The HollyShorts Film Festival has unveiled a powerhouse jury for its 22nd edition, with Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard, Alan Tudyk, Andrew Rannells, Katheryn Winnick, Kelly Marie Tran, David Cross and Rita Ora among the high-profile names set to honour the year’s best short films.

Taking place 13–23 August at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, the Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying festival has assembled one of its strongest juries to date, bringing together acclaimed actors, Academy Award-winning producers, Oscar nominees, filmmakers and leading industry executives to judge this year’s official selections.

Woodard headlines a distinguished acting line-up that also includes Judy Greer, Hope Davis, Rhys Darby, Alexandra Breckenridge, Alanna Ubach, Cory Michael Smith, Rachel Nichols, Natasha Leggero and Katharine Isabelle.

The jury also features Academy Award-winning producers Guneet Monga Kapoor (The Elephant Whisperers) and Kim Magnusson, Oscar-nominated filmmakers Adam Graves, Lee Knight and James Dean, acclaimed Iranian director Ali Asgari, actresses Sibel Kekilli, Radhika Apte and Marina Sirtis, alongside rising British talent Megan Lawless.

Leading the festival’s Sports programme jury is two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis, joined by NBA agent and DNA Agency founder Colby Shinto.

The panel will select the winners across HollyShorts’ Academy Award®-qualifying competitions, with the recipients of the Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short and Best Documentary Short all becoming eligible for Oscar® consideration.

“I am honored to participate in this year’s HollyShorts Film Fest. I have always been a fan of the short film format and the poetry it inspires,” said Alan Tudyk.

“As a fan of independent film in every medium, I am honored to serve on the HollyShorts Jury this year. Shorts play an important role in every filmmaker’s journey and I’m excited to recognize this art form,” added Kelly Marie Tran.

Katheryn Winnick said: “An Oscar-qualifying stage built on two decades of believing in new voices, I’m honored to help decide who earns it this year.”

Founded in 2005, HollyShorts has established itself as one of the world’s premier launching pads for short-form cinema, with numerous alumni going on to receive Academy Award nominations and wins. This year’s festival will showcase 430 films from around the world, alongside world premieres, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels and its annual awards ceremony, reaffirming its status as one of the industry’s most influential destinations for discovering the next generation of filmmaking talent.

HollyShorts Film Festival 2026 Jury

Aaron Stanford, Adam Graves, Alan Tudyk, Alanna Ubach, Alexandra Breckenridge, Alfre Woodard, Ali Asgari, Andrew Rannells, Bella Glanville, Callie Hernandez, Catherine Whitfield, Cory Michael Smith, David Cross, Doug Roland, Eddie Perez, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Hope Davis, Ido Samuel, James Dean, Jennifer Bertling, Judy Greer, Katharine Isabelle, Katheryn Winnick, Kelly Marie Tran, Kian Kavousi, Kim Magnusson, Leah N.H. Philpott, Lee Knight, Maria Akay, Marina Sirtis, Megan Lawless, Natasha Leggero, Radhika Apte, Rachel Nichols, Ramin Zahed, Rhys Darby, Rita Ora, Sarah Stunt and Sibel Kekilli.