Oscar nominated short films (2017)
Even dedicated film fans are often stumped at the Academy Awards when it comes to the short categories. When and where are they ever shown? And who has the chance to see them? Well, each year, for the past ten years, a few theaters have screened the final list of Oscar nominated short films.
Short films are defined as less than 30 minutes (slightly longer for documentaries) and divided into three categories: live action, animation, and documentary. Most are highly accomplished; the documentaries often some of the most powerful films screened in any given year. This is not to suggest that the live action and animated films are less accomplished. They often show the talent that it takes to tell a story, develop a character, and resolve the action in 20 minutes, a challenge to do well. These films are rarely seen individually since few theaters are prepared for screenings of such short duration. But a distribution company has bundled the award nominees together in all three categories, five films each, with a total screening time (this year) running from about 130 minutes for the live action and 153 minutes for the documentary shorts. The Clay, Opera Plaza, the Shattuck, the Rafael and the Camera 3 (San Jose) are all screening the live action and animateds, but only the Rafael and the Camera 3 are showing the documentaries because of their extended length. All opened last weekend and will probably continue to screen for another two weeks. Don’t miss them: they are gems.
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