Tina Kakadelis
Film Obsessive is thrilled to premiere the trailer for Hekla, a selection of the 2026 Dances With Films: LA Film Festival line-up. Avid readers of the site with recognize the title from Jay Rohr’s interview with writer/director Michael Glover Smith and star Elizabeth Stam and Don Shanahan’s review of the film.
The film follows Hekla (Stam), an actress living in Chicago and the highs and lows of a day in her life. From auditions to breakups and self-conscious spiraling, Hekla is an up-close look at a woman in pursuit of something bigger than herself. Check out the exclusive trailer premiere below:
Hekla is not the first time Stam and Smith have worked together, nor is this the first time the character of Hekla has been on screen. Smith’s previous film, Relative, marked the debut film for Stam and the origin of Hekla the character. In Smith’s interview with Film Obsessive’s Rohr, he says that the reason Hekla exists is because he wanted to work with Stam again. Fear not, though, you don’t need to have seen Relative in order to understand Hekla. In fact, the trailer makes that obvious. We see Hekla running from point A to point B. Even when she’s not physically in motion, there’s there is so much happening emotionally. It feels like her dreams are about to come true, but there’s also so many roadblocks along the way before she finds her voice.
In its 29th year, Dances With Films: LA prides itself on highlighting independent cinema. This year’s line-up is jam-packed with 279 feature films: 41 narratives, 17 documentaries, 4 midnighters, 33 television/streaming pilots, and 184 short films. Any type of story you’re craving, Dances With Films: LA has something to capture your attention.
Dances With Films: LA will hold screenings and events at the TCL Chinese Theatre on 6925 Hollywood Blvd. in the Ovation Complex from June 18-28. For tickets and more information, be sure to check out the Dances With Film: LA Film Festival site.
