The 2025 Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) was nothing short of spectacular-a dazzling celebration of independent cinema, global storytelling, and Hollywood glamour that captivated attendees from the red carpet to the closing ceremony. Held at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre and other prominent venues in the heart of Beverly Hills, this year's festival raised the bar with a thoughtfully curated lineup and a vibrant atmosphere. Upon entering the beautiful venue we were graced with film posters, creative business cards, one-sheets, post-cards, and other creative memorabilia created by the production teams to entice any on-lookers to want to learn more about their film. Not too far from that table we found a merchandise table with BHFF t-shirts, hats, and other well priced items.
From April 1st-6th, filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinephiles mingled in a space that effortlessly blended prestige with artistic passion.
Panel discussions and Q&A sessions were a major highlight this year, offering intimate insights into the creative process. Attendees had the chance to hear directly from directors, writers, and producers about their inspirations, challenges, and triumphs-making the festival not only entertaining but deeply enriching.
The organization of the festival was seamless, with excellent hospitality and clear scheduling that made navigating multiple venues easy. The closing night awards ceremony was a perfect blend of elegance and celebration, wrapping up the week with well-deserved recognition for outstanding talent.
2025 Beverly Hills Film Festival Golden Palm Award
"Hello Beautiful" Directed by Ziad H Hamzeh
2025 Golden Palm Award for Screenwriting
"Inferno In Paris" by Daniel Talbot
BEST DIRECTOR
Manua Coleman - Engelstan
BEST ACTOR
Steven Graham - Sheep Dog
BEST ACTRESS
Sinem Koseoglu - Good Morning, Mom
BEST PRODUCER
Legend Has It
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Miracles
BEST EDITING
Greg Jocoy - The Blue Diamond
Amongst so many films, not all can receive an award, but I believe completing the project and being selected is an award in itself, congrats to all filmmakers with a selection status. The films below are noteworthy.
'THE STARTING LINE', a 15 minute film about a sibling rivalry that is centered around learning the consequence of heavy competition, produced by Joey Cheng & Any Yi Li, written and directed by Brenton Bender, and the main cast members are, Shane O'Shea, Brendan Shannon, Shaw Jones. We didn't get a chance to view this film, but we had a good chat with the Director, Brenton Bender and amidst discussing the production he noted that inspiration was drawn from a true sibling rivalry story that he witnessed between teammates in high school.
'GROWING DAISIES', Director/Writer Alessia Gaia Williams teams up with Arielle Raycene to push the boundaries of cinema in this psychological journey through a day in the life of Daisy. The sound design created by Jeff Alan Jones compliments the cinematography and editing, which were also credited to Alessia Gaia Williams. Growing Daisies is a film that is both ambitious, yet simplistic in presentation, and if you can make it to the end, it all leads into a realization of a poetic metaphor. The influence of Gaspar Noe and Alexandre Aja are visible in Alessia Gaia Williams method of storytelling.
'ALIENS DON'T LIKE WHITE PEOPLE', directed by Parker Reininga, written by Cameron Cowperthwaite who also is the lead alongside Keenon Rush, is a comedy about two friends, caught in a debate about the existence of aliens and their public relations, commit to a routine break-in, only to stumble into a bizarre surprise. This short hit every note smoothly. Believably portrayed characters, the supporting cast had excellent timing, and the audience had a good laugh at just about every comedic moment. This was a great body of work and the production value was excellently executed.
'THE ALIBI', written and directed by David Chrzanowski, produced under the False Dice Productions banner, set in circa 1984, a ten-year-old boy waits for his father to be done working. David Chrzanowski highlights believable aspects of a father-son relationship in this tale. Another all-around stand out.
Once the end credits of the short films had rolled it was time for the presentation of 'THE COMIC SHOP', written and directed by Jonathan L. Bowen, co-written by Scott Reed, and produced by Scott Reed & Ron Singer.
This was a film about a former illustrator, Mike, who now runs a struggling comic shop and forms an unlikely friendship with a customer that leads Mike back on the path to his dreams. I'm giving a big pat on the back to Jonathan L. Bowen on his directorial debut. The film is wholesome and a great choice whether you are a comic book lover or night, there's something for everybody. Lead cast members, Jesse Metcalfe, Tristin Mays, Micah Giovanni were the glue that held it all together and kept the audience enticed. This very well written, easy to follow story, is very much centered around these three characters and each character's own sub-plot that adds depth to the main plot in the best ways. The Comic Shop has all the feel good moments, laughs, a cameo from Carrot Top, and it leaves you inspired while bringing light to the central theme of the story being told, which is, don't give up on your dreams and in order to do that, sometimes you can't have a plan-b.
This festival is also known for its' educational panels lead by experienced industry professionals, this years discussion brought grandeur knowledge on methods for screenwriters to build their personal brands to aid in securing representation.There was a panel devoted to virtual cinema distribution, a panel on modern film financing/funding, and another panel discussion that dove deep into the realms of post-production using AI-driven tools, CGI, deep fakes, character replication, and more.
Overall, the 2025 Beverly Hills Film Festival experience proved why it remains a staple on the international festival circuit. It was a week of discovery, connection, and cinematic magic that left attendees inspired and eagerly anticipating next years event.