Oscar®-Nominated Short Films 2026: Live Action
See the year’s most spectacular short films on the big screen for a limited time with the 2026 Oscar®-Nominated Short Films, presented by acclaimed filmmaker, writer and actor Taika Waititi. With three feature-length programs, one for each Academy Award® Short Film category — Animated, Documentary and Live Action — this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool). The Academy Awards® take place Sunday, March 15.
Best Live Action Short Film
THE SINGERS
In this film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, downtrodden patrons commiserating at a lowly pub connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. DIR Sam A. Davis. U.S., 2025, color, 18 min. NOT RATED
A FRIEND OF DOROTHY
A lonely widow’s quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden. DIR Lee Knight. UK, 2025, color, 21 min. NOT RATED
BUTCHER’S STAIN [KETEM KATZAVIM]
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 the job he desperately needs. DIR Meyer Levinson-Blount. Israel, 2025, color, 26 min. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA [DEUX PERSONNES ÉCHANGEANT DE LA SALIVE]
In this absurdist tragedy set in a repressive society where kissing is punishable by death, an unhappy woman shops compulsively in a department store, fascinated by an ingenuous salesgirl. DIR Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata. France/U.S., 2024, b&w, 36 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA
England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, the dashing Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his very expensive education has most certainly missed a spot. DIR Julia Aks, Steve Pinder. U.S., 2024, color, 12 min. NOT RATED
Approx. runtime: 119 min.
Program rating: NOT RATED. Treat as RATED R.
Run Time: 119 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
Genre: Shorts program
