Oscar-Qualifying LA Shorts to Host World Premiere of 'The Country They Call Life'

Debut Short Film From Writer-Director Grace Sims Stars Sydney Cole Alexander and Bates Wilder

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 30th Annual LA Shorts International Film Festivalan Oscar® and BAFTA-qualifying festival, is thrilled to present the world premiere of The Country They Call Life, the debut short film from writer-director Grace Sims. The screening will take place on August 6, 5:30 pm/ PT at the Regal NOHO (Program 37).

The film features a striking ensemble: Sydney Cole Alexander (Severance, Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning) leads as Maxine, anchoring the film's emotional volatility with rare precision and grace. She is joined by Bates Wilder (American Fiction), Jerah Milligan (Astronomy Club, Black Mirror), Taylor Rose (The Family Fang, The Good Wife), and the late Dee Freeman (Shameless), whose appearance in the film stands as a testament to her talent and warmth.

The Country They Call Life is a surreal, poetic short film about agency, reconciliation, and the transformative power of support -- drawn from Sims' own lived experience. The film refuses the familiar binary of the reproductive rights debate, centering instead the human dimensions of the decision: the relationships that shape it, the forgiveness it requires, and the unexpected grace it can reveal.

"This is my form of alchemy," said Sims. "I wanted to make something that felt true to the experience -- not a position paper, not a polemic, but a film about what it actually feels like to be inside that moment, and what it means to have someone hold your hand through it. I hope it lands as a love story as much as anything else."

Production of the film was disrupted mid-shoot by the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Sims regrouped the production, raised additional funding, rescheduled the remaining shoot days, and completed the film - all while on the heels of finding out she was pregnant. She gave birth to her son June 1, 2026.

The film is also conceived as a proof of concept for a feature adaptation, currently in development.

The trailer can be viewed HERE.

Screener access and press materials are available upon request.

Press Contact: Dana Quinn | [email protected] | 609-203-0394 | Dana Quinn PR

SOURCE The 30th Annual LA Shorts International Film Festival