Oscar Shorts

Please note: the three category programs are treated a separate films in terms of your rental period, i.e. each category has its own 48 hour viewing window beginning when you start that category.

For the 16th consecutive year, ShortsTV and Magnolia Pictures present the Oscar-Nominated Short Films, opening on April 2nd. With all three categories offered – Animated, Live Action and Documentary – this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! A perennial hit with audiences around the country and the world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, April 25th.

ANIMATION

BURROW (USA 6 min)
A young rabbit tries to build the burrow of her dreams, becoming embarrassed each time she accidentally digs into a neighbor’s home

GENIUS LOCI (France, 16 min)
One night, Reine, a young loner, sees among the urban chaos a moving oneness that seems alive, like some sort of guide.

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, I LOVE YOU (USA, 12 min)
Grieving parents struggle with the loss of their daughter after a school shooting. An elegy on grief.

OPERA (USA, 9 min)
A massive 8K size animation installation project that portrays our society and history, which is filled with beauty and absurdity.

YES-PEOPLE (Iceland, 8 min)
One morning an eclectic mix of people face the everyday battle, such as work, school and dish-washing. As the day progresses, their relationships are tested and ultimately their capacity to cope.

Plus a Selection of Additional Animated Shorts

KAPAEMAHU (USA, 8 min)
Long ago, four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. The name of their leader was Kapaemahu. Beloved by the people for their gentle ways and miraculous cures, they imbued four giant boulders with their powers. The stones still stand on what is now Waikiki Beach, but the true story behind them has been hidden – until now.

THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE (UK/Germany, 26 min)
A tiny snail goes on an amazing journey by hitching a ride on the tail of a huge humpback whale. Based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

TO GERARD (USA, 7 min)
A sprightly elderly man brightens the day of a little girl through magic.

Official Site

Details:
99 min
Rated PG-13

DOCUMENTARY

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION (USA, 13 min)
A virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer tracks his family’s lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA (USA, 18 min)
The killing of Latasha Harlins became a flashpoint for the 1992 LA uprising. This documentary evocatively explores the 15-year-old’s life and dreams.

COLETTE (France/Germany/USA, 24 min)
Former French Resistance member Colette Marin-Catherine refused to step foot in Germany for 74 years. That changes when a young history student named Lucie enters her life and convinces her to visit the concentration camp where the Nazis killed her brother.

DO NOT SPLIT (USA/Norway, 36 min)
In 2019 a proposed bill allowing the Chinese government to extradite criminal suspects to mainland China escalated protests throughout Hong Kong. DO NOT SPLIT captures the determination and sacrifices of the protesters, the government’s backlash, and the passage of the new Beijing-backed national security law.

HUNGER WARD (USA, 40 min)
Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen, HUNGER WARD documents two female health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. The film provides an unflinching portrait of Dr. Aida Alsadeeq and Nurse Mekkia Mahdi as they try to save the lives of hunger-stricken children within a population on the brink of famine.

Official Site

Details:
136 min
Rated R

LIVE ACTION

FEELING THROUGH (USA, 19 min)
A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen in need and a man who is DeafBlind.

THE LETTER ROOM (USA, 33 min)
When a corrections officer is transferred to the letter room, he soon finds himself enmeshed in a prisoner’s deeply private life.

THE PRESENT (Palestine, 25 min)
On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy would it be to go shopping?

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS (USA, 25 min)
Cartoonist Carter James’ repeated attempts to get home to his dog are thwarted by a recurring deadly encounter that forces him to re-live the same awful day over.

WHITE EYE (Israel, 21 min)
A man finds his stolen bicycle, which now belongs to a stranger. While attempting to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human.