Dances With Films
Major legitimate festival with strong credentials
Dances With Films is Los Angeles' largest independent film festival, renowned as a premier discovery platform that showcases innovative cinema from undiscovered talent rather than established names. Founded in 1998 by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent, it screens over 250 films annually—including narrative features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, and TV pilots—at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The festival is significant for holding the most world premieres of any Los Angeles festival and attracting over 20,000 attendees yearly, earning recognition from Indiewire and CNN as a leader in positioning raw, new directors.
Last updated Aug 15, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+39 pts)
- 28 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at TCL Chinese Theatre
- Named jury members
- 3 verified pro signals
- Verified trusted status
Red Flags (-0 pts)
No red flags found
Trust Signals
Positive Signals
- FF_GOLD_BADGE
- FF_RATED
- Documented history with archived programs
Festival Details
Founded
1998
Venue
TCL Chinese Theatre
Screenings
Physical screenings confirmed
Award Categories
10
Related Festivals in United States
Research
Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.
Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.
Quick Stats
How scoring works
Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
Filmmaker reviews
No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.
Report a problem with this festivalGet Alerts
Get notified when Dances With Films's tier changes or new reports are filed.