Press release: ShortsTV, the first and only global channel and network dedicated to short films, announced today the 16th annual Oscar-nominated Short Films theatrical releases. Spanning the categories of Live Action, Animation and Documentary, the short films, listed below, will be available globally starting April 2, 2021.
The program will be available in over 200 screens across 50+ theatrical markets including New York and Los Angeles and due to theaters being directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, through virtual cinematic releases with a portion of proceeds benefiting the local theaters that are unable to be open during the release. To learn more about the participating theaters (in-person and virtually) and how to purchase tickets, please visit https://tickets.oscar-shorts.com/. This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
“Last year’s Oscar-nominated Short Films were some of the last great movies many of our audiences saw in theatres before the pandemic. Now, as we emerge from this challenging time, we are thrilled to bring the joy of great cinema to our global audiences through the beloved Oscar-nominated Short Films releases, which will be available to audiences everywhere in a few short weeks,” said ShortsTV CEO and Founder Carter Pilcher. “This year’s films are breathtaking and compelling – our audiences are gonna love ‘em!”
The program will also be available on VOD via iTunes, Amazon, Verizon, Google Play beginning April 20.
Coinciding with the theatrical and virtual releases, ShortsTV also launched “The ShortsTV Podcast – Award Season” and is releasing episodes weekly leading up to the awards ceremony. Guests include Academy members, industry insiders, this year’s nominees, previous winners and more. The podcast is currently available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.
Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15, 2021. For more information, please visit http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/.
Please find the complete list of this year’s nominated short films below:
ANIMATED SHORT FILM NOMINEES
BURROW
Director: Madeline Sharafian
Synopsis: 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.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 6 minutes
Language: Non-Dialogue
GENIUS LOCI
Director: Adrien Merigeau
Synopsis: One night, Reine, a young loner, sees among the urban chaos a moving oneness that seems alive, like some sort of guide.
Country of Origin: France
TRT: 16 minutes
Language: French
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU
Director: Michael Govier, Will McCormack
Synopsis: In the aftermath of tragedy, two grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 12 minutes
Language: English
OPERA
Director: Erick Oh
Synopsis: “Opera” is a massive 8K size animation installation project which portrays our society and history, which is filled with beauty and absurdity. Erick enables viewers to experience the range of in-depth emotions through this epic reflection of human life.
Country of Origin: USA/South Korea
TRT: 9 minutes
Language: Non-Dialogue
YES-PEOPLE
Director: Gísli Darri Halldórsson
Synopsis: 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.
Country of Origin: Iceland
TRT: 8 minutes
Language: Icelandic
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM NOMINEES
FEELING THROUGH
Director: Doug Roland
Synopsis: A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen in need and a DeafBlind man.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 19 minutes
Language: English
THE LETTER ROOM
Director: Elvira Lind
Synopsis: “The Letter Room” is a dark prison comedy about the secret life of a correctional officer who gets transferred to a job in the letter room, where a new world suddenly opens to him ways to find solace and spirituality afterwards.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 33 minutes
Language: English
THE PRESENT
Director: Farah Nabulsi
Synopsis: 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?
Country of Origin: Palestine
TRT: 25 minutes
Language: Arabic/English
TWO DISTANT STRANGERS
Director: Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe
Synopsis: In “Two Distant Strangers,” 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. Starring Joey Bada$$, Andrew Howard and Zaria Simone.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 29 minutes
Language: English
WHITE EYE
Director: Tomer Shushan
Synopsis: A man finds his stolen bicycle, which now belongs to a stranger. While attempting to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human.
Country of Origin: Israel
TRT: 21 minutes
Language: Hebrew
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM NOMINEES
COLETTE
Director: Anthony Giacchino
Synopsis: On the anniversary of the start of the Nuremberg trials, 90-year-old Colette Marin-Catherine confronts her past by visiting the Nazi concentration camp in Germany where her brother was killed. As a young girl, she had been a member of the French resistance and had always refused to set foot in Germany. That changes when a young history student named Lucie enters her life. Prepared to reopen old wounds and revisit the terrors of that time, Marin-Catherine offers important lessons
Country of Origin: France/Germany/USA
TRT: 24 minutes
Language: French
A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION
Director: Kris Bowers, Ben Proudfoot
Synopsis: 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.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 13 minutes
Language: English
DO NOT SPLIT
Director: Anders Hammer
Synopsis: The story of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, told through a series of demonstrations by local protestors that escalate into conflict when highly armed police appear on the scene.
Country of Origin: USA/Norway
TRT: 20 minutes
Language: English/Cantonese/Mandarin
HUNGER WARD
Director: Skye Fitzgerald
Synopsis: Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen, HUNGER WARD documents two women 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.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 40 minutes
Language: Arabic, English
A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA
Director: Sophia Nahli Allison
Synopsis: The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising. As the Black community expressed its profound pain in the streets, Latasha’s friends and family privately mourned the loss of a vibrant child whose full story was never in the headlines. Nearly three decades later, director Sophia Nahli Allison removes Latasha from the context of her death to craft a dreamlike portrait of a promising life lost, demonstrating the impact one brief but brilliant life can have.
Country of Origin: USA
TRT: 19 minutes
Language: English
