Event
2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts
For the 21st consecutive year, ShortsTV presents the Oscar-Nominated Short Films! This year, we will be showing the full program at Cinestudio in Hartford.
With all three categories – Animated, Live Action and Documentary – this is your chance to predict the winners and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! An annual hit with audiences around the world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. The Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15, 7-10 pm. Mark your calendar to watch and see who wins!
For all showtimes and tickets, visit the Cinestudio website here.
DUE TO THE FORECAST FOR A WINTER STORM, CINESTUDIO WILL CANCEL THE SCREENINGS BELOW AND REFUND/EXCHANGE TICKETS PURCHASED IN ADVANCE:
Sunday, Feb 22 – Animated Shorts 6:30 pm
Monday, Feb 23 -Animated Shorts 3:30 pm; Documentary Shorts 7:00 pm
Please call the Box Office at Cinestudio for additional assistance: (860) 297-2544
Thank you for understanding, and stay safe out there!
BUTCHER’S STAIN by Meyer Levinson-Blount
Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv, is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs. 2025, Israel, in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles, 26 minutes.
A FRIEND OF DOROTHY by Lee Knight
A lonely widow’s (Miriam Margolyes) quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden. 2025, U.K., 21 minutes.
JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA by Steve Pinder & Julia Aks
Set in England in 1813, in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot. 2024, U.S., 13 minutes.
THE SINGERS by Sam Davis
An impromptu sing-off will decide the best singer in the bar tonight. 2025, U.S., 18 minutes.
TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA by Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata
In a society where kissing is punishable by death and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angeline, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store where she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague. 2024, France/U.S., in French with English subtitles, 36 minutes.
Some films in this program contain adult language, adult themes and sensual images. Recommended for persons 17 and up.
PAPILLON (BUTTERFLY) by Florence Miailhe
As a man swims in the sea, memories come to the surface. The recollections are from his early childhood to his maturity all of which are linked to water. 2024, France, in French Arabic and German with English subtitles, 15 minutes.
FOREVERGREEN by Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears
An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger. 2025, U.S., 13 minutes.
LA JEUNE FILLE QUI PLEURAIT DES PERLES (THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS) by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski
A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds. 2025, Canada, in English and French with English subtitles, 17 minutes.
RETIREMENT PLAN by John Kelly
In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.” 2024, Ireland, 7 minutes.
THE THREE SISTERS by Timur Kognov
Three sisters living on an isolated island must rent out one of their houses. 2024, Israel/Cyprus/Russia, 14 minutes.
ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS by Joshua Seftel
This film follows correspondent Steve Hartmand and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. 2025, U.S., 34 minutes.
ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD by Craig Renaud & Brent Renaud
An intimate chronicle about documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War. 2025, U.S., in English, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and Somali with English subtitles, 37 minutes.
CHILDREN NO MORE: “WERE AND ARE GONE” by Hilla Medalia
Israeli peace activists hold silent vigils in Tel Aviv, displaying photos of Gaza’s young victims. Despite facing public backlash, their wordless demonstrations powerfully highlight war’s human cost. 2025, U.S./Israel/U.K., in Hebrew with English subtitles, 36 minutes.
THE DEVIL IS BUSY by Geeta Gandbhir & Christalyn Hampton
At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations takes necessary risks to safeguard staff and patients. 2024, U.S., 31 minutes.
PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS by Alison McAlpine
In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be. 2024, Canada/Chile, 15 minutes.
