2026 Oscar Nominated Short Films

Showcasing the best short films from around the world, the 2026 Oscar®-Nominated Shorts presents feature-length programs dedicated to each Academy Award® Short Film category: Animated, Documentary and Live Action. A different selection of films will be screened each evening.

Friday, March 13th – Animated Short Film Nominees (83 min)

• Butterfly (Papillon) – Directed by Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens
  As a man swims in the sea, memories come to the surface. The recollections are from his early childhood to his maturity all of which are linked to water. 2024, France, in French Arabic and German with English subtitles, 15 minutes.
• Forevergreen – Directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
  An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger. 2025, U.S., 13 minutes.
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls – Directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
  A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds. 2025, Canada. in English and French with English subtitles, 17 minutes.
• Retirement Plan – Directed by John Kelly and Andrew Freedman
  In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.” 2024, Ireland, 7 minutes.
• The Three Sisters – Directed by Konstantin Bronzit
  Three sisters living on an isolated island must rent out one of their houses. 2024, Israel/Cyprus/Russia, 14 minutes.

Saturday, March 14th – Documentary Short Film Nominees (158 mins) – (Tickets to Oscar Party + Doc Shorts here)

• All the Empty Rooms –Directed by Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
  This film follows correspondent Steve Hartmand and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. 2025, U.S, 34 minutes.
• Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud – Directed by Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo
  An intimate chronicle about documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War. 2025, U.S., in English, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and Somali with English subtitles, 37 minutes.
• Children No More: “Were and are Gone” – Directed by Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins
  Israeli peace activists hold silent vigils in Tel Aviv, displaying photos of Gaza’s young victims. Despite facing public backlash, their wordless demonstrations powerfully highlight war’s human cost. 2025, U.S./Israel/U.K., in Hebrew with English subtitles, 36 minutes.
• The Devil is Busy – Directed by Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir
  At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations takes necessary risks to safeguard staff and patients. 2024, U.S. 31 minutes.
• Perfectly a Strangeness – Directed by Alison McAlpine
  In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be. 2024, Canada/Chile,15 minutes.

Sunday, March 15th – Live Action Short Film Nominees (119 min)

• Butcher’s Stain – Directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi
  Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv, is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs. 2025, Israel, DCP, in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles, 26 minutes.
• A Friend of Dorothy – Directed by Lee Knight and James Dean
  A lonely widow’s (Miriam Margolyes) quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden. 2025, U.K., 21 minutes.
• Jane Austen’s Period Drama – Directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
  Set in England in 1813, in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed as spot. 2024, U.S.,13 minutes.
• The Singers – Directed by Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt
  An impromptu sing-off will decide the best singer in the bar tonight. 2025, U.S., 18 minutes.
• Two People Exchanging Saliva (Deux personnes échangeant de la salive) – Directed by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata
  In a society where kissing is punishable by death and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angeline, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store where she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague. 2024, France/U.S., in French with English subtitles, 36 minutes.

Parental Guidance Suggested: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.