Live-Action Oscar-Nominated Shorts 2026

Thursday, February 19 at 8:40: Sneak Preview!

Winner: THE SINGERS – (Sam A. Davis, 18 min. USA) THE SINGERS is a short film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off.  With a cast comprised of viral video singing talents and other one-of-a-kind personalities from the unlikeliest corners of the internet, the film is an experimental docu-musical hybrid crafted like an improvisational play.

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY – (Lee Knight, 21 min., UK) Dorothy (BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes) is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) accidentally kicks his football in to her garden, he upends Dorothy’s daily routine of pills, prunes and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. Despite being worlds apart in every way, the two come to find they have more in common than they could ever imagine.

BUTCHER'S STAIN – (Meyer Levinson-Blount, 26 min., Israel, Hebrew & Arabic with English subtitles) Samir, a Palestinian butcher working at an Israeli supermarket, is accused of tearing down the Israeli hostage posters in the breakroom.  Samir sets out to prove his innocence in order to keep his job he desperately needs.

Winner: TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA – (Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, 36 min. USA) In a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store.  There, she becomes fascinated by a playful sales girl.  Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.

JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA – (Steve Pinder and Julia Aks, 12 min. USA) England, 1813. Miss Estrogenia “Essy” Talbot gets her period during a long-awaited marriage proposal.  Mr.Dickley mistakes the blood for an injury and rushes off to fetch a doctor. While he’s gone, Essy’s sisters plead with her not to imperil her engagement by telling Mr. Dickley the truth.  But when he returns, Essy barrels ahead, sharing every little bloody detail.

Screening as part of the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts