SHREVEPORT — In front of a standing-room-only crowd of independent filmmakers, film lovers and fans of the Prize from across the country, the Prize Foundation announced the 20 finalist films selected for the award-winning Louisiana Film Prize 2025.
“This has been the strongest crop of films we’ve ever seen competing for the 20 slots at Film Prize,” said Gregory Kallenberg, founder of the Louisiana Film Prize and Executive Director of the Prize Foundation. “This Film Prize will be the best ever, and it’s an honor to be a catalyst for such astounding work from indie filmmakers from all over the country.”
The 20 finalists will compete for up to $50,000—the world’s largest cash prize for a narrative short film—during Prize Fest, taking place October 15–19 in downtown Shreveport.
In addition to the cash prize, this year’s winning filmmaker will also receive an extraordinary career-boosting opportunity through a new partnership with the Fort Worth Film Commission: a Premiere Package, which includes a red carpet premiere and a full one-week theatrical run of their short film at a Fort Worth cinema, officially qualifying the film for Academy Award consideration. It’s a prestigious gateway for independent filmmakers to step onto the national stage and into Oscar™ contention.
The grand prize winner will be selected through a unique combination of audience voting and evaluations from a panel of film industry veterans, tastemakers, and celebrities. Film Prize will kick off on October 16 with a Red Carpet Event and continue with screenings of the Top 20 Films on October 17–18 at various venues in downtown Shreveport and Bossier City.
For those unable to travel to the festival, the Top 20 Films will also be available for viewing and voting online, giving audiences around the world a chance to experience and participate in the Film Prize community. The winning film will be announced at a private awards brunch on October 19.
“We are incredibly excited for another year of shining a bright light on indie film,” said Kallenberg. “The coolest part is that our audience will be helping one of these filmmakers become Oscar qualified. It is a huge responsibility, and my hope is that everyone will do their part to choose the right film to compete for an Academy Award.”
Now in its 14th year, the Louisiana Film Prize continues to drive creative and economic impact across the region. Since its inception, the competition has generated over $30 million in local economic impact by attracting filmmakers from around the country to shoot their films in Northwest Louisiana and to return to showcase their work during the festival.
To qualify, filmmakers were required to shoot a 5–15-minute narrative short in the state of Louisiana. The $25,000 grand prize is doubled to $50,000 if the winning film was shot in Caddo Parish. The Prize Foundation also awards up to five Founder’s Circle Grants—$3,000 reimbursable grants—to help filmmakers return and produce a new short for the following year’s competition. To date, over $500,000 in cash has been awarded to independent filmmakers.
Louisiana Film Prize 2025 Top 20 Films
Film Title
Director
Abuelo
Trevor Chapman
Disorder
Eric Kirton
Girl Dad
Rachael Hudson
High Cotton
Melissa Goslin
Hivemind
Chris Alan Evans
Last Minute
Michael Cusumano
Leaving My Mother
Cory Steele
The Loneliness of an American Woman
Brad Negrotto
Mentality
Mackenzie Bell
M.R.I. or Michael Remains Indefinitely
John F. Beach
The Old Man at the Bar
Alexander Jeffery
(OM)EN
Mary McDade
On the Seventh Day
Kai Tan
Perfect Night
David Michael Long
Ben Perpetual Care
Katie Royer
Ramon Makes a Movie
Haley Kirton
Rug Pull
Carlos Jiminez
Strand
Austin Gorski
The Vivid Imagination of David Thursby
Devon Jones
Vultures Prey at the Starlight Motel
Ben Maner and Ben Mathen
For more information about the films and to purchase passes, visit prizefest.com.
About the Louisiana Film Prize
The Louisiana Film Prize invites filmmakers across the country to make a short film between five
and fifteen minutes long to compete for the largest short film cash prize offered in the world. The
chief requirement is that the films must be shot in Louisiana. The top twenty films that have
been submitted are then screened for audiences and judges in October and a winner is chosen
based on the voting from those two factions.
