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FALA Fest Short Film Festival Comes to North Hollywood October 2–3

Sep 27
4 min read

The Call Sheet | September 2026


What a week at LACAE Theater. We watched our first ACT III cohort take their final bows as students, filled the room with two communities for a cabaret, and welcomed local filmmakers for a free workshop.


Now we’re getting ready for FALA Fest: Short Film Festival in North Hollywood , October 2–3. If you’ve been meaning to visit the theater, meet some new people, and celebrate independent filmmaking, this is your invitation.


Spend the Weekend at FALA Fest: Shorts Edition Film Festival in North Hollywood


A $50 full festival all-access pass includes Friday’s Opening Night Mixer at Pitfire Pizza, all three short-film screening blocks, the Industry Panel and Keynote Speaker Discussion, and the Awards Ceremony and Afterparty. Individual event tickets start at $10.


Come for the films. Stay to talk with the people who made them, discover someone new, and celebrate together at both mixers.


On Saturday, October 3, from 6:30–8:00 PM, join us for the Industry Panel and Keynote Speaker Discussion, “Indie Filmmaking in the Modern Entertainment Landscape.” We’re looking forward to a conversation about making films and finding your way in the industry today.


You’ll spot some familiar FALA faces in the crowd and on the screen. Devin Evola, Shayne Wilson, Evyn Arreguin, Jamie Nichols, David Baptiste, Marabina Jaimes, and Tudor Munteanu were all involved in selected films. FALA Board Member Meredith Thomas will speak on the panel, and Deborah Baker Jr. will moderate.

Thank you to our judging committee, Jane Fleiss-Broggar, FALA Board Member Duke Pierce, and Matthew Roberts; to FALA Board Member Brad Simanski for his work on the planning committee; and to Matt Scheel, who will help everything run smoothly in the booth.


Festival programming is presented with collaborators including Echobend Pictures, Blackmagic Collective, CreativeChaos VMG, and FYC Independents.

Make plans with a friend, or come on your own and leave knowing a few more filmmakers. We would love to see you there.



Celebrating Our LAPAC and ACT III Graduates


We are so proud of the LAPAC graduating class, including our ACT III students. Within the span of a few nights, our ACT III artists performed their original solo showcases and then joined the graduation showcase before a packed house of industry guests, family, faculty, and friends.


They grew so much this year and worked through so much together. Each of them stepped onstage and made themselves, and all of us, proud.

Thank you to Deborah Baker Jr., who directed the graduation showcase, and Mary Bleier, who directed the solo showcases. Thank you to Matt Scheel for running tech for both productions and helping make them so beautiful, and to FALA Board Member Parker Ronan for filming.


We loved seeing faculty and friends there to support the graduates, including Brenda Beck, Diana Brown, Jamie Nichols, Steven Fisher, Perry Hart, Mary Bleier, Bob DeRosa, Joe Garcia, Madylin Sweeten, and Natalia Lazarus. Thank you to the industry guests who came out on a work night to support and champion new talent, and to the guest speakers and mentors who worked with the students throughout the showcase process and joined us in the audience that evening.


A special thank-you to Felix Grossman for being there and for his continued support of the students, the theater, and what we are building.



Together on Stage With St. Matthew’s


Our Together on Stage Community Cabaret with St. Matthew’s brought two North Hollywood communities together for an evening of performance and connection. We hope it is the first of many collaborations to come.


On the LACAE Theater side, we enjoyed performances by Jayme Foremaster, Alexander II, Perry Hart, Benjamin Rawls, and Jennifer Murray. St. Matthew’s performers Melanie Ronning, Todd Kohlberg, Lindsay Jones, Anders Carlson, and Choir Director Cathy Miller rounded out the evening. We ended with everyone singing “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” together.


It was lovely to see Lara Gold, who will teach our upcoming Meisner class, and Brenda Beck in the audience supporting the performers. Thank you to Sarah Nilsen for stage managing and running tech, and for making the evening run smoothly and look beautiful. We are all stronger together.


Earlier that morning, LACAE Theater hosted a free Blackmagic Collective Filmmaker Workshop for local filmmakers. FALA Fest panelists Monique Impagliazzo and Anastasia Washington were in attendance. Special thanks to FALA Board Member Parker Ronan for making the connection and arranging to bring this community-centered, filmmaker-forward event into our space.


Acting and Storytelling Classes Starting September 30


Building the Character with Emmy-nominated actor Cameron Britton begins September 30. This online Zoom class is $250.


The Ultimate Story Machine with Raphaël Dirani also begins September 30. Join in person or remotely for $200.


There is still room to join us.



Community Notes: Brad Simanski in Into the Woods


FALA Board Member Brad Simanski is appearing in Into the Woods, opening this weekend. Director Elijah Green has shared his vision for bringing these familiar stories to the stage through the lens of the community around us.


Explore performances and tickets, and use code BRAD25 for 25% off.


Save the Date: FALALA Winter Fantasy Ball


Circle Monday, December 7, for the FALALA Winter Fantasy Ball at LACAE Theater. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with an early champagne toast for Patrons at 6:30 PM.

Expect costumes, live performances, dancing, a silent auction, and plenty of reasons to gather with this community before the year ends. More details are coming soon.


The last week reminded me how much can happen when people show up for one another: students cheering on their classmates, artists sharing a stage, filmmakers trading ideas, and audiences making room for new work.


Let’s keep that going at FALA Fest. I hope I’ll see you at the movies this weekend!


See you at the theater,

Erin Coleman

Executive Director,

Los Angeles Community of Acting and Entertainment

Presented by Future Artists of Los Angeles


Have something to share? Send casting notices, upcoming performances, and community celebrations to info@futureartistsla.org for consideration in a future edition of The Call Sheet.


LAPAC Graduating Class featuring the ACT III cohort at LACAE Theater in North Hollywood

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