Shore Scripts Announces Fall 2025 Short Film Fund Grant Recipients Al Benoit and Ericka Lavin
The Californer/10334679

LOS ANGELES - Californer -- Shore Scripts announced its Winners of the Fall 2025 Short Film Fund, which awards a $15,000 cash production grant to one unproduced script and $4,000 in finishing funds to a short film in post-production.

Know Your Lights, written by Al Benoit, takes place in a Mexican-American neighborhood in Chicago, where a young girl investigates mysterious "lights" that seem to make people disappear—only to realize the true danger stalking her community isn't supernatural at all. Born and raised in Chicago, Benoit studied film at Columbia College, then later relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked as a director and editor on projects for Kim Kardashian, Nick Jonas, Liv Tyler, Urban Outfitters, Pepsi, Volvo, and more.

More on The Californer

• California: Governor Newsom launches new initiatives to partner with tech policy experts and accelerate responsible AI in state government
• Costa Oil - 10 Minute Oil Change Surpasses 70 Locations with Construction of San Antonio, TX Stores — Eyes Growth Via Acquisition or Being Acquired
• LaTerra and Respark Under Contract with AIMCO to Acquire a $455M, 7-Property Chicago Multifamily Portfolio
• Record Revenue, Tax Tailwinds, and AI-Driven Scale: Why Off The Hook YS Inc. Is Emerging as a Standout in the $57 Billion U.S. Marine Market
• VSee Health (N A S D A Q: VSEE) Secures $6.0M At-Market Investment, Accelerates Expansion as Revenues Surge

Matando Moscas, written and directed by Ericka Lavin, follows a disillusioned office worker trapped in monotony, who hires a hitman to kill him—only to discover that fate has a darker sense of humor. Born and raised in Mexico City, Lavin is a director and first assistant director with extensive experience working in both the United States and Mexico. With over a decade in film and advertising, she worked as an on-set assistant to Alfonso Cuarón on the Oscar-winning film Roma, and produced Al Ras, a short that screened in the Short Film Corner at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.

The prize packages also include industry guidance from two-time Oscar-nominated producer, Maria Gracia Turgeon (FAUVE, Brotherhood), camera equipment rental provided by ARRI Rental, film festival strategy consultancy from Tribeca programmer, filmmaker, and Academy member Kimberley Browning, and more.

More on The Californer

• Children Rising Appoints Marshelle A. Wilburn as New Executive Director
• Fairmint CEO Joris Delanoue Elected General Director of the Canton Foundation
• Sleep Basil Mattress Co.'s Debuts New Home Page Showcasing Performance Sleep Solutions for Active Denver Lifestyles
• Bent Danholm Joins The American Dream TV as Central Florida Host
• Ship Overseas Inc Expands Heavy Equipment Shipping Operations into Africa

Shore Scripts' first Short Film Fund grant was awarded in 2016 for Salam, written and directed by Claire Fowler, which premiered at Tribeca in 2018 and went on to win a BAFTA Cymru in 2020. Other alumni include Nora Kirkpatrick (Daisy Jones and the Six, A Tree Fell in the Woods), Sam Baron (Chloe, Lockwood & Co), Anthony Florez (Deputy, Dark Winds), and Alexandra Qin (Thirstygirl).

Shore Scripts was founded in 2012 by filmmaker David Beazley to connect emerging writers with the film and television industry and provide much-needed support as they advance their careers. Since the inception of the Short Film Fund, Shore Scripts has greenlit 26 commissioned short films (http://www.shorescripts.com/history-of-the-short-film-fund/).

For press inquiries, please contact Short Film Fund Manager, Julia Morizawa, at julia@shorescripts.com.