One February 8, 2019, ShortsTV will bring the 2019 Oscar-nominated shorts to select theaters. In addition, the films will be available on cable via Movies on Demand platforms, and iTunes, Amazon, and Video On Demand.
Here are the films:
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
Directors: David Fine, Alison Snowden
Synopsis: Dealing with what comes naturally isn’t easy, especially for animals. In ‘Animal Behaviour’, five animals meet regularly to discuss their inner angst in a group therapy session led by Dr. Clement, a canine psychotherapist.
Country of Origin: Canada
TRT: 14 minutes
Language: English
BAO
Director: Domee Shi
Synopsis: An aging Chinese mom suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 8 minutes
Language: Chinese, English
LATE AFTERNOON
Director: Louise Bagnall
Synopsis: Emily is an elderly woman who lives between two states, the past and the present. She journeys into an inner world, reliving moments from her life. She searches for a connection within her vivid, but fragmented memories.
Country of Origin: Ireland
TRT: 10 minutes
Language: English
ONE SMALL STEP
Directors: Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas
Synopsis: Luna is a vibrant young Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. From the day she witnesses a rocket launching into space on TV, Luna is driven to reach for the stars. As Luna grows up, she enters college, facing adversity of all kinds in pursuit of her dreams.
Country of Origin: United States, China
TRT: 8 minutes
Language: English
WEEKENDS
Director: Trevor Jimenez
Synopsis: Weekends is the story of a young boy shuffling between the homes of his recently divorced parents. Surreal dream-like moments mix with the domestic realities of a broken up family in this hand-animated film set in 1980’s Toronto.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 16 minutes
Language: English (music)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM NOMINEES
BLACK SHEEP
Director: Ed Perkins
Synopsis: After the high-profile killing of Damilola Taylor, Cornelius’ family move out of London. But when they discover their new town is run by racists, Cornelius takes a drastic step to survive.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
TRT: 27 minutes
Language: English
END GAME
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Synopsis: Where will loved ones spend their last days? Who will be in the room? What feelings and secrets need to be shared with family before it is too late? ‘End Game’ probes these questions and more as it follows visionary medical practitioners who are working on the cutting edge of life and death.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 40 minutes
Language: English
LIFEBOAT
Director: Skye Fitzgerald
Synopsis: Volunteers from a German non-profit risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts pushing off from Libya in the middle of the night.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 34 minutes
Language: English
A NIGHT AT THE GARDEN
Director: Marshall Curry
Synopsis: In 1939, 20,000 Americans rallied in New York’s Madison Square Garden to celebrate the rise of Nazism – an event largely forgotten from history. ‘A Night at the Garden’ transports audiences to this chilling gathering and shines a light on the power of demagoguery and anti-Semitism in America.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 7 minutes
Language: English
PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE
Director: Reyka Zehtabchi
Synopsis: In a rural village outside Delhi, India, women lead a quiet revolution. They fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. ‘Period. End of Sentence’ tells their story.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 26 minutes
Language: English, Hindi
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM NOMINEES
DETAINMENT
Synopsis: Two ten-year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler. A true story based on interview transcripts from the James Bulger case which shocked the world in 1993 and continues to incite public outrage across the UK today.
Country of Origin: Ireland, UK
TRT: 30 minutes
Language: English
FAUVE
Director: Jeremy Comte
Synopsis: Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer…
Country of Origin: Canada
TRT: 17 minutes
Language: English, French
MARGUERITE
Synopsis: An aging woman and her nurse develop a friendship that inspires her to unearth unacknowledged longing and thus help her make peace with her past.
Country of Origin: Canada
TRT: 19 minutes
Language: English, French
MOTHER
Synopsis: A single mother receives a call from her seven-year-old son who is on vacation with his father in the French Basque Country. At first the call is a cause for joy, but soon it becomes a horrible nightmare when the child tells her that he is alone and cannot find his father who left a while ago.
Country of Origin: Spain
TRT: 19 minutes
Language: English, Spanish
SKIN
Director: Guy Nattiv
Synopsis: A small supermarket in a blue collar town, a black man smiles at a 10 year old white boy across the checkout aisle. This innocuous moment sends two gangs into a ruthless war that ends with a shocking backlash.
Country of Origin: United States
TRT: 20 minutes
Language: English
