Oscar Nominated Shorts: LIVE ACTION

Screening Only on Friday, — & Saturday, —

The Oscar season is just around the corner! So, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be screening some of the short films that have been nominated for cinema’s most prestigious award. We’ll be showing films from both the Animated Shorts category and the Live Action Shorts category on . We’ll also have ballots available for attendees, so you can cast your vote for the films you think best deserve to take home the handsome golden statue.

It’s a great honor to offer our community the chance to see these amazing and creative films before the official Academy Awards broadcast taking place on Sunday, March 15th, 2026!

Some films in this program contain adult language, adult themes and sensual images. Recommended for persons 17 and up.

Featured Live Action Shorts

Butcher’s Stain – written and directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount / Israel. 26 min

Samir, a Palestinian butcher working at an Israeli supermarket, is accused of tearing down the Israeli hostage posters in the break room. Samir sets out to prove his innocence in order to keep his job he desperately needs.

A Friend of Dorothy – written and directed by Lee Knight / 21 min

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 into 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.

Jane Austen’s Period Drama – written and directed by Steve Pinder and Julia Aks / USA. 12 min

Jane Austen’s Period Drama is a 2024 English-language short comedy written and directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder. The film is a satire on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

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.

The Singers – directed, edited, and shot by Sam A. Davis / USA. 18 min

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.

Two People Exchanging Saliva – directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh / France, USA. 36 min

Two People Exchanging Saliva explores a dystopian world where kissing is punishable by death.

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 salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.