James Pratt took home Best Actor for his performance in feature film Malibu Crush at the recent Los Angeles Film Awards (LAFA) in Hollywood. The Australian native had won Best Actor at the 2022 Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival (BHIFF) in May and the New York Movie Awards in April of this year.

Filmmakers and screenwriters worldwide entered LAFA, which was judged by a distinguished Hollywood panel including the likes of Lisa Roumain (Avator, Westworld), Nami Melumad (Star Trek, Thor), and Casey Ruggiero (S.W.A.T, Kroll Show). LAFA is the first film festival to receive 400+ five-star reviews on FilmFreeway, out of over 8,000.

Pratt’s lead role of Michael Chase in Malibu Crush has garnered international attention ahead of its August release. The indie comedy secured U.S., European, and Canadian distribution through Cardinal XD, and Australian and New Zealand distribution via Bounty Films.

“It was a real pleasure to be among the winners and very humbling for Hollywood to respond well to this film, it was a passion project for me and close to my heart, Pratt said. “

After receiving a record number of entries, BHIFF unveiled its winners on the 28^th of May at Beverly Hills’ Fine Arts Theatre in a star-studded festival. Alongside Pratt as a winner of Best Actor, Ava Cantrell earned Best Actress for her role in Twenty-Two, and Michael Schilf snagged Best Director for The Fixer.

Bonnie McKee was another big winner, achieving Best Short Film, Best Composer, and Best First Time Filmmaker. She wrote, directed, and starred in April Kills the Vibe abouta woman waking up on New Year’s Day with memory blanks and forced to confront her demons.

BHIFF also honored Look in My Eyes for Best Cinematographer, Marathon Mindset for Best Feature and Best Comedy, The Invitation for Best Horror, Love in Country for Best LGBTQ, Killing Georgia Jones for Best Thriller, First Love for Best Student Film, On/Off for Best Animation, Abstraction for Best Web Series/Pilot and There’s No End for Best Documentary.