In 2023, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles launched the first edition of PROOF, a card film festival dedicated to showcasing films by emerging filmmakers who hope to use their short films as proof-of-concepts for more ambitious functions. In November, PROOF returns to The Cinematheque in an expanded form that includes special screenings, panels, development funds for award-winning shorts and a “Pitch Deck Show & Tell.”
For the third edition of PROOF, screenings of the proof-of-concept shorts will run alongside centerpiece programming that includes “Film Financing Today,” a panel that will discuss how projects are created in today’s shifting entertainment landscape, and “Next Steps: From a Short to a Feature,” a recurring PROOF signature panel highlighting filmmakers who have successfully worked their way into short- or television programs.
Building on that idea of exploring how filmmakers have leveraged short films into feature-length work, the festival will also host the Los Angeles premiere of “Atropia.” Winner of the Dramatic Feature Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance, “Atropia” was originally a short film before being developed into a feature film, and both the short film and the film will be screened at PROOF. Writer/director Hailey Gates and star Alia Shawkat will appear for a personal Q&A between the short and feature film.
This year, PROOF will also present the “Pitch Deck Show & Tell,” an event that gives filmmakers the opportunity to present their pitch decks and project ideas to a live audience of peers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators. Participants present both film and series concepts and will have five minutes to pitch, after which they will receive real-time feedback from filmmakers, producers and executives to help refine their projects and take them to the next stage.
As in previous years, however, the festival’s primary mission is to empower the next generation of cinematic storytellers by providing a forum for their proof-of-concept shorts. These short films will be eligible for awards presented by a jury consisting of Miranda Sarah Einy (Producer, “Happy Place”), Rachel Goldfinger (Creative Director, Playgrounds), Sarah Marie Flores (Creative Director, Anarchists United), Remy Solomon (Writer and Content Creator), Brett Robinson (Development Director, Chairman/Director Linep), Liz Sargent Linep (Writer) Bio), Sara Koch (Casting Director), Kesila Childers (Producer and Head of Development), Aisling Scott Lynch (Creative Director, Fourth Wall), Reiko Napier Moreno (Independent Producer/Manager) and Yuky Shen (Executive Assistant, Kindred Spirit).
Five judged awards will be presented at the end of the festival, along with an audience choice award. The latest juried award is the “Shot on Film” award sponsored by Kodak. The award will be presented to a filmmaker who shot their project either partially or entirely on film, and they will receive an in-kind grant of $5,000 in Kodak Motion Picture Film Stock and/or Processing.
In addition, the newly created PROOF Development Fund will provide unrestricted grants to the winners of the festival, intended to directly support important next steps in their creative journeys – whether it’s hiring a line producer, hiring a casting director, obtaining legal advice, participating in markets and festivals, or funding other early development needs. The winner of the 2025 Grand Jury Prize will receive $2,500, with additional grant money available to other festival laureates.
The festival runs November 7 – 9 at The Culver Theater in Culver City. Individual tickets for screenings, blocks and panels are now on sale at American Cinemathequepp website.
