Award-winning short film Till Death, directed by Cameroonian-American filmmaker Yana Billé-Chung, will make its Los Angeles premiere at the 2026 LA Shorts International Film Festival, running July 30 through August 12. The 20-minute dark comedy has already collected Best Screenwriting and Best Actress honors at the 2026 Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase.
The film’s premise delivers a sharp commentary on moral self-image. A young couple purchases their dream home from an elderly woman at a bargain price, with one catch: the seller must live with them until she dies. Three years later, with a growing family and mounting tensions, the arrangement spirals into chaos as the octogenarian not only survives but thrives under their care.
“I wanted to create a story that explores how long we can hold on to the image of being good people when no one is watching,” Billé-Chung explained.
The cast brings substantial television credentials. Nancy Ma, known for roles in Bull, Hacks, and Barry, leads alongside NAACP Image Award recipient Rosie Lee Hooks and Kieran Roberts of FBI: International. Producers Martina Lee and Constance Ejuma assembled the team, with cinematography by Jacki Moonves and music by Karen Martin.
Billé-Chung’s own credentials are equally impressive. A USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate, she worked with Oscar-nominated showrunner Michael Green and served as a writer on Netflix’s acclaimed Blue Eye Samurai. That pedigree, combined with Till Death’s festival circuit success, positions her as a filmmaker to watch.
The film has already been selected for the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Accra Indie Film Fest, and Toronto Pan Afrikan Film Festival, building the kind of international festival momentum that can launch independent filmmaking careers.
For audiences at the LA Shorts festival, Till Death promises a darkly funny meditation on the gap between who we think we are and who we become when tested.
