and Best Documentary Short.
Founded in 2005, HollyShorts has grown into one of the world’s leading platforms for short-form cinema, championing bold, diverse storytelling across an array of genres and artistic styles. This year’s edition promises to be the greatest yet, with over 400 films set to make their mark from a record breaking 7,000 submissions.
Among the other names to join the esteemed jury are Ward Bond (journalist), Matthew Carey (journalist), Cecilia Delgado (filmmaker), Sonia Gumuchian (writer), Aimee La Joie (actor), Sharon Lawrence (actor), Abi Leiff (actor), Kris Mercado (director), Caroline Monnet (filmmaker), Sandro Monetti (journalist), Joey Moser (journalist), Krishna Naik (producer), Leah N.H. Philpott (actor), Colby Schinto (NBA Agent), Weiman Seid (publicist), Sarah Stunt (actor), Amelia Tyler (actor), and Rahmin Zahed (journalist).
HollyShorts is devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums. The festival showcases the top short films produced in 40 minutes or less.
This year’s hybrid celebration of short films will take place in person, with screenings at the world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the official festival streaming platform, Bitpix TV. The festival opens on August 7 and will culminate in the Awards Gala on August 17, where the winners will be announced.
Bradley James to serve on the jury of the 2025 Holly Shorts Film Festival.
“Knowing the blood, sweat and multiple favours called in to bring these projects to fruition; makes it even more of an honour to be a judge for Hollyshorts this year, says actor Bradley James. (Medici) “I must confess I won’t be watching these films with the cold detachment of a judge but as an enthusiastic fan, wide-eyed and caffeinated, eager to learn from the terrific talent on display.”
“I’m so honored to be a part of this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival, says 2024 Emmy nominee (RZR) Mena Suvari. “Not only is it a wonderful festival that provides so much opportunity across the board, but I’m so happy to be able to support the incredible, trailblazing talent that emerges from such a medium.”
The full list of jurors in alphabetical order are: Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience), Ward W. Bond (Bond on Cinema), Mathew Carey, Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things), Essie Davis (Babyteeth), Cecilia Delgado, Jennifer Ehle (Dead Ringers), Adam Graves (Director-Anuja) Sonia Gumuchian (Writer-Home Entertainment), Catherine Hardwicke (Director-Twilight, This Is Us), Anthony Head (Ted Lasso), Celia Imrie (The Diplomat), Aimee La Joie, Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), Abi Leiff (Blubber), Kris Mercado (Nuevo Rico), Caroline Monnet (Mobilize),Sandro Monetti (Producer-Marilyn & Sinatra), Joey Moser, Krushan Naik (Producer-Anuja), Lean N.H. Philpott (Hell Hath No Fury), Colby Schinto, Weiman Seid, Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons), Sarah Stunt, Lewis Tan, Amelia Tyler and Rahmin Zahed.
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