HOLLYSHORTS OPENING NIGHT TO BE CO-HOSTED BY TV PERSONALITY CARLY STEEL OF EPIX NEWS AND TV GUIDE NETWORK

8th ANNUAL HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION AT GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD TO BE CO-HOSTED BY TELEVISION PERSONALITY CARLY STEEL OF EPIX NEWS AND TV GUIDE NETWORK Los Angeles, CA – It has been announced that on-air personality Carly Steel (EPIX, TV Guide Network) will co-host the 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) opening night celebrations with EXTRA’s Ben Lyons, scheduled to take place on Thursday August 9th at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028) in Hollywood. Steel continues to make a name for herself as one of the top television correspondents of her generation, hosting red carpet coverage and breaking news for EPIX, TV Guide Network, Dick Clark Productions, and also as contributor to Good Morning America and KTLA Morning News. “I’m honored to be part of this prestigious film festival, and I’m very much looking forward to helping to showcase the work of these incredibly innovative and talented filmmakers. This is the new guard, the auteurs of the future, and it’s thrilling to be part of their break out moment at HollyShorts, which is such an amazing platform for them to make an impact on the film community. This year, hosting the opening night celebrations at the world-renowned Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is especially exciting, as it infuses the evening with a potent blend of old and new Hollywood,” says Steel. Carly's movie coverage, commentary and celebrity interviews can be seen on “EPIX" and "EPIXHD.COM" as well as on "TV Guide Network”. Carly covers Film Festivals, Awards shows, and Movie Premieres around the world, in addition to hosting and presenting at major awards shows such as The Prism Awards and Young Hollywood Awards. Her acting work includes roles in the feature film "Unstoppable," opposite Denzel Washington, the CW's hidden camera series "H8R," and CBS's "The Bold and The Beautiful." In addition to the over 320 short form content projects accepted in competition to screen at this year's fest, Joe Carnahan will receive the 2012 HollyShorts Visionary Award presented by Deluxe and will present the world premiere of his newly produced short film, The Devil's Dosh from director Zachary Guerra. As previously announced, Zachary Quinto and his Before The Door Pictures will open the 2012 HSFF with a special theatrical world premiere of PERIODS (www.periodsfilms.com), an improvised comedy film series created by NY-based producers Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and their ensemble crew of filmmakers. HollyShorts has also announced that Jason Bergh and Sal Masakela’s short documentary Alekesam which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival will also have its West Coast premiere at HollyShorts alongside Nathaniel Krause’s Double or Nothing written by Neil LaBute which stars Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David. In addition the filmmakers and stars behind Lionsgate’s upcoming feature film Freelancers, which stars 50 Cent, Robert De Niro and Forrest Whitaker, will participate in a special Q&A panel during HollyShorts opening night. Advance tickets for the entire festival go live today and can be purchased by visiting Eventbrite.com or www.hollyshorts.com. The brainchild of founders Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol, HSFF will feature a marquee opening night celebration. The weeklong event takes place August 9-16, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and will feature short film screenings from around the world, industry panels, and a whirlwind of exclusive receptions and parties. Twice named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," HSFF is devoted to helping advance the careers of filmmakers by providing exposure through top-notch screenings and networking events during the highly anticipated week-long festival each August. The Festival presents over $100,000 USD in prizes to winners, with Company 3 sponsoring awards of $10,000 in post-production and finishing services to both the Best Overall Short Film and Best Director award-winners, and $5,000 in post-production services to the Best Commercial and Best Music Video winners. Other top prizes include a $5,000 camera rental package courtesy of Martini Crew Booking for the Best Student award-winner, and $12,000 in services from Greenhouse Studios. Other HSFF sponsors include Deluxe, Method Studios, Showbiz Software, Festival Genius, IndiePix, Final Draft, Adobe, Film LA, Shorts HD, Film Courage, Film Festivals APP, and SLS Hotel. ###