For the 16th consecutive year, the Belcourt presents the Oscar Nominated Short Films. 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, and catch the ceremony with them online via A Virtual Red Carpet Evening on Sunday, April 25th.
This year’s Animated program features all five nominated short films, plus a selection of additional animated short films from the shortlist of eligible films to round out a full 94-minute program.
The films nominated for best animated short films:
Burrow – Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat (USA, 6min)
A young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite not having a clue what she’s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbors her imperfections, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble.
Genius Loci – Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise (France, 16min)
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 – Will McCormack and Michael Govier (USA, 12min)
An elegy on grief, as parents struggle with the loss of their daughter after a school shooting.
Opera – Erick Oh (USA, 9min)
Opera is a massive 8K size animation installation project which portrays our society and history, which is filled with beauty and absurdity.
Yes-People – Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson (Iceland, 8min)
One morning, an eclectic mix of people face the everyday battle — such as work, school and dishwashing. As the day progresses, their relationships are tested and ultimately their capacity to cope.
Plus these additional animated shorts from the shortlist:
The Snail and the Whale (UK/Germany, 26min)
Kapaemahu (USA, 7min)
To Gerard (USA, 8min)
This year’s Live Action program features all five nominated short films, three of which are from the U.S. and the other two from Israel and Palestine respectively.
Feeling Through – Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski (USA, 19min)
A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen-in-need and a deaf-blind man.
The Letter Room – Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan (USA, 33min)
When a corrections officer is transferred to the letter room, he soon finds himself enmeshed in a prisoner’s deeply private life.
The Present – Farah Nabulsi (Palestine, 25min)
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 – Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe (USA, 25min)
Cartoonist Carter James’ repeated attempts to get home to his dog are thwarted by a recurring deadly encounter that forces him to relive the same awful day over and over again.
White Eye – Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman (Israel, 21min)
A man finds his stolen bicycle, which now belongs to a stranger. While attempting to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human.
This year’s Documentary program features all five nominated short films in one package.
Colette – Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard (France/Germany/USA, 24min)
Resistance took courage in Nazi-occupied France. Seventy-five years later, facing one’s ghosts may take even more.
A Concerto Is a Conversation – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers (USA, 13min)
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 – Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan (USA, 18min)
A dreamlike portrait of a vibrant 15-year-old girl whose shooting death sparks the 1992 L.A. riots.
Do Not Split – Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook (USA/Norway, 20min)
The story of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, told through a series of demonstrations by local protesters that escalate into conflict when highly armed police appear on the scene.
Hunger Ward – Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman (USA, 40min)
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.
