Local film director Brett Wagner announced today that his short film "Chief" has won the award for best dramatic short at the LA Shorts Fest held earlier this month in Los Angeles.

Academy-qualifying festival, which means that "Chief" is now eligible to be nominated for an Oscar.

In January, Wagner screened his film at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews and since then has been on the film fest circuit, introducing the 12-minute movie to audiences in the United States and Canada.

"Chief," which will have its hometown premiere during this year's Hawaii International Film Festival, is the story of a Samoan chief who is on the run from his past until it catches up with him in Honolulu where he's trying to live the low-key life of a cab driver.

Read the Advertiser's coverage of the "Chief" Sundance premiere here: the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jan/25/il/hawaii801250317.html.