Today, voting for the 2026 Oscar shortlists began, lasting all week – these 20 (or, er, 26) Oscar-qualified live-action and animated shorts are all eligible. Whether or not they make the shortlist (some of them will), here's why you might want to watch – from mermaid folk horror or brutal griffin hunts to gentle tales of the lists we make in life, or coming of age as an immigrant.
Letterboxd lists
Eligible live-action shorts – category analysis
Eligible animated shorts – category analysis
The Rankings
- TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA – trailer – info – full film*
- MERCY – interview – info
- JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA – interview – info
- JUST THE USUAL – trailer – info
- THE PEARL COMB – trailer – info
- PORELESS – trailer – info – full film*
- THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS – trailer – info
- DALY CITY – trailer – info – full film*
- HURIKÁN – trailer – info
- RETIREMENT PLAN– trailer – info – full film*
- TRAPPED – review – info
- GIGI – trailer – info – full film* (French or German subtitles only)
- ONE LAST ROUND – trailer – info
- KOVARTY – trailer – info – full film*
- SCARS WE LOVE – trailer – info – full film* (French subtitles only)
- EM & SELMA GO GRIFFIN HUNTING – VFX panel – info
- THE SECOND TIME AROUND – trailer – info – full film* (UK only)
- MARCIA AND THE SHARK – trailer – info – full film*
- THE SINGERS – trailer – info
- LES BÊTES – trailer – info – full film*
- BEYOND SILENCE – trailer – info – full film* (Dutch subtitles only)
- HOLY CURSE – trailer – info – full film*
- MERCENAIRE – trailer – info
- ONE DAY, THIS KID – trailer – info – on Kanopy & Criterion
- PLAYING GOD – trailer – info
- MUSHROOM DAD – review – info
*May disappear when shortlists / nominations are announced (or sooner).
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00:17 --> 00:19 [SPEAKER_02]: Hello, Laura Hound's family, and welcome.
00:20 --> 00:22 [SPEAKER_02]: We're trying out a new format today.
00:22 --> 00:23 [SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be just me.
00:23 --> 00:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Hi, I'm Alicia, hello to any new listeners.
00:26 --> 00:45 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm one of your regular Laura Hound's hosts, and probably the film geekiest of the three of us, though, don't get David started on Old Man Cinema, as he calls it, or cinematography, or actually do get him started on that, and tune in for our award season series, past and future for more on that.
00:45 --> 00:53 [SPEAKER_02]: But anyway, if you are a regular listener, especially to our subscriber episodes, then you probably know that I'm a big fan of short films.
00:54 --> 01:04 [SPEAKER_02]: I like the snack-sized portions of cinema, and these little windows into other worlds, but the other hosts don't quite share my same love of shorts yet.
01:05 --> 01:10 [SPEAKER_02]: So we decided this was a good excuse to experiment with a new type of
01:10 --> 01:26 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm going back to my post-print industry online listicle roots with a rundown of 20 of my favorite shorts I have seen this year, and not just any shorts, 20 of the shorts that are qualified for nominations at the 2026 Oscars.
01:27 --> 01:29 [SPEAKER_02]: Of course, there will be no spoilers for these films.
01:29 --> 01:33 [SPEAKER_02]: I've actually altered some of the descriptions to remove some of the spoilers in them.
01:33 --> 01:36 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll be careful about that, but I'll tell you,
01:36 --> 01:42 [SPEAKER_02]: Why I like them and give you an idea of whether there's any you might want to check out and where you can do so.
01:43 --> 01:44 [SPEAKER_02]: Why am I doing this episode now?
01:44 --> 01:52 [SPEAKER_02]: Well, today December 8th, voting begins on the 2026 Oscars short lists, including the short list for short films.
01:53 --> 01:56 [SPEAKER_02]: And Friday, December 12th, the short list voting ends.
01:57 --> 02:04 [SPEAKER_02]: On Tuesday, the 16th, we will find out which 45 shorts made the short lists in three categories.
02:04 --> 02:09 [SPEAKER_02]: This is basically the short lists are like the semi-finals of the Oscars process.
02:09 --> 02:26 [SPEAKER_02]: So there will be 15 shorts in three categories, live action shorts, animated shorts and documentary shorts, and then the 15 shorts in each of those categories will be voted on within their respective branches through mid-January to be whittled down to the five finalists they get the nominees.
02:27 --> 02:31 [SPEAKER_02]: And those nominees by the way will be announced on Thursday, January 22nd.
02:32 --> 02:33 [SPEAKER_02]: My birthday.
02:33 --> 02:37 [SPEAKER_02]: So this is a preview of shorts that may wind up on the list.
02:37 --> 02:42 [SPEAKER_02]: They're certainly qualified to be on these short lists, but I'm not, this is not a prediction episode.
02:43 --> 02:50 [SPEAKER_02]: This is an episode about personal passion, which ones I like best and also which ones I think the Laura Hound's community might like best.
02:50 --> 02:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Does that mean there's going to be some prestige genre shorts on here?
02:54 --> 02:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
02:55 --> 03:04 [SPEAKER_02]: And also some nuanced storytelling, examining, you know, sociological questions, and obviously, as David would say, the heart and conflict with itself.
03:05 --> 03:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, there's an insane number of qualified shorts, of course.
03:09 --> 03:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Before I get to that sheer volume of eligible shorts that these branches are assorting through right now to make these short lists.
03:18 --> 03:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's
03:18 --> 03:24 [SPEAKER_02]: just quickly cover for anyone who doesn't know the eligibility rules to get qualified to get on these lists.
03:25 --> 03:36 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is just roughly for all three of the shorts categories, more or less, they have to either have had a qualifying theatrical run in LA or New York.
03:36 --> 03:48 [SPEAKER_02]: Or, since that is obviously a bit tougher for shorts than features, another way they can qualify is having one a qualifying award at a designated film festival.
03:48 --> 04:01 [SPEAKER_02]: So around the world, there are many qualifying film festivals, definitely not all of the film festivals qualify, and I'll shout out how each qualifier in my top 20 as we go.
04:01 --> 04:08 [SPEAKER_02]: There are, of course, there are more details in attendance than that, but it gets really complicated and a varies between the three categories.
04:08 --> 04:20 [SPEAKER_02]: You can find all that online if you are interested, they're very transparent about it, but basically just know everything theatrical release and or winning an award at a qualifying festival.
04:21 --> 04:27 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm actually only going to be talking today about two of these three categories for the most part.
04:28 --> 04:38 [SPEAKER_02]: I just have more passion and expertise when it comes to live action and animated narrative films, but just to set it up, the situation with the documentary shorts.
04:38 --> 04:46 [SPEAKER_02]: There are, I think, 117 dock shorts qualified, and I say, I think because it can be difficult to track.
04:46 --> 04:55 [SPEAKER_02]: So, um, other people have made these lists and, uh, it seems that yeah, 117 is a number for the documentary category.
04:55 --> 05:00 [SPEAKER_02]: I will link by the way in the show notes letterbox lists for these three categories.
05:01 --> 05:16 [SPEAKER_02]: I did the two lists for the live action and animated shorts based on some blog posts by Mirallauds as well as some help from people whose context could furnish the details to make sure we got the right directors and things like that on some of the tougher to pin down titles.
05:17 --> 05:21 [SPEAKER_02]: Hey, stop naming your shorts after one common English word, okay?
05:22 --> 05:25 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm looking at you number two on today's list.
05:26 --> 05:37 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, these 117 Doc shorts will be whittled down to the 15 shortlisted semi finalist this week, and I just don't feel as qualified to talk about this category.
05:37 --> 05:42 [SPEAKER_02]: Of those 117, I have only seen 12 as of the time of recording, so 10%.
05:43 --> 05:47 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm working on that, but probably I'm going to be playing catch-up when the short lists are announced.
05:48 --> 05:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Their will of course be an episode dedicated to documentary
05:56 --> 05:59 [SPEAKER_02]: See our past documentary award season coverage for examples.
06:01 --> 06:08 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, thank you to Ken Rudolf, who's the person who made the letter box list of qualified documentary shorts that I'm sharing in the show notes.
06:09 --> 06:15 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, as for the two categories that I'm going deeper into, let's start with live action shorts.
06:16 --> 06:20 [SPEAKER_02]: This has a whopping 28 qualified films to my best count.
06:20 --> 06:31 [SPEAKER_02]: I have, as of the time of this recording, seen 57 of them or 27% so it's our no matter how many shorts I watch, I just can't watch them all.
06:33 --> 06:39 [SPEAKER_02]: My want to thank Reddit user shaping dreams for putting together some fun stats about these two categories.
06:39 --> 06:49 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll link to the posts from shaping dreams in the show notes as well, but about
06:49 --> 06:57 [SPEAKER_02]: 16% are from Canada or the UK, but there are 64 countries in total represented.
06:58 --> 07:06 [SPEAKER_02]: The nominees, the directors are 64% male, 32% female, so it's still a 2-1 gap.
07:06 --> 07:15 [SPEAKER_02]: In Canada and the UK have the best male to female ratio with 42% women directors and Asia has the lowest with about 20% female directors.
07:17 --> 07:44 [SPEAKER_02]: Now as far as the content of the shorts, the top 10 themes covered in the live action shorts starting with the most prevalent are identity and belonging, family and generational conflict, immigration and displacement which had a big spike again this year, grief and loss, social injustice, war and violence, coming of age, gender and sexuality, technology and AI and mental health.
07:44 --> 07:50 [SPEAKER_02]: And a lot of the short will touch on those themes today, but I do also don't worry.
07:50 --> 07:51 [SPEAKER_02]: There's a lot of fun shorts in here.
07:52 --> 07:58 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, as far as animated shorts, there are, I believe, 113 qualified animated shorts.
07:58 --> 08:01 [SPEAKER_02]: I've seen 44 of those are 38 percent.
08:01 --> 08:07 [SPEAKER_02]: And back to shaping dreams, fun facts, this category was dominated by Europe.
08:07 --> 08:11 [SPEAKER_02]: France, unsurprisingly, has the lead in this category with 21% of the films.
08:12 --> 08:23 [SPEAKER_02]: And I say unsurprisingly, I don't know, for those of you who haven't heard us talk about animation before, it's like the biggest film festival in the world, and a sea is in France.
08:23 --> 08:26 [SPEAKER_02]: It's just, yeah, it is a hotbed of animation.
08:26 --> 08:41 [SPEAKER_02]: USA does come in second with 23 films or 20 percent, Germany's in third place with 11 films, 9.7 percent, but 72.6 percent of all the animated short films eligible overall are European.
08:42 --> 08:45 [SPEAKER_02]: However, there are 52 different countries represented.
08:46 --> 08:55 [SPEAKER_02]: So outside of Europe's 72.6% North America is represented in 25.7% Latin America in 7.1% in Asia in 5.5%.
08:58 --> 09:16 [SPEAKER_02]: Shipping dreams also points out that nearly 24% of these animated shorts are international co-productions versus 15% in the live-action category.
09:16 --> 09:25 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, animation still has some disparity, male-to-female directors, 1.8 to 1 instead of 2 to 1.
09:25 --> 09:33 [SPEAKER_02]: So 60, 1.5% are male directors and mixed teams represent 4.6%.
09:33 --> 09:49 [SPEAKER_02]: The top six themes that come up amongst the animated shorts are family slash parent child relationships in 35% death grief loss in 27% identity slash self discovery in 22%
09:49 --> 09:58 [SPEAKER_02]: Loneliness, slash isolation in 20%, love slash romance in 17%, and war slash conflict in 11%.
09:58 --> 10:05 [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm afraid this list does not represent all of those different topics, but definitely a range of them.
10:06 --> 10:11 [SPEAKER_02]: This list basically accounts down my personal favorites of the shorts that I've seen.
10:11 --> 10:19 [SPEAKER_02]: I have only seen 100 and one of the 321 qualifying shorts in these two categories or 31% of them.
10:19 --> 10:23 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'm definitely sure I missed some great ones.
10:23 --> 10:37 [SPEAKER_02]: There's just no way to watch them all, but I would like to thank the festivals, my fellow deathraisers who have also been scouring the internet not to mention a couple proactive PR agents and industry screening events that helped me see as many as I have.
10:37 --> 10:52 [SPEAKER_02]: And just for the record, the 101 live action and animated shorts that I've seen that have qualified for the 2026 Oscars are only 42 percent of the 237 shorts that I've seen that were released this year.
10:52 --> 11:04 [SPEAKER_02]: They were definitely other favorites of mine that I've watched that are not on this list, but I'll probably shout out some of them during our award-season coverage Especially, of course, any that wind up getting recognized for the Baptist
11:06 --> 11:14 [SPEAKER_02]: But for this list, the way I put it together is I used a ranking engine online to help me rank my 26 finalists.
11:14 --> 11:15 [SPEAKER_02]: I whittled it down to 26.
11:16 --> 11:23 [SPEAKER_02]: Had this ranking engine engine helped me meet a couple final adjustments and voila, the list.
11:25 --> 11:38 [SPEAKER_02]: just to shout out the six honorable mentions that almost made the top 20 at number 21, there's Beyond Silence, a 17-minute live-action short directed by Marney Block.
11:38 --> 11:39 [SPEAKER_02]: It is actually Dutch short.
11:39 --> 11:43 [SPEAKER_02]: The blurb goes to women, two generations, same trauma.
11:44 --> 11:46 [SPEAKER_02]: One has been silent for over 30 years.
11:46 --> 11:49 [SPEAKER_02]: The other, quote-unquote, only for a year and a half.
11:49 --> 11:55 [SPEAKER_02]: Where one decides to remain silent after a confrontation, the other finds the courage to break the silence.
11:55 --> 12:02 [SPEAKER_02]: So this qualified through winning the best narrative short prize at Tribeca Film Festival, New York.
12:03 --> 12:10 [SPEAKER_02]: I have to say the real standout here is especially the lead actress, Henry Allen-Junson.
12:10 --> 12:25 [SPEAKER_02]: She is a deaf woman playing a deaf woman, which adds an extra layer to this whole interaction, and her passion, her urgency, the power of her performance really is what gives this short its edge.
12:26 --> 12:27 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's incredible.
12:27 --> 12:37 [SPEAKER_02]: She has no previous film credits to her name, so what what an absolute find, and I hope people see it to see her performance and also just to think about
12:37 --> 12:43 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the difficulties of finding allies even amongst people who seem to be natural allies.
12:44 --> 12:52 [SPEAKER_02]: This one, it is available to watch here in the Netherlands, and I will link that in the show notes, but I'm afraid there are no English subtitles for that version.
12:52 --> 12:56 [SPEAKER_02]: There are Dutch subtitles, but I'm assuming that won't help most of you.
12:57 --> 12:58 [SPEAKER_02]: But in case it does, it's in the show notes.
12:59 --> 13:09 [SPEAKER_02]: My second honorable mention is Holy Curse, 16 minutes long from a collaboration between the US and India directed by Snigda Kapoor.
13:10 --> 13:11 [SPEAKER_02]: This is a live action short.
13:12 --> 13:26 [SPEAKER_02]: During a visit to India, 11-year-old Rada grapples with their gender identity as their family subjects them to manipulative orthodox rituals, believing that these will dispel an alleged ancestral curse affecting Rada's thoughts.
13:26 --> 13:34 [SPEAKER_02]: This is a lot more fun than it sounds because of the personality of Rada and this great defiant final moment.
13:35 --> 13:38 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is available to watch on the New Yorkers YouTube page.
13:38 --> 13:42 [SPEAKER_02]: You'll find that linked in the show notes as well as a trailer and more info if you want that.
13:42 --> 13:46 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, these are the these honorable mentions.
13:46 --> 13:49 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm noticing are more of the more serious ones.
13:50 --> 13:59 [SPEAKER_02]: So I suppose I seem to have ranked the more genre ones a bit higher for reasons you understand well if you're a listener of this podcast.
14:00 --> 14:08 [SPEAKER_02]: A number 23 of mercenaire, a 15-minute short directed by Pierre Philly Chivini from Canada.
14:08 --> 14:20 [SPEAKER_02]: This is a live action short about an ex-convict hired at a pig slaughterhouse through a social reintegration program who desperately tries to find another job while repressing his inner violence.
14:19 --> 14:40 [SPEAKER_02]: And I'll just say this one is much easier watching it sounds, a slaughter has never shown on camera, but what makes this really interesting is the way, this is a quiet man who has a quiet simmering rage and also is disturbed by things that I am disturbed by as a vegetarian.
14:40 --> 14:44 [SPEAKER_02]: It's about him being stuck, but it's also, it's really well shot.
14:45 --> 14:50 [SPEAKER_02]: They don't show any animal killings, of course, or anything on camera, but it is implied.
14:50 --> 14:51 [SPEAKER_02]: So content warning there.
14:52 --> 14:53 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 24.
14:54 --> 14:59 [SPEAKER_02]: One day, this kid, 18 minutes long, directed by Alexander Ferrarra, also from Canada.
15:00 --> 15:01 [SPEAKER_02]: This is live action as well.
15:02 --> 15:14 [SPEAKER_02]: A first-generation Afghan Canadian man takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of its father's shadow, contending with fear, desire, and shame, and search of a self-unknown.
15:14 --> 15:19 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is a really lovely one because in 18 minutes you get a snapshot of half of a life.
15:19 --> 15:27 [SPEAKER_02]: It just kind of checks in on him and various small but important moments that shape his relationship with his father.
15:28 --> 15:34 [SPEAKER_02]: I'll say this one is currently available on canopy and the criterion channel, which I can't link.
15:34 --> 15:37 [SPEAKER_02]: But if you have access to either of those, you can find it there.
15:37 --> 15:42 [SPEAKER_02]: And, of course, there's a trailer and an infolink in the show notes.
15:42 --> 15:42 [SPEAKER_02]: 25.
15:43 --> 15:45 [SPEAKER_02]: Playing God, this is an animated one.
15:45 --> 15:58 [SPEAKER_02]: 9 minutes long, directed by Mateo Brunny, and it's an Italian French co-production about fragile clay sculptures who come to life in a bare workshop craving more than just existence.
15:59 --> 16:03 [SPEAKER_02]: When their sculptor abandoned them, they must discover the power of belonging.
16:03 --> 16:12 [SPEAKER_02]: So, as the summary suggests, there are some strong Frankenstein vibes in this one, so you can understand why I was drawn to this.
16:13 --> 16:20 [SPEAKER_02]: Warning, the animation is a bit grotesque, yes, but it's very cool if you like that kind of thing.
16:20 --> 16:39 [SPEAKER_02]: And then rounding out the list, Mushroom Dad, 14 minutes, this is a much lighter one, directed by Michael Yuchin Lai from the US live action, a young chef must care for his Chinese immigrant father who accidentally consumes psychedelic mushrooms on opening night of his restaurant.
16:39 --> 16:48 [SPEAKER_02]: So it's basically a tale of unexpected intergenerational connection, and yeah, definitely a much lighter one.
16:48 --> 16:49 [SPEAKER_02]: So there you go.
16:49 --> 16:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Those are my honorable mentions and did I just secretly turn this into a top 26 episode?
16:54 --> 16:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Fine.
16:55 --> 16:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, maybe a little bit.
16:57 --> 17:01 [SPEAKER_02]: But homing in on the top 20.
17:01 --> 17:11 [SPEAKER_02]: I ended up with 15 live action and six animated shorts which I ranked all together and I will be counting down from 20th.
17:11 --> 17:13 [SPEAKER_02]: to first saving my favorite for last.
17:14 --> 17:25 [SPEAKER_02]: And the rankings, you know, there's somewhat arbitrary, they don't even realize as I was putting together these notes, they don't even fully line up with my Master 2025 shorts ranking list on letterbox.
17:25 --> 17:32 [SPEAKER_02]: So the bottom line is I really like all of these films and I think you might like at least some of them too.
17:33 --> 17:36 [SPEAKER_02]: I will list out the full top 26 in the
17:36 --> 17:43 [SPEAKER_02]: with links to trailers or a review or interview in the handful of cases where trailer is in available.
17:43 --> 17:47 [SPEAKER_02]: And also a link where you can find out more about the film and how you can watch.
17:48 --> 17:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Now some of these actually a good number of these are currently available to watch online without any further action needed.
17:55 --> 18:00 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll shout out when that's the case and include that link in the show notes as well.
18:00 --> 18:04 [SPEAKER_02]: So if you hear me talk about a short, you like that's available to watch.
18:04 --> 18:06 [SPEAKER_02]: I recommend jumping on it immediately.
18:06 --> 18:12 [SPEAKER_02]: Shortlisted shorts are often quickly taken offline after the shortlist or especially nominations are announced.
18:13 --> 18:23 [SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, just emphasises in my personal preferences, they are not predictions as to who will get nominated just a handful of the shorts that I would choose if they let me make the lists.
18:23 --> 18:28 [SPEAKER_02]: So consider this a catalog of options for your consideration,
18:28 --> 18:35 [SPEAKER_02]: Note the name and or number ranking, and you can find out more, or maybe even watch the film itself via the show notes.
18:36 --> 18:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Alright, let's get into it.
18:42 --> 18:44 [SPEAKER_02]: Starting with, number 20.
18:45 --> 18:46 [SPEAKER_02]: Labette.
18:47 --> 18:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Despite the French title, this is actually a U.S. film directed by Michael Grandberry's 12-Minute song.
18:54 --> 19:15 [SPEAKER_02]: It's animated, acclaimed, it actually, uh, so a little bit, of course, means beats and this knob says a mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys, summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark fantasy inspired by the
19:15 --> 19:19 [SPEAKER_02]: And yeah, this is something incredible black and white claymation style.
19:19 --> 19:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Like I cannot believe the detail that this goes into it is, there's no dialogue in this, but it is a it's macabre it's dark it's a tail of rich eat the rich quite literally in some cases and it won best animated shorted Amdog and arguably more importantly,
19:38 --> 19:47 [SPEAKER_02]: Best jury award in the short films competition at Anasy that major French film festival that I talked about, the biggest animation festival in the world.
19:47 --> 19:53 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is available to watch right now, link in the show notes if you're interested in seeing it.
19:53 --> 19:53 [SPEAKER_02]: Don't wait.
19:53 --> 20:00 [SPEAKER_02]: Only 12 minutes long as I said, and with that awards pedigree, it could well become one of the nominees.
20:05 --> 20:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 19, The Singers, Another American Short by Vaction by Sam A. Davis 17 minutes long, the plot is simple and impromptu sing off will decide the best singer in the bar tonight.
20:18 --> 20:28 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is very loosely inspired by Russian writer Ivan Turgenev's 1850 short story, also called The Singer.
20:27 --> 20:36 [SPEAKER_02]: But this one, the short film is set in the modern day at some old dark tavern along the roads somewhere in the U.S.
20:36 --> 20:40 [SPEAKER_02]: I did end up reading the short story that this is based on out of curiosity.
20:41 --> 20:47 [SPEAKER_02]: And basically the setting and the singing competition itself are the only really things that they carried over.
20:47 --> 20:51 [SPEAKER_02]: But the story is still worth a read and obviously I quite like this short.
20:51 --> 20:58 [SPEAKER_02]: it qualified for the Oscars by winning Best Narrative Short at the Indy Short's International Film Festival.
20:59 --> 21:06 [SPEAKER_02]: It is, it's a quite simple short, but it has lots of lovely music and leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.
21:06 --> 21:08 [SPEAKER_02]: It's, it's really, it's about male loneliness.
21:09 --> 21:12 [SPEAKER_02]: And about, in some ways, competing your way to camaraderie.
21:17 --> 21:22 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 18, Marcia and the Shark, directed by Sam Ferris Bryant.
21:22 --> 21:26 [SPEAKER_02]: This is an Australian short, also live action 16 minutes long.
21:27 --> 21:37 [SPEAKER_02]: The plot goes following a shark attack, Marcia comes back to life with something wild inside her, testing her doading fiancee Frank as they take to the road in his Mustang.
21:38 --> 21:43 [SPEAKER_02]: Based on the true story of Sydney Harbour's last fatal shark attack in 1963,
21:43 --> 21:47 [SPEAKER_02]: So, in the real-life story, Marsha did pass away here.
21:47 --> 21:49 [SPEAKER_02]: She comes back to something interesting.
21:49 --> 21:59 [SPEAKER_02]: And I've seen this one, this is why this short, in particular, is why I question whether the totals on the qualifying list are completely correct, because it's hard to track.
22:00 --> 22:01 [SPEAKER_02]: This one was almost left off.
22:01 --> 22:03 [SPEAKER_02]: It was left off a lot of lists.
22:03 --> 22:20 [SPEAKER_02]: but on the ledo brought it to our attention and for anyone who doesn't know on the ledo, they have a YouTube page where they have a playlist of four-year consideration shorts in this was on it and I looked up, it's qualifying win with the Flickr Fest Panasonic Lumix Award for Best Australian Short Film.
22:20 --> 22:26 [SPEAKER_02]: I went to the website and it said next to the win, this is an Academy of Qualifying Awards so very clear, okay?
22:27 --> 22:31 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualifies, I really liked it, it qualifies for my list as well.
22:31 --> 22:37 [SPEAKER_02]: It's basically filmed like a 1940s monster movie, but by way of West Anderson.
22:38 --> 22:39 [SPEAKER_02]: It's overall to fun.
22:39 --> 22:42 [SPEAKER_02]: So obviously, somewhat tragic short.
22:42 --> 22:46 [SPEAKER_02]: It would pair very nicely with a certain Guillermo d'Otoro film.
22:46 --> 22:48 [SPEAKER_02]: You'll know which one I mean after you watch.
22:49 --> 22:58 [SPEAKER_02]: It's gorgeous black and white filmmaking with a mod 60s vibe, and it is as I mentioned currently available on the Amoletto YouTube page.
22:58 --> 22:59 [SPEAKER_02]: So you'll find that link in the show notes.
23:02 --> 23:03 [SPEAKER_02]: 17.
23:03 --> 23:09 [SPEAKER_02]: The second time around directed by Jack Howard from the UK, 13 minutes long, live action.
23:09 --> 23:20 [SPEAKER_02]: On a rain drenched, London night, a weary waitress is confronted by an enigmatic older woman looking for her umbrella and perhaps some closure too.
23:20 --> 23:26 [SPEAKER_02]: So it's difficult to discuss why I like this one without spoiling the story.
23:26 --> 23:34 [SPEAKER_02]: I actually even altered the official description because I thought that the description on the site was too spoilery.
23:35 --> 23:41 [SPEAKER_02]: But I will say there is a soft science fiction element involved that becomes clear by the end.
23:41 --> 23:50 [SPEAKER_02]: This is one of the shorts that I saw at the Imagine Fantastic Film
23:50 --> 24:02 [SPEAKER_02]: And I noticed that the ones that qualify through screenings as makes sense, they are often the ones that seem to have perhaps more money behind them bigger names behind them this, this makes sense.
24:03 --> 24:09 [SPEAKER_02]: UK listeners can watch it right now by following the link in the show notes to view it on the Channel 4 website.
24:13 --> 24:13 [SPEAKER_02]: 16.
24:14 --> 24:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Another short that I watched the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, Emma and Selma go Griffin hunting, directed by Alexander Thompson of the US-18-Minute's Long Live Action.
24:26 --> 24:38 [SPEAKER_02]: In the Depression-Ravaged Countryside of 1930s America, adolescent girls are expected to fulfill a longstanding right in which they hunt and slay a mythical beast of their mother's choosing.
24:38 --> 24:59 [SPEAKER_02]: So this is another one that qualified through screening, and it is basically a mother-daughter story of toxic masculinity, it is dark, it is fantastical, it is did I mention is dark, and it is also filmed in black and white, it is pure fantasy, there are incredible fantasy creatures in this, like just really,
24:59 --> 25:09 [SPEAKER_02]: They brought in the VFX big guns for this one and these creatures blend so well into the rich black and white cinematography So this is a gorgeous watch.
25:09 --> 25:16 [SPEAKER_02]: It is pure fantasy high fantasy, but also Grimdark in a way.
25:16 --> 25:21 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's but definitely in a way that comments on our world as it is.
25:21 --> 25:22 [SPEAKER_02]: So bear warning there
25:25 --> 25:26 [SPEAKER_02]: 15.
25:27 --> 25:34 [SPEAKER_02]: Scars We Love Directed by Raphael Juzou from France, 15 minutes long, animated.
25:35 --> 25:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Gaspar is still very much in love with Leyla.
25:38 --> 25:41 [SPEAKER_02]: They meet in a crowded bar a month after she left him.
25:42 --> 25:53 [SPEAKER_02]: The conversation turns a rye, and as he feels tears welling up Gaspar, seeks refuge under the tablecloth away from the prime eyes and closer to his memories.
25:53 --> 25:56 [SPEAKER_02]: So this is very inventively animated.
25:56 --> 26:08 [SPEAKER_02]: This has very charming, very inventive, cool-toned animation, exploring why breakups and the relationships before that are so difficult for both sides.
26:09 --> 26:15 [SPEAKER_02]: Definitely an easy watch that will connect, I think, with anyone who's ever bent through a breakup.
26:15 --> 26:21 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is available on YouTube in Europe at least, but I'm afraid only with French subtitles.
26:22 --> 26:25 [SPEAKER_02]: I will still link it in the show notes in case that's helpful to you.
26:28 --> 26:29 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 14, Kovarty.
26:30 --> 26:35 [SPEAKER_02]: A 31-minute-long Indian short directed by Roheen Ravindran Nayir.
26:36 --> 26:37 [SPEAKER_02]: This is live action.
26:37 --> 26:46 [SPEAKER_02]: In the early 1980s, in a government office somewhere in Karala, a brand new typewriter loses its heart to Daisy, the young typist of that office.
26:47 --> 26:57 [SPEAKER_02]: So, this is really it's more than it sounds like it's more than it seems at first, more than just a semi-obsertist story about a jealous typewriter and a typist who loves him.
26:58 --> 27:05 [SPEAKER_02]: It's really a story about a quiet village connecting with the wider world, through this new media.
27:05 --> 27:12 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, this qualified through screenings and you can see this film on YouTube right now, so you'll find that link in the show notes.
27:18 --> 27:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 13, one last round, directed by Core Adana, a US film 25 minutes long live action.
27:27 --> 27:33 [SPEAKER_02]: When Renee receives the devastating news of her terminal illness, she and her husband on debate and impossible decision.
27:34 --> 27:41 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified through screenings, and though the description hides it, I'll tell you this is near future sci-fi.
27:41 --> 27:47 [SPEAKER_02]: It's revolving around a type of AI constructed from a human brain called a ripple.
27:47 --> 28:00 [SPEAKER_02]: So if I didn't know that such a thing would have disqualified this from Oscar contention, I would swear that this was made to be an episode of Black Mirror, which is a show that I love, so no wonder I enjoyed this as well.
28:00 --> 28:05 [SPEAKER_02]: So that tells you what to expect, although I will say this has more heart.
28:05 --> 28:13 [SPEAKER_02]: And also this is, so Core Adana in case she didn't recognize the name, he's probably best known for writing from Mr.
28:13 --> 28:22 [SPEAKER_02]: Robot, but he also wrote by the way the best, but what most people consider the best episodes of the Akalite, the two in the middle, day and night.
28:22 --> 28:29 [SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, he's good at using fight sequences to amplify emotion.
28:29 --> 28:36 [SPEAKER_02]: I will say this one was getting some hate in one of the discord I'm in, so maybe it's not for everyone.
28:36 --> 28:43 [SPEAKER_02]: My only complaint with it is that it almost felt too polished in the first half, but it had me in tears by the end.
28:44 --> 28:47 [SPEAKER_02]: And there's a final twist that
28:47 --> 28:50 [SPEAKER_02]: I think that they're teasing me and I'm like fine.
28:50 --> 28:51 [SPEAKER_02]: Give me the feature.
28:51 --> 28:55 [SPEAKER_02]: There's definitely setting up a larger story in that final twist.
28:56 --> 29:03 [SPEAKER_02]: It's an interesting heartfelt exploration with a really important moral quandary at the center of it.
29:04 --> 29:09 [SPEAKER_02]: And I'll let you corner that quandary at the center of it in our one and only quick commercial break.
29:09 --> 29:17 [SPEAKER_02]: When we come back, I will talk about my top 12 live action and animated
29:37 --> 29:38 [SPEAKER_02]: number 12, Gigi.
29:39 --> 29:43 [SPEAKER_02]: From friends, 14 minutes animated, directed by Cynthia Calvy.
29:44 --> 29:51 [SPEAKER_02]: From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity.
29:52 --> 29:53 [SPEAKER_02]: So this
29:53 --> 30:06 [SPEAKER_02]: Qualified through the animated short award at the New Orleans film festival, and it's just it's absolutely visually stunning The animation is very inventive very it does look very French.
30:06 --> 30:16 [SPEAKER_02]: It's almost like it's almost like a Picasso light version of art deco But also inventive in the ways of using great visual analogies now.
30:17 --> 30:19 [SPEAKER_02]: I know that this one
30:19 --> 30:39 [SPEAKER_02]: will not only make a lot of trans people feel seen but also I think it will make people feel anyone feel seen who has had to go on a journey to become themselves or anyone who knows or cares about someone who's had to go on such a journey and it's just an eye-pleasing watch.
30:39 --> 30:50 [SPEAKER_02]: There is a link in the show notes for this one, but I'm afraid this is another one may be only available in Europe and only with French or German subtitles as of this for quitting.
30:50 --> 30:54 [SPEAKER_02]: So you can follow the info link if you want to find out more.
30:57 --> 30:58 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 11.
30:59 --> 30:59 [SPEAKER_02]: Trapped.
31:00 --> 31:12 [SPEAKER_02]: Directed by Sam Cutler-Cruits and David Cutler-Cruits, US Film 15 minutes long live action about a high school janitor who runs into a series of dangerous obstacles.
31:12 --> 31:14 [SPEAKER_02]: very simple explanation.
31:14 --> 31:16 [SPEAKER_02]: I will expand on this one a little bit.
31:16 --> 31:19 [SPEAKER_02]: It is really about class politics.
31:19 --> 31:30 [SPEAKER_02]: It's about a basically a janitor who can't find child care for his son while he's working versus the privileged students at the school he works for who are starting trouble after hours.
31:31 --> 31:32 [SPEAKER_02]: It is
31:33 --> 31:36 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's moments of real tension.
31:36 --> 31:47 [SPEAKER_02]: I'll say, this is the same directing duo he did last year as Alien, if you heard us talk about that, or if you got to see that itself about immigration drama.
31:48 --> 31:52 [SPEAKER_02]: You know from that, if you saw it, how great they are capturing tension.
31:52 --> 31:57 [SPEAKER_02]: But this is definitely a lighter touch with moments of humor in it, unlike Alien.
31:57 --> 32:03 [SPEAKER_02]: So it is much easier watch, and a fun watch actually, very satisfying at times.
32:04 --> 32:07 [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, Sam and David cut their roots.
32:08 --> 32:11 [SPEAKER_02]: Two years qualifying, watch those names.
32:12 --> 32:14 [SPEAKER_02]: We're definitely going to be seeing more from them.
32:14 --> 32:23 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified via the Best Short Film Grand Prize at Holly Short's Film Festival, and it also won itself by Southwest.
32:23 --> 32:28 [SPEAKER_02]: This special jury prize and won the Best U.S. Short at the Palm Springs Short's Fest.
32:31 --> 32:31 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 10.
32:32 --> 32:39 [SPEAKER_02]: This is a seven minute animated shorts directed by John Kelly, called Retirement Plan.
32:40 --> 32:50 [SPEAKER_02]: In the throes of his over-stimulated energy-poor mid-life, Ray fantasizes about everything he'd love to do in retirement once he finally has the time.
32:50 --> 32:54 [SPEAKER_02]: This one's already one for Festival Awards.
32:54 --> 33:05 [SPEAKER_02]: The South by Southwest Jury Award, the animation Dingo, the Bali, International Film Fest, and the Best of Festival at Palm Springs.
33:05 --> 33:15 [SPEAKER_02]: So this has definite real momentum, it also has a Donald Gleason voiceover, so that also gives it a bit more cashier.
33:15 --> 33:23 [SPEAKER_02]: You can watch this right now on the New Yorker YouTube channel, for now at least, as I said, don't put it off if you want to see any of these.
33:23 --> 33:28 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, this is likely to at least be shortlisted if not nominated.
33:29 --> 33:32 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, I've also, I've shared it in our Laura Hound's Discord.
33:32 --> 33:47 [SPEAKER_02]: So if you are not a member of the Laura Hound's Discord yet, you'll find an invite link in the link tree and the show notes and there's an award season channel there where I've been sharing some of my favorite shorts that we're talking about today that are currently available to watch.
33:47 --> 34:00 [SPEAKER_02]: In this is one of them, so I know some of you have already seen this one, like it's at only seven minutes long, and it's a poignant look at all the endless What it could have showed us that haunt humanity in our time restricted lives.
34:00 --> 34:04 [SPEAKER_02]: It's really lovely has a lovely cadence to it.
34:04 --> 34:09 [SPEAKER_02]: It's kind of like animated poetry, and it just grows more and more moving as it continues.
34:14 --> 34:22 [SPEAKER_02]: Number nine, another animated short is when 13 minutes called Hurri Khan, directed by Jan Sasca and it's from the Czech Republic.
34:23 --> 34:30 [SPEAKER_02]: Hurri Khan rushes to save his favorite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he crushes on.
34:31 --> 34:36 [SPEAKER_02]: In a wild prog district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.
34:36 --> 34:45 [SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, it's basically about this character's misadventures through Prague and it's very much it's giving you the hanging out in Prague vibes.
34:46 --> 34:54 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is black and white hand drawn 2D animations full of clean lines and detailed images, so very pleasing to look at.
34:54 --> 35:10 [SPEAKER_02]: I will say the main character, most of the characters are human, the main character is pictured as a test pig, for reasons that you know what they felt clear enough to me when watching, it's basically the same as when Robbie Williams was played by monkey in better man, like it just makes sense when you see it.
35:11 --> 35:15 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified by winning the best animation award at Holly Shorts.
35:19 --> 35:26 [SPEAKER_02]: Number eight, Daily City, a U.S. short live action, 16 minutes directed by Nick Hartanto.
35:27 --> 35:36 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is an autobiographical story about an Indonesian boy and his mother who bring Chinese take-out to a church potluck and pretend it's a traditional family dish.
35:37 --> 35:45 [SPEAKER_02]: The boy's quiet, observations lead him to question his parents behavior as they strive to find a sense of belonging in a new country.
35:45 --> 35:49 [SPEAKER_02]: So, this is indeed one that's all about the quiet observations.
35:49 --> 36:02 [SPEAKER_02]: It's about this boy watching the roles his parents play to fit into U.S. society or even thrive in it and what they say to him about what it all means when he calls him on it.
36:01 --> 36:11 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, and basically what it doesn't mean as well, and I've to say this short has a warmer heart and ends on fuzzier fields than most immigration dramas.
36:12 --> 36:16 [SPEAKER_02]: There's also, I don't know, there's almost something Christmasy about it like, although it's not a Christmas short.
36:18 --> 36:28 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified through the special jury award for excellence and directing at Salute Your Short Film Festival, and it is available to watch on YouTube right now, linked in the show notes.
36:32 --> 36:43 [SPEAKER_02]: Number seven, the girl who cried pearls, an animated short 16 minutes long, it's a Canadian short directed by Chris Lovis and Machik Shabowski.
36:44 --> 36:52 [SPEAKER_02]: This is a haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.
36:53 --> 37:00 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is basically it's a great parable about the trappings of greed and it's told like a fairy tale
37:00 --> 37:26 [SPEAKER_02]: It does have an at first somewhat off-puting character design, very stylized, moody, gothic sort of character design, but it really suits the tone and the settings, the 3D settings are so detailed and stunning to look at, and you know, intentionally broken down kind of way, you know, with the romantics, with the capital R, would call this a blind.
37:26 --> 37:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Because of the nature of the animation, most of the faces are not really that animated, so what the animators have done instead is to have very expressive body animation.
37:38 --> 37:40 [SPEAKER_02]: The body animation was absolutely fantastic.
37:41 --> 37:47 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified via the best Canadian short film award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
37:47 --> 37:48 [SPEAKER_02]: So that's a big one.
37:52 --> 37:57 [SPEAKER_02]: not to say, the top six on the list are all live action.
37:57 --> 38:15 [SPEAKER_02]: Starting with, number six, porless, directed by Harris Doran from the US, 13 minutes long, a fabulous queer Muslim beauty entrepreneur must figure out how to compete in a shark tank-like product pitch contest after suffering and an untimely allergic reaction.
38:15 --> 38:18 [SPEAKER_02]: And this one qualified through screenings, very polished.
38:18 --> 38:22 [SPEAKER_02]: I think you might recognize some of the cast to check out the trailer if you're curious.
38:22 --> 38:28 [SPEAKER_02]: Although you can actually watch this entire film right now, it is currently on YouTube and linked in the show notes if you get it fast enough.
38:29 --> 38:39 [SPEAKER_02]: I found this to be a hilarious skating satire of, I mean, it seems to be a satire of the beauty industry, but it's really more of a satire of modern culture in general.
38:39 --> 38:43 [SPEAKER_02]: And it is tailored to precisely my sense of humor, the fact that,
38:43 --> 38:50 [SPEAKER_02]: The fact that I grew up around the New York area, the fact that I worked in fashion, things like that, make this even funnier to me.
38:50 --> 38:55 [SPEAKER_02]: But I think the satire of this one will appeal to a lot of the listeners of this podcast.
38:56 --> 39:03 [SPEAKER_02]: And bonus, this film has probably the best fan sum of the opera mask game that I have ever seen in my life.
39:04 --> 39:07 [SPEAKER_02]: So again, this one currently available to watch.
39:07 --> 39:09 [SPEAKER_02]: I recommend checking it out 13 minutes long.
39:13 --> 39:19 [SPEAKER_02]: Number five, the Pearl comb, not to be confused with number seven, the girl who cried pearls.
39:19 --> 39:24 [SPEAKER_02]: Number five, the Pearl comb, this one is in live action, as are these last ones.
39:24 --> 39:43 [SPEAKER_02]: This one was directed by Ali Cook from the UK, 21 minutes long, and it's about a doctor hell bent on proving a woman's place is in the home and not practicing medicine is sent to investigate her miraculous claim.
39:43 --> 39:52 [SPEAKER_02]: So this one qualified through screenings, but I will say it also won the audience award for shorts at the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival here in Amsterdam.
39:53 --> 39:55 [SPEAKER_02]: And this one, it is based on a corner's folk tale.
39:56 --> 39:59 [SPEAKER_02]: And basically, this is spoiled in the trailer.
39:59 --> 40:01 [SPEAKER_02]: So I'll say it is mermaid folklore from the British Isles.
40:02 --> 40:03 [SPEAKER_02]: So this is absolutely all the way.
40:03 --> 40:08 [SPEAKER_02]: My thing, and I know we have a huge
40:08 --> 40:11 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is an absolutely fantastic example of its ilk.
40:11 --> 40:26 [SPEAKER_02]: It does a whole lot with its 20-minute runtime and it makes very intelligent use of its budget to deliver some pretty cool visuals that feel moody and unquestionably of their period, the production design is very on point.
40:27 --> 40:29 [SPEAKER_02]: And the visual effects, they add rather than distract.
40:29 --> 40:34 [SPEAKER_02]: So, heartily recommend the Procome.
40:35 --> 40:42 [SPEAKER_02]: Number four, just the usual, directed by Nana Tongue from Denmark, 28 minutes long.
40:42 --> 40:47 [SPEAKER_02]: In this film we follow Oli Benny and Old School Barber celebrating a very special day.
40:48 --> 40:52 [SPEAKER_02]: However, things just don't turn out quite as expected.
40:52 --> 40:56 [SPEAKER_02]: So this is one, I went in not knowing what to expect.
40:56 --> 41:03 [SPEAKER_02]: I expected something light and it does have a lightness of touch, but it also has a very deep bittersweet pathos.
41:03 --> 41:06 [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't expect this one to hit as hard as it did.
41:07 --> 41:11 [SPEAKER_02]: It's very hard to achingly relatable portraits of
41:11 --> 41:13 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I don't want to say too much going in.
41:13 --> 41:17 [SPEAKER_02]: This is one where I tone down the official description to be less spoilery.
41:18 --> 41:27 [SPEAKER_02]: But I'll say it sounds trivial on paper, but the details end up painting a picture of winds and losses and colorful shades of gray that shape a life.
41:29 --> 41:35 [SPEAKER_02]: and there's also gorgeous photography that adds emotion and meaning to the everyday details of rounds.
41:35 --> 41:36 [SPEAKER_02]: Ole Beni.
41:37 --> 41:52 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified through screenings and this is a film the full film used to be available on the mail but it seems to have already been taken down so that is a good reminder to if you get access to a film, watch it right away.
41:52 --> 41:59 [SPEAKER_02]: But of course, in the show notes, if you want to follow the film or find out when and how you can watch, you will find links there, plus a trailer.
42:02 --> 42:03 [SPEAKER_02]: Number 3.
42:03 --> 42:10 [SPEAKER_02]: Jane Austen's period drama directed by Julia Axenstief Pinder from the US 13 minutes.
42:11 --> 42:19 [SPEAKER_02]: England, 1813, in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Ms. Estrogenia Talbot gets her period.
42:19 --> 42:28 [SPEAKER_02]: Her suitor, the dashing, Mr. Dickly, mistakes the blood for an injury and it soon becomes clear that his very expensive education has most certainly missed a spot.
42:30 --> 42:38 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is, as the Punney title suggests, it is a satire, it is a satire of Jane Austen, but also of just
42:38 --> 42:46 [SPEAKER_02]: going through life as a woman and have seeing the reactions of men when you talk about the basic functioning of your body.
42:46 --> 42:48 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, I say that don't run away men don't run away.
42:48 --> 42:52 [SPEAKER_02]: I honestly think that you will also find this hilarious.
42:52 --> 43:00 [SPEAKER_02]: It just perfectly nails the parody if you like Pride and Prejudice or even the Bridgerton type of things.
43:00 --> 43:08 [SPEAKER_02]: It does all that so well, but it keeps making me laugh thinking about moments like
43:08 --> 43:09 [SPEAKER_02]: business.
43:09 --> 43:12 [SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, you have to see it, and that will make more sense.
43:14 --> 43:20 [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, it's feel good and maybe a bit of a thinker and just a fun palette cleanser as well.
43:20 --> 43:24 [SPEAKER_02]: This one qualified through best comedy at Aspen Short's Fest.
43:30 --> 43:31 [SPEAKER_02]: getting to the top of the list.
43:32 --> 43:42 [SPEAKER_02]: In the second position, I currently have Mercy, which is a Norwegian live-action short, 27 minutes long, directed by Heta Mune, but the plot goes.
43:43 --> 43:50 [SPEAKER_02]: Girl, 37 years old, stumbles across her old best friend, Peter 41, who has recently been accused of something terrible.
43:51 --> 43:56 [SPEAKER_02]: And Girl is unsure whether she can still be friends with him without picking aside in the case.
43:56 --> 44:03 [SPEAKER_02]: So this one qualified by winning the Golden Chair for Best Norwegian Short Film at Norwegian Short Film Festival.
44:03 --> 44:11 [SPEAKER_02]: And the reason why this one ranks so highly with me is just the infuriating heart-breaking nuance of this one.
44:11 --> 44:21 [SPEAKER_02]: But okay, I say all that and it's not nearly as heavy as the description of that all that makes it sound because it is extremely well written, superbly performed and filmed.
44:21 --> 44:26 [SPEAKER_02]: I definitely do identify with the main character for a few reasons.
44:26 --> 44:43 [SPEAKER_02]: She is someone who doesn't want to just write someone off right away, but also she's struggling with how her friendship affects her own life and also struggling to decide what does she think, how does she reconcile this person she knows with these accusations?
44:43 --> 44:48 [SPEAKER_02]: So, whether this one gets shortlisted or not, I do hope people will watch this one.
44:48 --> 44:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, I'm going to see this is the one I called out for having an annoying name to find.
44:54 --> 44:57 [SPEAKER_02]: The key is look for director, head up, moon.
44:57 --> 44:59 [SPEAKER_02]: It's the Norwegian one.
44:59 --> 45:07 [SPEAKER_02]: And the link in the show notes to the live action Oscar qualifying short on letterboxed that has the correct film there so you can see which you should be looking for.
45:07 --> 45:12 [SPEAKER_02]: And of course, I have trailer and info links in the notes as well.
45:12 --> 45:25 [SPEAKER_02]: But overall, this one lighter than I make it sound but definitely very thought-provoking and an important one, I think, to see, there's nothing explicit on-screen FYI just nuanced social situations.
45:27 --> 45:38 [SPEAKER_02]: And that brings us to my number one Oscar qualified short at this moment live action directed by Alexander Singh and Natalie Moustieta.
45:39 --> 45:44 [SPEAKER_02]: this is a French US co-production 36 minutes long.
45:45 --> 45:48 [SPEAKER_02]: It has the memorable title of two people exchanging saliva.
45:49 --> 45:51 [SPEAKER_02]: It is a French language film, by the way.
45:51 --> 45:58 [SPEAKER_02]: The plot is a black and white parable about a world where kissing is illegal and everything is paid in minor acts of pain.
45:59 --> 46:04 [SPEAKER_02]: This one will especially appeal to West Anderson and Yerodgos Lentimos fans.
46:04 --> 46:11 [SPEAKER_02]: And I'll just say, you know, it's 36 minutes long, making it one of the longest on this list, but it feels like a full feature in that.
46:11 --> 46:19 [SPEAKER_02]: And in a good way, like it packs in so much world building and story, the official description is kind of spoilery about the world building details.
46:19 --> 46:28 [SPEAKER_02]: So I did tone it down here, because I personally found it really fun to go into this one having no idea what it was going to be and just seeing that title.
46:28 --> 46:37 [SPEAKER_02]: I will say reasons why you might like it, and this is another one with striking black and white photography, black and white photography, so hot right now.
46:38 --> 46:43 [SPEAKER_02]: This one has a mod production design that really makes the most of that color scheme.
46:44 --> 46:46 [SPEAKER_02]: This one actually qualified via three awards.
46:47 --> 46:50 [SPEAKER_02]: The live action short grand jury prize at AFI Fest.
46:50 --> 47:08 [SPEAKER_02]: the best drama short at out on film and Atlanta LGBTQ International Film Festival and you might be wondering why LGBTQ I didn't mention that there is a lesbian relationship in this film which it's not about the gender of it all.
47:08 --> 47:13 [SPEAKER_02]: It's about the world in which these two people and everyone else around them lives.
47:14 --> 47:17 [SPEAKER_02]: I do have a good feeling that this short will go places.
47:17 --> 47:18 [SPEAKER_02]: It's high concept.
47:18 --> 47:21 [SPEAKER_02]: It, as I said, it feels very complete.
47:21 --> 47:28 [SPEAKER_02]: It has visual spectacle, very interesting thoughts, and lots of praise, lots of memorable moments too.
47:29 --> 47:31 [SPEAKER_02]: This one is available for you to watch right now.
47:31 --> 47:34 [SPEAKER_02]: It's on the New Yorker YouTube page.
47:34 --> 47:36 [SPEAKER_02]: And of course, that is linked in the show notes.
47:38 --> 47:41 [SPEAKER_02]: And those were my top 20, 26.
47:42 --> 47:46 [SPEAKER_02]: Oscar qualified live action and animated shorts.
47:46 --> 47:49 [SPEAKER_02]: Let us know if you liked this new experimental format.
47:50 --> 47:54 [SPEAKER_02]: If you want us to experiment with more formats like this, you can let us know via Discord.
47:54 --> 47:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Again, I said link in the link to the show notes.
47:57 --> 48:04 [SPEAKER_02]: You can also email us at lohounds, at the lohounds.com, or you can find me on blue sky as well.
48:04 --> 48:20 [SPEAKER_02]: If you enjoyed this episode, if you know other people who are curious about shorts and don't know where to begin or who are just looking for some interesting stories to dig into 20 minutes at a time, please go ahead and share this episode with them.
48:20 --> 48:25 [SPEAKER_02]: We are, of course, also quite busy on the Lohound's main feed right now.
48:25 --> 48:29 [SPEAKER_02]: There will be a telemaska one shot coming right after this, I believe.
48:30 --> 48:32 [SPEAKER_02]: Shortly after this, I believe we've recorded it.
48:33 --> 48:35 [SPEAKER_02]: And of course, there's weekly coverage right now of it.
48:35 --> 48:41 [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to Dairy with me, John and Mark and Pluribus with David and Nicole.
48:41 --> 48:52 [SPEAKER_02]: Plus, the recent Predator Badlands episode and episodes coming later this week on both Wicked and Frankenstein, the new Del Toro Frankenstein.
48:53 --> 48:55 [SPEAKER_02]: And watch out for our end of year episodes.
48:56 --> 49:07 [SPEAKER_02]: It's looking like it's going to be an action Christmas, so we'll have Violent Night on the Public Feed, and there will also be our top 10 TV shows of the year from
49:07 --> 49:13 [SPEAKER_02]: David John and I, as well as additional top 3s from a bunch of the other co-hosts on the network.
49:14 --> 49:20 [SPEAKER_02]: And as always Patreon and Supercast subscribers, it's the same content, two different ways to tune in.
49:20 --> 49:26 [SPEAKER_02]: You of course, as always, get ad free access to all these episodes plus bonus episodes.
49:26 --> 49:33 [SPEAKER_02]: Now, for action Christmas, that means you're going to get a double die hard episode for subscribers only.
49:33 --> 49:40 [SPEAKER_02]: Not to mention, what you watch in about a magic film festival coming out this week, and a bunch others besides.
49:41 --> 49:43 [SPEAKER_02]: And do check out via the link tree.
49:43 --> 49:46 [SPEAKER_02]: Our other affiliates on the network, my own will shift dust.
49:47 --> 49:53 [SPEAKER_02]: We are covering both Frankenstein and many more versions of a Christmas Carol this month.
49:53 --> 50:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Never mind the music, just put out a Lionel Richie episode that is the podcast where music meets psychology, radioactive ramlings is about to start fallout too, and there are also more affiliates to explore in the show notes as well.
50:10 --> 50:13 [SPEAKER_02]: and it has come to that time.
50:13 --> 50:16 [SPEAKER_02]: Regular listeners, you know what time that time is.
50:16 --> 50:18 [SPEAKER_02]: It is time to issue our special thank yous.
50:19 --> 50:29 [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you to our Discord server boosters, Erin Kay, to live the thriller, do 71 Athena Angelaya, Lestu, Nancy M, Ghost and Partition Radioactive Richard, and Adriana.
50:29 --> 50:35 [SPEAKER_02]: And thank you to our lore masters, Samarshan, Michael G, Michelle, E, SC, Peter O'H.
50:35 --> 50:56 [SPEAKER_02]: Nancy M. Doof 71, Brian 863, Frederick H. Sarah L. Gertzzi, Androby Kwangu, Nathan T. Sub-Zero, Aaron K. Dally V. Mother's Ship 61, Nauros, Kathy W. Lestu, Jeffrey B. Elisa U. Ben B. Scott F. Steven N. Julia F. Kolly S.
50:56 --> 51:05 [SPEAKER_02]: Ill Mario, Paul Kay, Rocky Zim, Jessica H, Red Zippy, the TCS, Dopa Mini, that's how David says we have to say it now.
51:05 --> 51:08 [SPEAKER_02]: Catch it, L&R, and always last, Adrienne.
51:08 --> 51:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you all so much.
51:09 --> 51:16 [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for listening, can't wait to talk more short and, especially of course, feature films with you soon.
51:17 --> 51:17 [SPEAKER_02]: Bye!
51:18 --> 51:21 [SPEAKER_01]: The lower-hounds podcast is produced and published by the lower-hounds.
51:22 --> 51:28 [SPEAKER_01]: You can send questions and feedback and voicemails at the lower-hounds.com slash contact.
51:28 --> 51:33 [SPEAKER_01]: Get early and add free access to all lower-hounds.com at patreon.com slash the lower-hounds.
51:33 --> 51:38 [SPEAKER_01]: Any opinions stated are ours personally and do not reflect the opinion of or belong to any employers or other entities.
51:39 --> 51:40 [SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for listening.