Los Angeles Film Festival STORYTELLA

Overview

Presented by the renowned Parajanov-Vartanov Institute, Los Angeles Film Festival STORYTELLA will screen and award fiction films in an official sidebar of the institute’s signature annual festival DOC LA, which has traditionally programmed fictional stories alongside the documentary competition. We are enthusiastic about discovering outstanding fiction films by students, emerging auteurs, and established masters. We are also interested in unusual, strange and unclassifiable films, since the institute that presents the festival is named after the revered nonconformists Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990) and Mikhail Vartanov (1937-2009), who overcame censorship, persecution and low budgets, and earned praise for their daring point of view from many of cinema’s greatest luminaries, such as Godard, Coppola and Tarkovsky, and inspired the likes of Madonna and Lady Gaga. The festival’s programmer is their disciple and UCLA alum Martiros Vartanov who was as a juror and curator at festivals in Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Busan and worked on the restoration of The Color of Pomegranates selected for Festival de Cannes. The institute’s and the festival’s awardees, alums and guests include (Oscar) Academy Award ® winners Martin Scorsese, Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, as well as Werner Herzog, Emilio Rivera, Usher, Ice-T, Joe Berlinger, Errol Morris, Ross Kauffman, Jem Cohen, Alfred Molina, William Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Mark Ruffalo, Pierce Brosnan, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, Christoph Waltz, John Malkovich, Keith David, Michael Weatherly, Michelle Rodriguez, Woody Harrelson, Gerard Butler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Seth Rogen, Stefania Spampinato, Steven Ogg, Angourie Rice, Matilda De Angelis, Moby, Alana Haim, Virginie Ledoyen, Dave Stewart, Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan, French cinema icon Jean Vigo, and the members of Grammy winning rock bands Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, and System Of A Down.

Last updated Sep 6, 2026

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Festival Details

FilmFreeway communityGold festival

• Filmmaker

  Excellent Program. Very Professional. High Standards from filmmaking. This is what you get at this festival. And most of all, the care and the respect to the filmmakers and producers who's films are screened. Among the most elite of festivals I have attended. Highly Recommended.

• Filmmaker

  This was a great experience for us! Thank you so much for sharing our film with your audiences!

• Filmmaker

  It was a real thrill to be selected for StorytelLA, but then to win Best Horror, was a real surprise for a short horror film from New Zealand. MEANS TO AN END (2022) was my directorial debut and it has been such a dream come true to be recognized and supported around the world. StorytelLA had clear, warm, and friendly communication and went above and beyond. Thank you for the selection and recognition. The whole team is very happy for your acknowledgment of our low-budget, self-funded, first-time director horror film. Thank you!

• Filmmaker

  An extraordinary festival. Everyone made us feel so welcome, and it's clear that everyone involved is very thoughtful, passionate, and intentional about the films they choose and their approach to filmmakers. Our cast and crew were thrilled to be part of the festival and deeply moved by the honors. It was a fantastic line up of films and a wonderful group of people. A truly special experience. Thank you DOC LA and StorytelLA!!

• Filmmaker

  The team at DOC LA are communicative, kind, and genuinely supportive of both new voices and seasoned filmmakers! The selections were curated with care and purpose, and with such unique perspectives, it made connecting with fellow creators so artistically energizing. It was an honor for Gram Ma to take home Best Animation at STORYTELLA, and to share the screen with passionate people who reminded me why I fell in love with telling stories!

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