WHO WILL WIN ?.. Live Action Oscar Short
https://sff2026monthlyscreenings.eventive.org/schedule
You know Academy Award Season is our favorite holiday period and we're so excited to bring back our SFF Fan Favorite Oscar Nominated Shorts Marathon on March 14th (the day before the actual Ceremony - we will have Ballots).
There are 3 Categories - Animation, Documentary & Live Action - Screening at 11am / 3pm / 7pm. You can get tickets for any one, two or all three, if you're really a crazy cinephile to experience the true Marathon.
In any case, these are the Qualifying Live Action Narrative Shorts SFF will be screening @ 7pm.... we'll be posting the other categories over the weekend.
LIVE ACTION
“Butcher’s Stain” – An Israeli grocery store employee (Omar Sameer) gets accused of taking posters of hostages down in the employee breakroom. One person claims to have seen him do it, but the details are vague. Did he do it? Should he be fired for it if he did? Directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount. (26 min.)
“A Friend Of Dorothy” – An elderly woman, Dorothy (Miriam Margolyes), leaves an inheritance to a young man, J.J. (Alistair Nwachukwu), whom she met after he lost a football in her front yard. The movie flashes back to how they met and how they eventually formed a deep friendship, during which she encouraged him to make acting more than a hobby. This one will warm the hearts of many voters who will appreciate its simplicity, as well as a couple of recognizable names (Stephen Fry plays the executor of the will). (22 min.)
“The Singers” – One night, in a little bar with a lot of history, a group of working-class men who probably hang out there regularly start an impromptu singing contest for the coveted prize of a one-hundred-dollar bill. Egos take hold of most of the men in the place, as many of them argue about who can sing the best. A short that boasts an uncommonly rich soundtrack. Who will win? That, of course, is not important. Some may find it hard to warm up to the film at first, as we hear and see many conversations taking place, many in inarticulate, hushed tones, but once the story kicks into gear, audiences will find themselves attached to the piece as a whole, if not to any singular character. Directed by Sam Davis. (15 min.)
“Two People Exchanging Saliva” – A hugely ambitious short with chapter breaks, world-building, and beautiful black-and-white cinematography. This French offering has been appropriately described as a bent version of Todd Haynes’ “Carol,” by way of Yorgos Lanthimos. In this world, we eventually gather that exchanging saliva with someone carries with it a penalty of death, so when a first-time sales clerk in a shopping mall named Malaise (Luàna Bajrami) feels an attraction to one of the store regulars named Angine (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), the societal stakes become more and more dangerous with each flirtation. Directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh keep us a bit baffled throughout much of the first chapter, choosing to reveal their characters rather than provide exposition about the world they’ve created, one loosely based on the absurdities of our current state of affairs.
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama” – The tone is set right away with this one, as stock characters from Jane Austen novels are given names like Estrogenia Talbot (co-director Julia Aks) and Mr. Dickley (Ta’imua). There is also a precocious little sister named Vagianna (Nicole Alyse Nelson). Mr. Dickley is about to propose marriage to our heroine when, suddenly, she starts bleeding. Mr. Dickley is clueless as to why. Should she lie to him about what causes this? The film feels inspired by “Barbie,” cheerfully putting the plight of womanhood front and center as the men around them walk around befuddled by their behavior, all while the film tries anything for a laugh. Stick around for the entirety of the credits and listen to the lyrics of the closing song, as well as the credit for a certain Academy Award-winning screenwriter who has dabbled in this genre before. Directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder.
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