Oscar® Nominated Live Action Shorts of 2010

In addition to the 10 candidates for best picture and the smattering of contenders in other major categories, there are 15 movies whose titles will be mentioned at the Oscars on Feb. 27 that very few non-voters are likely to have heard of. These are the nominees for best short film, which are divided into three groups: animated, live action and documentary. In the past, opportunities to see the shorts were scarce, but lately they have been showing up in theaters and also on iTunes and cable.

Short films are often the work of younger filmmakers and sometimes contain the seeds of larger projects. But however modest its means or small its scale, a 10- or 15-minute movie requires as much craft and discipline as a feature. Maybe more. A short story can display infelicities of prose less forgivingly than a novel, and there is less room for error in a handful of shots and scenes.

– A.O. Scott, New York Times

At the ByTowne, two categories of Oscar nominated short films will be presented in two separate compilations: Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films Of 2010 and Oscar Nominated Live Action Short Films Of 2010.

Special for BYTOWNE MEMBERS ONLY: Any time the two compilations play back to back, Members can see both for $10!

The programme of Live Action Short Films includes all five of this year's nominees. They are, in order from top to bottom of the photos at right: 

The Crush
A schoolboy challenges his teacher's boyfriend to a duel. (Michael Creagh, Ireland, 15 min.)

The Confession
9-year-old Sam feels the need to do something bad before his first confession. (Tanel Tom, U.K., 26 min.)

God Of Love
A man lets fly a package of passion-inducing darts. (Luke Metheny, U.S., 18 min.)

Na Wewe
In 1994, a minibus in Burundi is attacked by rebels. (Ivan Goldschmidt, Belgium, 19 min.)

Wish 143
A dying teen has one last wish: to be alone with a naked woman. (Ian Barnes, U.K. 24 min.)

Click on any title for more information about that film.