OSCAR SHORTS: LIVE
ACTION 2026
(119 min)
THE SINGERS | Dir. Sam A. Davis | United States | 18min
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 | Dir. Lee Knight | United Kingdom | 21min
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.
BUTCHER’S STAIN | Dir. Meyer Levinson-Blount | Israel |
26min
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.
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA | Dir. Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata |
France, United States | 36min
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.
JANE AUSTEN'S PERIOD DRAMA | Dir. Julia Aks and Steve Pinder | United States |
12min
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.
