2025 Film Fest at Hollywood Park Announces Awards

‘Becoming Vera’ Takes Best Picture and Wins The Festival’s Grand Prize of an Academy-Qualifying One Week Run at Cinépolis Cinemas

Best Documentary Shared by ‘Clint Eastword: A Life In Film’ and ‘A State of Passion’ while ‘Just Sing’ Soars With Audience Favorite Nod

‘Family Sunday’ Named Best Short Film; ‘On a Sunday at Eleven’ Receives Special Mention, Belgian Short ‘Apocalypse’ Wins Best Documentary

LOS ANGELES | Oct. 14, 2025 — After seven days of screenings across 48 features and 70 short films, virtually all making their Los Angeles theatrical premieres, the inaugural 2025 Film Fest at Hollywood Park, presented by Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas and Hollywood Park, is proud to announce this year’s award winners. Best Picture was given to the festival’s Opening Night Film Becoming Vera, the story of a gifted young pianist who struggles to survive when she ages out of foster care, and its director Sergio Vizuete also won for Best Director. The film picked up additional awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actors, Best Editing and Best Score.

The Best Documentary prize was a tie, shared by A State of Passion, which captures the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of a successful British-Palestinian plastic surgeon who volunteers to work in Gaza, co-directed by Carol Mansour and Muna Khaldi, and Clint Eastwood: A Life In Film by Michael Henry Wilson, an intimate portrait of the Hollywood living legend. Just Sing, co-directors Angelique Molina’s and Abraham Troen’s poignant but joyous documentary about a group of college acapella singers, scored the Audience Favorite Award.

Other feature winners included Best Screenplay for director Harry Locke IV’s psychological thriller Kaishaku, which screened as the festival’s Centerpiece Film; Special Jury Prize to The Seven Waves by Asma Fuad Bseiso, the last film shot in Gaza before the start of the war; Best Documentary Director to Alexander Hammer for his Room To Move , Best L.A. Film to Molar for director Jon Campbell Rose’s wild ride through the streets of the Angel City, and Best Fantasy and Best Costume for the Fellinesque A Moment For Love.

“We were excited to present the Los Angeles premiere screenings of several dozen feature and short films of all genres. Interestingly, and perhaps in keeping with the times, a recurring theme of mental health emerged organically in the line-up, reflected in such diverse films as the thriller Kaishaku, the documentary Room To Move, and the fantasy biopic A Moment For Love.” noted Festival Director Greg Ptacek.

2025 Feature Film Winners

The festival’s feature line-up was selected by Director of Programming Carolyn Schroeder and Assistant Director of Programming Kayla Sloan.

With a line-up of 10 shorts programs in competition, curated by Wellington Almeida, the festival’s Best Short Film Award went to Mexican filmmaker Gerardo Del Razo for Family Sunday (Domingo Familiar), a breathtaking single-shot work that captures a community in Mexico as it reclaims justice on its own terms. A Special Mention was awarded to Canadian filmmaker Alicia K. Harris for On a Sunday at Eleven, a delicate and poignant portrait of a seven-year-old Black girl navigating the pressures of a beauty store dominated by white beauty standards.

Other short film winners included the Best Documentary Short prize given to Apocalypse by Belgian filmmaker Benoît Méry, who impressed the jury with his immersive exploration of a heavy metal music festival in Germany, and Best Director Award to Julia Hebner for her provocative and controversial short Jeff, which follows a phone-sex operator’s strange relationship with a caller who confesses his most unspeakable secrets.

The complete list of feature film winners can be found by clicking HERE. The list of short film winners can be found HERE.

This festival also presented 17 panel discussions, curated by festival co-founder Henry Priest, on wide-ranging topics of interest to independent filmmakers and the industry writ large, including AI, film financing, disability inclusion, DEI and vertical entertainment.

The 2025 Film Festival at Hollywood Park was presented by Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas US and Hollywood Park with additional sponsorship from Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport, 101Keys Digital Marketing and Schein. Post-Production.

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Festival trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21fTHHa-jnA

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About Film Festival at Hollywood Park
Film Festival at Hollywood Park is produced by a 501(c)(3), IRS-tax-exempt charitable media-arts nonprofit organization. Our mission is to showcase the works of filmmakers from groups traditionally underrepresented by Hollywood, including women, people of color, the LGBTQI+ communities, persons with disabilities and the economically disenfranchised. We exist to promote diversity in cinema. Located in Hollywood Park, the new entertainment hub in the Film Capital of the World, the festival strives to reflect in its programming choices the unique cultural and ethnic diversity of Los Angeles and its myriad communities. Since it was established in 2000, our organization has screened more than 2,000 films of all genres, making it one of the largest independent film events in Los Angeles.

About Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas
Cinépolis U.S.A. is a luxury cinema chain, a subsidiary of Mexico-based Cinépolis, known for its elevated movie-going experiences with features like oversized reclining leather seats, in-theater waiter service and gourmet food and beverage menus. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Cinépolis U.S.A. operates premium and luxury theaters in states like California, Texas, Florida and New York, offering a higher standard of comfort and service than traditional cinemas.

About Hollywood Park
Spanning nearly 300 acres, Hollywood Park is the largest urban mixed-use development under construction in the Western United States owned, being developed and operated by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. Anchored by an up to 890,000-square-foot retail area and surrounded by creative office space, Hollywood Park offers new sophisticated residences, public parks, a lake, and premier entertainment venues. The mixed-use development is all linked by walkable paseos and plazas and centered around the 3.1 million square-foot SoFi Stadium, one of Los Angeles’ most striking architectural structures and YouTube Theater an intimate performance venue. Stylish residences and a modern open-office campus will complement the entertainment and retail district, creating a world-class destination for both local and international guests. Located just six miles off the coast, a short drive from LAX, Hollywood Park is an iconic global destination for millions to enjoy. For more information, please visit www.hollywoodparkca.com.

Media Contact:
Alisse Kingsley
for Film Festival at Hollywood Park
alissethemuse@aol.com; 323-841-8002