EXCLUSIVE: Vanessa Hudgens will be feted with the Luminary Award at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival. Zach Cregger, Lana Condor, Miguel, Alexandra Shipp and Jim Cummings will also receive accolades at the short film fest.
The honors will be given out at the HollyShorts opening night award ceremony on August 13.
“It’s a real honor to receive the Luminary Award from HollyShorts,” Hudgens said. “I’ve always believed in supporting filmmakers and championing original storytelling, and it’s exciting to celebrate the incredible creativity and passion that short films bring to our industry.”
Barbarian writer and director Cregger will receive the Visionary Award. “HollyShorts encourages filmmakers to experiment, to swing big, and to discover their own voice,” he said. “That’s an incredibly important part of our industry, and I’m honored to receive this award from a festival that has spent years nurturing that spirit.”
Writer, director and actor Cummings will take the Auteur Award. He said: “This is my second award at HollyShorts, my first being for Best Short Narrative for Thunder Road ten years ago. I am honored to receive this award and I dedicate it to every filmmaker who makes their films independently.”
Shipp’s writing-directing debut For Niko will screen at HollyShorts opening night and she will receive the Trailblazer Award at the 2026 HollyShorts Film Festival.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before star Condor will be feted with the Rising Star Award. She will also attend the opening night premiere of her new short film, Get Her Back!, produced by LuckyChap.
Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel, meanwhile, will receive the Music Visionary Award. He will also host a special Closing Night session about Sophia Stieglitz’s documentary Papá Melissa, which was supported and exec produced by Miguel’s talent incubator S1C. A screening of the film will follow the conversation.
HollyShorts runs August 13–23. The 22nd edition of the Oscar-qualifying festival takes place at the TCL Chinese Theatre and at the Ovation Hollywood entertainment complex in L.A.
