LA Film Festival Unveils 2016 Competition Lineup; 42 World Premieres Chosen Across All Categories

Future Filmmakers Showcase: High School Shorts

A Little Love Goes A Long Clay – USA (DIRECTOR Juliet Buckholdt ) A teen has a bad experience with cyber bullying, inspiring the message that social media should be used to spread love instead of hate.

Astro, Naught – USA (DIRECTORS Katie Speare, Sacha Lin) A woman takes to the skies in her quest for love in this experimental music video.

Bad Coach – USA (DIRECTORS Carrington Bennett, Carson Bennett) Forced to change his coaching techniques, Coach Kevin learns the lesson of a lifetime.

Color Culture – USA (DIRECTOR Dominique Cojuangco) An Asian American actress struggles to form her own identity in the entertainment industry.

Daggers and Dagguerreotypes – USA (DIRECTOR Natalia Ferrara) Two postmortem photographers are dying for a bit more cash.

Epilogue – USA (DIRECTOR Julian Montez) Two adolescents sitting on a park bench come to peace with their lives as the world ends around them.

Girl – USA (DIRECTOR Abbey Sacks) A dance student at Interlochen Arts Academy creates a petition to alter the dress code at her school.

Home – USA (DIRECTOR Brandon Burnett) This exploration of the importance of family is about a woman who grew up in the foster system and was eventually adopted at the age of 32 by a same-sex couple.

In Twenty Years: Central District – USA (DIRECTOR Josh Jaffe) Gentrification in Seattle is explored and dissected through stories of the past, present and future.

Lola & Elaine – USA (DIRECTORS Tia Mayer, Chris Razniak, Thomas Wade, Piper Conley, Jayden Gillespie, Ceren Fitoz) Two friends navigate their upperclassmen years in high school in this slightly unorthodox yet endearing coming-of-age tale.

Lucky Numbers – USA (DIRECTOR Chester Milton) A young man steals a winning lottery ticket and claims $50 million.

Luis.edu – USA (DIRECTOR Soorim Lee) A high school student improves the education system one step at a time.

Memories Upon Memories – USA (DIRECTOR Geoffrey S. Glenn) A man's sense of reality is called into question when he wakes up to find that his wife has disappeared into thin air.

Of Gods and Bells – USA (DIRECTOR Alexia Salingaros) A stunning exploration of the hidden, magical world of classical Indian dance set in a modern and suburban environment.

One Question – USA (DIRECTOR Badger Antoniou) Two queer kids scour the streets of Boston in search of the answer to an unanswerable question.

Pea Soup – USA (DIRECTOR Hope Alexander) Kenzie hasn't been kissed in her entire high school career; she conspires with herself to lock lips with the man of her dreams at a party.

Resonant – USA (DIRECTORS Shantel Winslow, Sanders Evans) A young boy must learn how to cope with his sudden loss of hearing.

Spell – USA (DIRECTOR Isabella Olaguera) The fleeting nature of youth and problems with trying to meet other people's expectations are addressed in this experimental film.

The Day I Created a Hashtag – FRANCE (DIRECTOR Paul Villenave) Follow the director of this whimsical documentary as he takes a foray into the world of social media.

The Fear of Disappearing – USA (DIRECTOR Joshua Seigel) A young man tries to find a way to keep himself from disappearing.

The Good The Bad and The Willy – USA (DIRECTOR Kevin Castro) Willy breaks up with his girlfriend and turns to his boys for support.

The Skin I'm In – USA (DIRECTOR Rajaiah Jones) Three black women discuss their life experiences, insecurities and opinions about what it means to be beautiful.

Tipping Scales: The Story of Lisa Jura – USA (DIRECTORS Justin Binder, Jordan Brown, Ty Goodrich, Ned Jacobs, Ryan Kim, Chloe Kuelbs, Matthew Steiglitz, Caleb Ullendorff, Savannah Weinstock) During the Nazi occupation of Vienna, a young girl's life changed forever when her parents put her on a Kindertransport to England.

True Places Never Are – USA (DIRECTOR Theo Taplitz) A boy trapped in sadness over the death of his grandfather discovers a mysterious hole in one of the books his grandfather left behind.

Ujana – USA (DIRECTORS Kendall Huff, Rachel Simurda) A girl is introduced to a secret organization of teenagers with plans to run away from the laws of their dystopian society, and she must make a life-changing decision: run or stay.

Untitled Documentary Project – USA (DIRECTOR Robert Gordon) A young auteur makes a movie about the dumbest, and hottest, water polo jock at his school.

What Now? (Šta Sad?) –CROATIA (DIRECTORS Marko Bičanić, Karlo Vorih) Two best friends decide to go to a party and their friendship is put to the test when a person from their past shows up.

Whip It – USA (DIRECTOR Ryan Porter) A heart-wrenching exploration of a teenager's struggle with an addiction to whipped cream.

Will I  – USA (DIRECTOR Adrian Cadavid) A young girl with a passion for acting works hard to achieve her goals but encounters hardships on her path to success.

Witness – USA (DIRECTOR Jamon Tolbert) A young boy witnesses a gruesome murder in the woods and desperately tries to find an escape route, with the killer in pursuit.

Wonderful World  – RUSSIA (DIRECTOR David Saveliev) The lone survivor of an apocalypse tries to escape his surroundings while listening to the iconic song "What a Wonderful World."

WorryWart – CANADA (DIRECTOR Liam O'Connor-Savria) This documentary about a traumatic childhood accident is told using bright and colorful puppets.

Wound: A Film Diary – USA (DIRECTOR Lauren Loesberg) A personal film diary that focuses on the filmmaker's stress and anxiety, as well as her sense that she is wound too tightly.

Episodes: Indie Series From The Web

20 Seconds To Live – USA (DIRECTOR Ben Rock) Unforgettable moments; for people who hate happy endings.

Brothers – USA (DIRECTOR Emmett Jack Lundberg) The comedic trials and tribulations of four transgender masculine friends experiencing life and love in Brooklyn.

Caring – USA (DIRECTOR Maggie Kiley) An everyday comedy about attempting to remain centered amid a pile of diapers. Are these children really mine? And what's the point?

Fridays – USA (DIRECTOR Anna Kerrigan) Loving, living and learning as a (deaf) girl in the city.

The Ghost and The Negro – USA (DIRECTOR Sylvester K. Folks) Framed for murder, a bookstore keeper turns to a supernatural entity to clear his name.

Her Story – USA (DIRECTOR Sydney Freeland) Violet and Paige are two transgender women in Los Angeles who have given up on love—until chance encounters give them renewed hope.

Instababy – USA (DIRECTOR Rosie Haber) Gay adoption is illegal in Mississippi, so Toni and Keeta look for a baby on Instagram.

Literally So Busy – USA (DIRECTOR Jerad Sloan) Last night was "pretty fuzzy" for Jen and included eyelash extensions gone awry, possible meth use and so many purchases of online birdfeeders.

Little Things – USA (DIRECTORS Lex Halaby, Mila Shah) Just another day in Los Angeles for two 30-something girls making awkward mountains out of everyday molehills.

Outside Comedy: Beth Stelling – USA (DIRECTOR Thomas R. Wood) Comedienne Beth Stelling opens up about body image and first impressions in barre class.

Quirky Female Protagonist – USA (DIRECTOR Yulin Kuang) Turning the genre of female-centric comedies on its head, the ladies face one drama after another.

Shangri-L.A. – USA (DIRECTOR Drew Rosas) Hipsters search for paradise amidst the urban jungle of Los Angeles, with a special appearance from YouTube star Jessie Kahnweiler.

Time Out With Yes Please! – USA (DIRECTOR Kholi Hicks) Comedic vignettes based off the lives of YouTube content creators Teresa Decher and Jason Nguyen.

Haute Tease