On February 10, we are showing the 15 Oscar-nominated short films in three categories: live action, animation, and documentary. The films come from all over the world. Only one American film made it into the live-action shorts category. It’s called “Time Freak,” about a man who figures out how to go back in time to fix mistakes he had made.
All five films in the documentary category are American. “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” is about an older gent with many amusing stories to tell about civil rights activities in the 1960s.
In the live action shorts category, two films from the Emerald Isle earned nominations: “Pentecost” by Irish filmmaker-actor Peter McDonald and “The Shore” by Northern Ireland native Terry George. George, who made the tasteful Hotel Rwanda, has commented on the Irish success as makers of short narrative films. “Maybe [it] has something to do with our storytelling tradition,” George told 18 people gathered at the 24 Frames blog of the L.A. Times.
The Oscar-nominated animated shorts includes two films funded by the National Film Board of Canada: These are “Wild Life” by Calgary, Alberta-based filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, and “Sunday” by Patrick Doyon, working out of Montreal.