HOLLYSHORTS TO HONOR JENNIFER MORRISON WITH 2016 TRAILBLAZER AWARD PRESENTED BY WOMEN IN FILM

Hollywood July 19, 2016---The organizers of the upcoming HollyShorts Film Festival sponsored by BITPIX announced today that the esteemed Actress, Director and Producer Jennifer Morrison (ABC'sOnce Upon A Time) will be honored with the 2016 HollyShorts Trailblazer Award presented by Women in Film at the 12 Annual Festival. She will accept the Award during the festival's opening night celebration.

Morrison most recently launched her own production company Apartment 3C Productions with several high profile projects in the pipeline. At HollyShorts along with the honor, she will also showcase her new 10-minute short film Wild Wild Horses, which she directed and stars.  The short film is scored to the debut EP, 'Ordinary Life', from the rock band, Wild Wild Horses. The film also stars Rose McIver (iZombie) and Geoff Stults (7th Heaven). The short captures the tension of a couple who are haunted by a 'ghost' of their past. Wild Wild Horses (the band)  will also headline HollyShorts' opening night celebration with a special performance for attendees.

Previous HollyShorts honorees include: The Russo Brothers, Eli Roth, David Lynch, Joe Carnahan, Matthew Modine, Bill Plympton among others. HollyShorts 2016 runs August 11-20 at the TCL Chinese Theater and surrounding locations in Hollywood. The organizers will be unveiling the entire opening night lineup in the coming weeks along with the official selections, which will feature over 400 short films from around the world. For a limited time festival access passes are now available for half off the regular price and can be purchased by visiting Bitpxtv.com.

The first film under Morrison's new company is the indie feature that she directed and produced is Sun Dogs, which just wrapped principal photography. The film is written by Anthony Tambakis and will star Michael Angarano, Melissa Benoist, Allison Janney and Ed O'Neill. Morrison will return this fall as the star of ABC's hit drama series Once Upon a Time as 'Emma Swan,' a woman with a troubled past who is drawn into a small town in Maine where the magic of Fairy Tales becomes real. 

"We are delighted to present Jennifer Morrison with the 2016 HollyShorts Trailblazer Award in partnership with Women in Film," commented festival co-founders and organizers Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont. "She's truly the triple threat---an extremely talented filmmaker, actress and producer and we look forward to the premiere of her short on the big screen during our opening night celebration. We are also thrilled to have Wild Wild Horses a tremendous band perform live for our attendees who are coming to Hollywood from all parts of the globe. It's going to be a night to remember for years to come!"

During her 2015 hiatus from Once Upon a Time, Morrison filmed and co-produced the fantasy epic, Albion: The Enchanted Stallion, in Bulgaria. The film is directed by Castille Landon and will be released this summer. Morrison's first foray into directing was with her first short film, Warning Labels, which screened at HollyShorts and imagined a world wherein everyone wears a warning label with their deepest secret. Warning Labels first premiered in the short film program at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2015.

Last year, Morrison wrapped the horror film, Amityville: The Awakening, with Jennifer Jason Leigh. This next installment of the Amityville series is directed by Franck Khalfoun and will be released by The Weinstein Company in January 2016. Morrison also filmed the Greg Mclean directed The Darkness aka 6 Miranda Drive opposite Kevin Bacon, last May, which was released by Blumhouse Productions. The horror thriller follows a family returning from a vacation with a fear-feeding supernatural presence tailing them.

In 2013, Morrison was seen in the independent film adaptation of Neil LeBute's Some Girl(s). Some Girl(s) followed a man set on making amends with his ex-girlfriends on the eve of his wedding. Morrison co-starred opposite Adam Brody as his first ex-girlfriend, 'Sam,' the former high school sweetheart he was afraid to settle down with. Some Girl(s) is directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and LaBute adapted the script as well as produced the film. The film premiered at SXSW and also stars Emily Watson, Kristen Bell and Zoe Kazan and was released simultaneously in theaters and on Vimeo's new On Demand platform on June 28^th, 2013.

Also adept at television, Morrison is best known for her work as 'Dr. Allison Cameron' on Fox's critically acclaimed drama, House. The show was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2009 as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2009, 2008, 2007 & 2006 and a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama in 2008.  Morrison was nominated for a 2008 WIN Award for Outstanding Actress Drama Series for House. She also had a notable recurring guest appearance on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother as 'Zooey,' a love interest of 'Ted,' played by Josh Radnor.  Other film credits include J.J. Abrams' film Star Trek, wherein she played 'Winona Kirk', 'Captain James Kirk's' mother; the 20^thCentury Fox film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; Dreamworks' Surviving Christmas starring Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate; and the independent film Flourish which she starred in and produced. 

About Wild Wild Horses

Not all studio musicians were meant to stay in the booth. Boasting a diverse set of musical backgrounds, the four members of Wild Wild Horses have collectively worked with almost every major indie-pop artist in the past half-a-decade. Yet, not content with staying behind-the-scenes, frontman Jack Edwards had a different vision-a vision to make his own name, out of the shadow of others. Originally from Kent, England, Jack signed with LA-based Buskin Records in August 2014. As the sole founding member and songwriter, Jack returned to London to form his dream team. Finding studio musicians of a similar pedigree, Wild Wild Horses came to include Brit-ish-born Billy Adamson (Jess Glynne, Amy Winehouse) and Jonathan Harvey (Mika, Elle King) on bass, with the American Gregory Rogove (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Latin Grammy Winner) on percussions. Named after the eponymous Rolling Stones song, Wild Wild Horses compose stirring alternative pop-rock tracks. With subtle electronic interjections mixing into the band's powerful, catchy riffs, their music carries the vibrant beat of today while aspiring to the lofty heights of the classics.

About HollyShorts

HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe. HollyShorts is devoted to the advancement of filmmakers through a various screenings, film labs, conferences and networking events. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 40 minutes or less. Categories include Short Animation, Short Live Action, Short Documentary, Music Video, Webisode, Commercials, Youth Film and Digital Microbudget.