ShortsTV to Release the Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2019

Written on 1st Feb 2019.

World’s Only Short Movie TV Network to Showcase Oscar Nominated Short Films Release with Theatrical Premieres of Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short and Best Documentary Short Categories in addition to Digital Premiere

ShortsTV, the world’s only short film channel, working with Magnolia Pictures, will open “THE 2019 OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS” on more than 500 screens across the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, South Africa, India and Australia from Feb. 8, 2019.

THE 2019 OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS will showcase the Live Action, Animation and Documentary short-film nominees’ compilation as three separate theatrical events.

On February 6, ShortsTV will debut THE 2019 OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS at the IFC Center in New York City, and then roll out across the US and around the world from February 8.

This marks the 14^th consecutive year of the Oscar® Nominated Short Films theatrical experience. It is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the Academy Awards® ceremony on Sunday February 24, 2019. The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood and televised live on the ABC Television Network.

A stunning showcase of talent and diversity of subjects, the annual theatrical event continues to gain popularity. In 2018, the Oscar® Nominated Short Films earned over $3.5 million in worldwide box office gross, double the level from just two years prior.

“Short movies continue to be one of the most interesting and surprising filmmaking categories recognised by the Oscars® every year,” said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive at ShortsTV. “Truly some of 2018’s most diverse filmmaking is represented in the short film categories this year — the live action and documentary nominees tackle hard-hitting subjects that are bringing headlines around the globe, while the animated shorts are inspirational and hilarious. We are proud to once again be presenting these incredible films in theaters and later on-demand.”

The nominees’ countries of origin range from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, China, Spain to the U.S. This year the U.S. leads with the most shorts nominations (Four Documentary Short Film nominees’, One Live Action Short Film nominee, and Three Animated Short Film nominees). Furthermore, several films focus on Asia or are from filmmakers of Asian descent, and there are five women directors nominated in this year’s short film category.

Additionally, ShortsTV will release select OSCAR® nominated short films via the major digital platforms and cable providers on February 19, 2019. The films will also be available on cable via the industry’s Movies on Demand platforms as well as satellite VOD platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Verizon, Vimeo On Demand and Google Play, DISH, Cablevision, AT&T, Google Fiber, Spectrum and others.

For a sneak peek at THE 2019 OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS program, please visit: http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

This year’s complete release includes the following nominated short films:

ANIMATED SHORT FILM NOMINEES

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

Director: Vincent Lambe

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

Director: Marianne Farley

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

Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen

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

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards® were announced on January 22. For more information, http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

About Shorts International:

Shorts International is the world’s leading short movie entertainment company
With over 5,000 titles, Shorts International has the world’s largest library of shorts available on TV, online and in theatres, including award-winning and star-studded live action, animated and documentary shorts from around the world
Shorts International owns ShortsTV, the world’s only 24/7 HD TV channel dedicated to short movies. It is available in approximately 70 million households across the US, India, Latin America, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia
In 2018, ShortsTV launched the ShortsTV App which marries the linear ShortsTV feed with the functionality of the Internet, at the click of a button on a viewer’s remote control. Using advanced machine-learning algorithm technology, the ShortsTV App enables viewers to either watch TV or to create, control and personalize their own TV channel, engineered to their desired genres or moods
Online, ShortsTV offers hundreds of the world’s best independent shorts for download on iTunes in 92 countries, as well as on Amazon Instant Video (UK, US and Germany), Google Play (US and Canada) and Verizon and Frontier (US)
Since 2006, Shorts International has exclusively presented the ‘Oscar Nominated Short Films’ theatrical release in cinemas across the US, South America, Europe, Australia and South Africa
Shorts International is headquartered in London, England and is represented in the US by Shorts Entertainment Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary located in Los Angeles, CA. The company is led by Carter Pilcher, CEO, and is owned by Shorts Entertainment Holdings, with AMC Networks as a significant minority shareholder

Contacts

Los Angeles Contact:

Marina Bailey Film Publicity

Marina Bailey [email protected]

Dina Makhlouf [email protected]

O 323.962.7511

New York Contact:

Falco Ink

Steve Beeman [email protected]

O 917.225.7093

Digital/Online Publicity Contact:

Ginsberg/Libby