Starting tomorrow, members of the relevant branches of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will begin voting to decide the 5 nominees in each of the 3 Oscar Short Film categories: Animation, Live-Action, and Documentary. This is the middle step on the road to Oscar—the giant pool of eligible films was whittled down to 10-film shortlists on February 9th, and half of these films will be passed by when the nominees are announced on March 15th. Today, we’re highlighting the shortlists and lobbying for 1 film in each category that we hope voters will consider backing.

It’s a good time for short film fans. 10 years ago most of these films would have been entirely inaccessible, but public releases are now a key prong of many award strategies. By our count, 20 of the 30 shortlisted films are available to view. Despite knowing that the final nominees are close at hand, it makes sense to cover the shortlist now—the films that will get passed over are still worth your while, and some of them are online as limited, “for your consideration” releases, and will retreat back behind paywalls or into complete unavailability in the coming weeks (you can also watch several of the unreleased films for free via Palm Springs Shortfest until March 10th). We’ve compiled the lists below and, where available, provided viewing links.

For many years, short films existed on the periphery of the Awards Industrial Complex, but the Academy’s resoluteness in keeping the Short Film categories within the telecast (despite calls from prominent corners to ax them), the success of the Shorts International and Magnolia theatrical tour, and the presence of deep-pocketed players who have targeted shorts as a prestige play, have all conspired to make the jockeying and lobbying for shorts nominations as fierce as it has ever been.

So, while a marked increase in lobbying and for your consideration campaigns has funneled awareness of these shorts to unprecedented levels, and the Academy’s launch of their sophisticated online screening room has made catching them more convenient than ever for its members, we can’t help ourselves from weighing in. We’ve seen all 30 of the films in the running and, to the extent our opinions have any purchase with voters, we want to make the case for the films that we most want to see move on. So check them out, alongside a special pull-out for our favorite pick in each category. Good luck to all the filmmakers in the running!

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Animated Short Film

Coming out stories, Hawaiian folklore, cute bunnies, there are a breadth of subjects covered in this year’s shortlist, with an equally impressive array of styles throughout the 10 films. Whether you’re looking for slick CGI, traditional 2D or some jaw-dropping sand animation, there really is something for everyone in this diverse selection.

SHORTLIST
  • Burrow by Madeline Sharafian (Disney+)
  • Genius Loci by Adrien Mérigeau (Trailer)
  • If Anything Happens I Love You by Will McCormack and Michael Govier (Netflix)
  • Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson (Vimeo)
  • Opera by Erick Oh (Trailer)
  • Out by Max Sachar (Disney+)
  • The Snail and the Whale by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon (iPlayer / Amazon Prime)
  • To: Gerard by Taylor Meacham (Trailer, US Viewers: Peacock)
  • Traces by Hugo Frassetto and Sophie Tavert Macian (arte, YT)
  • Já-Fólkið (Yes-People) by Gísli Darri Halldórsson (Trailer)

 

S/W Fav: Traces

 dir. Hugo Frassetto and Sophie Tavert Macian

With my taste in animation tending to lean towards independent, arthouse offerings, though I had a few soft spots for some of the more family-friendly offerings on the shortlist this year –The Snail and the Whale is my favourite Julia Donaldson adaptation so far and I surprisingly enjoyed both Disney films – my #1 pick is certainly “on-brand”. While I’m a big fan of Opera and it’s difficult to ignore the festival clout of Genius Loci, Traces just blew me away. Accompanying its inspiring aesthetic (a dizzying combination of paint/sand on glass) with a raw, primal storyline this 13-minute film transports its audiences thousands of years into the past, as we witness a tribe’s hunting ritual (Read our Review) – Rob Munday.

Update: Unfortunately, Traces didn’t make it through to the nominations stages, congratulations to the five films that did:

NOMINATIONS
  • Burrow
  • Genius Loci
  • If Anything Happens I Love You
  • Opera
  • Yes-People

Previous winner: Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry & Karen Rupert Toliver

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Documentary Short Subject

The major trend to note out of the Doc list is how frothy acquisitions have become in this category. It’s been a multi-year trend, but with Hunger Ward‘s recent pickup by MTV Documentary Films, it is the first time that each of the 10 films on the shortlist is allied with a major media company. Three for Netflix, three for First Look Media (two on Topic, one from Field of Vision) two from the NyTimes, and one from The Guardian round things out. It’s also the best category for at-home viewers, with each of the 10 films being available to watch on major platforms. The lineup is diverse and appealing broad, showing off the depth of modern short documentaries, with a nice mix of hard-hitting journalistic pieces (Do Not Split), sentimental profiles (Colette, What Would Sophia Loren Do?), and more experimental, lyrical work (A Love Song for Latasha, Hysterical Girl).

SHORTLIST

 

S/W Fav: A Love Song for Latasha

dir.Sophia Nahli Allison

It’s hard to find a perfect short among the 10 films above and I make no claim that our pick is the exception. However, when it comes to documentaries (or any category really) our tastes lead us to rebel against the conventional. A Love Song for Latasha is the contender that possesses the most distinct “voice”— its dreamy evocation of 90’s Los Angeles filtered through anachronistic video technologies and supplemented at times by abstract animation is not pathbreaking, yet still welcome, in a category usually defined by slick pieces firmly planted within mainstream modes.

As is often the case, formal panache does lead to sacrifice—the structure of the short flails and fails at times, and while not exceptionally long compared to its competitors, it’s easy to tune out at moments. And yet, at its peak effectiveness, Sophia Nahli Allison’s short grasps the free-floating nostalgia and swirl of abstraction its visual presentation plays with and smashes it into its characters’ pain in heartbreakingly moving ways. Unlike our other picks, its status as a Netflix film makes it a likely front-runner for nomination, but it’s also the most deserving.- Jason Sondhi.

Update: A Love Song for Natasha was one of the five films to make it through to the nominations stage, congratulations to Sophia and her team, and the rest of the nominated filmmakers.

NOMINATIONS
  • Colette
  • A Concerto Is A Conversation
  • Do Not Split
  • Hunger Ward
  • A Love Song For Natasha

Previous winner: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl) by Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva

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Live-Action Short Film

While all ten films on the live-action shortlist offer an incredible diversity of cinematic voices, they are all undeniably polished productions. As a fan of the Cocteau play and previous adaptations (Edoardo Ponti/Sophia Loren, Ted Kotcheff/Ingrid Bergman), I was excited when The Human Voice got the Almodóvar/Swinton treatment. A few of the other listed projects also have big names attached – The Letter Room stars Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat (two of my favorite actors), Two Distant Strangers showcases Joey Bada$$ in a meaty role and Feeling Through counts Marlee Matlin as an EP. While clout is obviously an advantage when it comes down to campaigning, it’s worth noting that some of the more “underdog” projects have narrative sensibilities that proved favorable with Academy voters in the past. Before moving on to my favorite – which should come as no surprise given how vocal I’ve been about it – I’d like to commend Bittu, Da Yie and The Present, definite highlights of what the 2020 festival circuit had to offer.

SHORTLIST

 

Ayn Levana (White Eye)

dir. Tomer Shushan

With its 20 minute runtime, White Eye places itself on the lengthy side for my tastes, yet from the very beginning, it impressively held my breath hostage, never letting go and consistently creating an effective and enthralling tension. The film is a showcase of remarkable craft, from the performances to the cinematography, and as the story unfolds, it remains engaging right up until those final credits. Once they begin to roll, and we’re finally allowed a little space to digest the events and their repercussions, we’re left with a lingering sour taste in our mouth as we can’t help but put ourselves in the main character’s shoes, pondering what we would have done in his place. (Read our Review) – Céline Roustan

Update: We’re excited to see that Tomer’s short, Ayn Levana (White Eye), has made it through to the next stage of Oscar consideration, named as one of the five nominated titles up for the ‘Best Live Action Short Film’ Oscar.

NOMINATIONS
  • Feeling Through
  • The Letter Room
  • The Present
  • Two Distant Strangers
  • White Eye

Previous winner: The Neighbors’ Window by Marshall Curry

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