Hollywood Merit Awards (1)

Festival start: 06 July 2026      Festival end: 07 July 2026

Hollywood Merit Awards (HMA) is a premier international film initiative dedicated to recognizing cinematic excellence and outstanding creative merit in independent filmmaking. Based on the philosophy of honoring visionary storytelling, our mission is to celebrate directors, writers, and artists who push the boundaries of visual narrative. We provide a global platform for bold voices to be discovered and celebrated for their artistic contribution to the film industry.

The Hollywood Merit Awards honors excellence in the following categories:

Best Independent Short Film: Awarded to the production demonstrating exceptional narrative, technical, and artistic quality.

Award of Merit for Directing: Recognizing outstanding vision and creative leadership in bringing a story to life.

All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.

Open to all independent filmmakers worldwide.

Entries must have been completed after January 1, 2025.

Maximum runtime for the Short Film category is 30 minutes.

Decisions made by our review committee are final.

By submitting, you grant HMA the rights to showcase excerpts of your work for promotional purposes.