LA Shorts Fest

The Los Angeles International Short Film Festival (LA Shorts Fest) founded by Robert Arentz in 1997 is one of the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world with more 280 films screening annually.

In order to qualify for a short film award at the annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) you must meet the Rules and Eligibility criteria, which includes qualification through awards at qualifying festivals. LA Shorts Fest is the only film festival with 7 award categories recognized by the Academy Awards.

The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and award winners are eligible for Academy nomination. LA Shorts Fest is also an official qualifying event for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) short film awards. This year LA Shorts Fest was added to the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) presenters of the Canadian Screen Awards – eligible international film festivals.

LA Shorts Fest alumni directors include Tim Burton, Bryan Singer, Paul Haggis, Shane Black, Jason Reitman, John Woo, Tony Scott, David Lynch, Joe Carnahan, Louis D'Esposito, Terry Gilliam, Jon Favreau, Scarlett Johansson, Vin Diesel, Hilary Swank, Demi Moore, Courteney Cox, Jessica Biel, Kirsten Dunst, Luke Wilson, Ralph Macchio, Ricky Gervais and many more.

Courteney Cox

Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress, producer and director. She is best identified for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream, and as Jules Cobb in the ABC/TBS sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination. Cox also starred in the FX series Dirt. She owns a production company, called Coquette Productions, which was created by her and her then-husband David Arquette. Cox also worked as a director on her sitcom Cougar Town and the television movie Talhotblond.

Early life

Cox was born and raised in Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, the daughter of businessman Richard Lewis Cox (January 28, 1931 – September 3, 2001) and his wife Courteney (née Bass, later Copeland). She has two older sisters, Virginia and Dottie, and an older brother, Richard, Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974 and her mother then married businessman Hunter Copeland (uncle to music promoter and business manager Ian Copeland). After graduating from Mountain Brook High School, Cox left for Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C., but did not complete her architecture course, opting instead to pursue a career in modeling and acting. She identifies as Irish-American.

Shorts

Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened version of trousers, which cover the entire leg. Shorts are typically worn in warm weather or in an environment where comfort and air flow are more important than the protection of the legs.

There are a variety of shorts, ranging from knee-length short trousers that can in some situations be worn as formal clothes to beachwear and athletic shorts. Some types of shorts are typically worn by women, such as culottes, which are a divided skirt resembling a pair of loose-cut shorts.

Terminological differences

In British English the term "short trousers" has been used, but only for shorts that are a short version of real trousers (pants), e.g. tailored shorts, often lined, as typically worn as part of school uniform for boys up to their early teens, and by servicemen and policemen in tropical climates. The American term "short pants" is probably the nearest equivalent in the US, there they might now be called "dress shorts", a term that has not gained much currency in Britain. A somewhat similar garment worn by men in Australia is called "stubbies". "Shorts" is used unqualified in British English to refer to sports shorts, athletic shorts, or casual shorts: the last is nowadays commonplace in warm weather in the UK.