Oscar® Shorts 2019

Program 1:

LIVE ACTION

5 movies in 103 minutes

Violence as hard as legs and merciless fate: Adults hate each other (Skin), two 10-year-olds are suspected of murder (Detainment), two boys experience terrible things in lonely nature (Fauve), and a boy on the beach is in danger of his life (Mother). The Oscar® Live Action films from Canada, USA, Spain and Ireland/England are, apart from an emotional female encounter (Marguerite), brilliantly hard food.

With German subtitles.

Theatrical release: February 21, 2019

The Oscar® Award Ceremony will take place on 24 February.

MOTHER
Rodrigo Sorogoyen, María del Puy Alvarado
Spain
18 min
A single mother gets a call from her seven-year-old son, who is on holiday with her ex-husband in the French Basque Country. At first the call is a reason to be happy, but it soon becomes a terrible nightmare when the boy tells her he cannot find his father.

FAUVE
Jérémy Comte
Canada
Kurzspielfilm
16 min
Childs play – Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game, with Mother Nature as the sole observer. – Got also screened in the program „Sundance 2019″.

MARGUERITE
Marianne Farley
Canada
19 min
Coming together in different time ages and time codes: 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.

DETAINMENT
Vincent Lambe, Darren Mahon
Ireland/UK
30 min
Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler. A true story based on interview transcripts and records from the James Bulger case which shocked the world in 1993.

Program 2:

ANIMATION

7 films in 73 minutes.

Experienced animation techniques meet extraordinary stories: A return to the past life (Late Afternoon) meets the long way to the end of life (Tweet Tweet). Young talent (Bao), parental stress (Weekends) and animal behavior (Animal Behaviour) deepen the cycles. Wishing machines (Wishing Box) are as popular as universe careers (One small step). - The Oscar® contributions to the animations come from the USA, Canada, Ireland and Russia.

With German subtitles.

Theatrical release: 21 February 2019

The Oscar® Award Ceremony will take place on 24 February.

BAO
Domee Shi, Becky Neiman-Cobb
Canada
8 min
A lonely Chinese mother suffering from empty nest syndrome is thrilled to become a parent again when one of her homemade dumplings comes to life. As Dumpling grows, however, the inevitable conflicts between parent and child arise.

LATE AFTERNOON
Louise Bagnall
Nuria González Blanco
Ireland
10 min
An elderly woman drifts back through her memories. She exists between two states, the past and the present. So she has to find orientation towards the future.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
Alison Snowden, David Fine
Canada
14 min
In Animal Behaviour, the latest animated short from the Oscar®-winning team of Alison Snowden and David Fine, five animals meet regularly to discuss their inner angst in a group therapy session led by Dr. Clement, a canine psychotherapist.

WEEKENDS
Trevor Jimenez
USA
16 min
After his parents split up, a young boy must adjust to living with his mother during the week and his father during the weekend. Their new routine is difficult on all of the family members, but is especially confusing to the youngster.

ONE SMALL STEP
Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas
USA/China
8 min
Bolstered by the unwavering support of her devoted father, a humble cobbler, Luna Chu grows up determined to become an astronaut. Although she is sometimes daunted by the obstacles she faces, Luna always shoots for the stars.

WISHING BOX
Wenli Zhang, Nan Li
USA
6 min
Strange things happen: When his food-obsessed sidekick monkey is the only one who can use a magic treasure box, a greedy pirate does everything he can to make his wishes of fortune come true. – Enjoy this big fun!