The Loudoun Arts Film Festival takes place in Loudoun County, VA under the umbrella of The Loudoun Arts Council. LAFF is a non-profit organization serving as an international platform for independent filmmaking, creative expression and immersive entertainment. LAFF supports emerging and established voices.
We are seeking submissions of films, screenplays, and music videos.
Following the guidance of the CDC, and with the safety of our audience, creators, sponsors, and staff in mind, we have decided to move the festival to a combination drive-in theater and online event. Our online event will be through Eventive, a trusted site already hosting many festivals securely. We will have both geo tracking and ticketing caps available to protect our creator’s content. Some of the perks with an online festival are the ability to offer live Q & As, screenplay readings, and panels from around the globe. We are also looking into ways to include profit sharing with our creators on this platform. In addition, this platform will allow us to speak with international creators who may not have been able to attend in person even if COVID-19 was not an issue.
Although this differs from our original plans, we’re excited to showcase the creative content of so many incredible artists. Building community and celebrating artistic expression is at the core of our mission at the Loudoun Arts Film Festival. We look forward to continuing towards this goal - engaging with our community, celebrating our artists, and showcasing sponsors through the language of art.
2020 Award Winners
Narrative Feature Jury Awards
1 Murmur WINNER
2 1986
3 Show Me What You Got
Best Actor: Jason Biggs, The Subject
Best Actress: Shan MacDonald, Murmur
Best Supporting Actor: Evgeni Sangadzhiev, 1986
Best Supporting Actress: Cristina Rimbaldi, Show Me What You Got
Best Director: Heather Young, Murmur
Best Cinematography: Show Me What You Got
Breakthrough Performance: Daria Mureeva, 1986
Special Mention Best Ensemble Feature Beast Beast
Special Mention for Outstanding Performance in a Feature Aunjanue Ellis The Subject
Documentary Features Jury Awards
1 Finding Yingying WINNER
2 We Are Freestyle Love Supreme
3 A Most Beautiful Thing
Best Director: We Are Freestyle Love Supreme
Best Cinematography: Bastard's Road
Special Jury Mention for Setting the Historical Record Straight: Be Natural
Narrative Shorts Jury Awards
1 The Devil’s Harmony WINNER
2 Hudson Geese
3 Heart to Heart
Best Narrative Short Cinematography - Simon Dvoracek, Figurant
Best Narrative Short Director - Ashley Williams, Meats
Best Actor - Malik Shakur, Buck
Best Actor - Svetlana Alekseevna Barandich, Anna
Best Actor - David Tennant in Heart to Heart
Special Jury Prize for ensemble physical acting for the cast of No Exit
Special Jury Mention for its original approach to the subject matter, Eli .
Special Mention for outstanding breakout performance Maya Harman in Chubby
Special Mention for Outstanding Short film Skin
Documentary Shorts Jury Awards
1 No Crying at the Dinner Table WINNER
2 Lions in the Corner
3 The Starr Sisters
Best Directing: No Crying at the Dinner Table
Best Cinematography: Eastern Skies
Midnight Jury Awards
1 Regret WINNER
2 Waffle
3 Stucco
Best Actress - Katie Marovitch – Waffle
Best Actor - Brent Skagford – Regret
Best Supporting Actress - Kerry Barker – Waffle
Best Supporting Actor - Paco Hidalgo - Piggy
Best Director – Regret
Best Cinematography – SELFIE
Best Writing Waffle
Student Shorts Jury Awards
1 Sin Cielo WINNER
2 Hot & Tasty
3 Zorg II
Best Student Film Cinematography - Molly Manning Walker, November 1st
Best Student Director - Auden Lincoln-Vogel, Zorg II
VA Shorts Jury Awards
1 The First WINNER
2 The Killer of Grassy Ridge
3 Eastern Skies II
4 Operation Overlord
Special Mention Best emerging director Eva Ulreich
VA Feature Jury Award
Up to Snuff
Feature Screenplay Awards
1. Flat Rate Frank WINNER
2. Stranger to Blue Mountain
3. Kaleidoscope
Short Screenplay Awards
1 Making Waves WINNER
2.The West Virginian Starfish
3. Come Along, Harry Higgins
Winner Best Music Video
Go Bananas
Audience Award Winners
Virtual: A Bastards Road
Drive In- The Outside Story
Additional awards:
Spotlight Award Narrative Feature The Subject
Spotlight Award Documentary Feature Be Natural