Our Shortened Longlist of Oscars Longlist-Surpassing Shortlisted Shorts 2024 Edition
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Last year, I had the brash decision of going through all of the shortlisted short films that were up for Academy Award nominations. In case you don’t want to do the math, there are fifteen shorts per category and three categories, so that is forty-five short films. I divided them into their appropriate categories (all animated shorts, all documentary short subject films, and all of the live-action short films respectively) and ranked them from worst to best. Because I didn’t want to be there all day, I decided to have bite-sized reviews of each film: what are they about, were they effective, and additional, mini takeaways. Two to three sentences each, maximum.
Needless to say, it was a success last year. It felt great to get all of the short films out of the way even before the official Academy Award nominations were announced. I had great insight of what short films deserved their flowers, and which got snubbed once the final five nominations got released to the public. In general, I’d argue that maybe five of these short films felt like rough watches. The majority were good-to-strong, so you’ve got a few nights of worthwhile viewing if you want to slowly get through all of the shortlisted shorts. For your reference, the Academy’s rule as to what a short is is any film that is shorter than forty minutes, so you’ll find films ranging from a few minutes to the forty minute maximum mark on this list.
Without further ado, here is the 2024 edition of our shortened longlist of Oscars longlist-surpassing shortlisted shorts. Phew!
For Your Consideration: Best Animated Short Film
Not a single film in this category is bad this year. I think there are definitely weaker short films here, and only. a few that I think are strong enough to surpass the rest of the pack, but at least ten of these fifteen shorts are good enough to warrant being watched. It’s a good year for animated short films for sure!
Omitted (For Now): I’m Hip
The only film of these forty-five nominee-hopefuls that I couldn’t get my hand on is Disney legend John Musker’s I’m Hip. It’s only shown at small film festivals and hasn’t been released in any other capacity, to the best of my knowledge. I’m going to keep trying to get a hold of this one (it’s only four minutes long, for crying out loud), and will toss it in the list amongst the other shorts once I do.
14. 27
27 is a decent attempt to look at the difficulties of being a millennial in the day and age of rough economics, but the hallucinogenic and thematic elements only get so far before both feel like starting points of something better. This feels like the story board of a great film. Seedlings of ideas do not make for a strong short film, sadly.
13. Our Uniform
Our Uniform uses a school uniform via traditional and stop-motion animation to discuss what going to school as a girl in Iran felt like. The story and recollection feel limited outside of the creativity of the animation. I didn’t get as invested in the recollection of memories as I did in the visuals.
12. Boom
A silly, fun look at mass hysteria featuring dodo birds (likely causing themselves to be extinct in this process) reacting to an erupting volcano. At the same time, that’s kind of all it is, so it is a snippet of goofy fun with nothing really interesting or memorable either.
11. Pete
The quality of the animated shorts will take a bit of a leap from here on out. Pete is a brief yet emotional look at transgender identity at a very young age, one where bullying (from both children and adults) is prevalent. The film feels a bit too short, but it’s also tethered around one particular, cherished-yet-tough memory, so I understand its brevity.
10. Pachyderme
A mystifying, dark look at the coming-of-age genre, involving a young girl that spends time at her grandparents’ house as she does each year (yet things will become topsy-turvey this year). This short kept me guessing and intrigued in the storybook nature of its animation and narrative from start to finish.
9. Eeva
Eeva is a dark, surreal, comical look at grief that compartmentalizes the challenging thoughts a tortured mind bears. As someone who has experienced extreme grief this past year for the first time, Eeva somehow encapsulated the abstract, obsidian, chaotic thoughts I’d have as my mind tried to recover from trauma and sadness.
8. Humo (Smoke)
A short, imaginative take on the horrors children face in the Holocaust. Such a grim-yet-childlike observation on the subject, whilst also incorporating themes of maternity and coming-of-age horrors via this dismal lens. Humo (Smoke) is also a little too short (twelve minutes), and I think even a few extra minutes could have added to what it accomplishes already.
7. War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
This short isn’t as indebted to the iconic Christmas song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as you may think, but its climax sure is. The entire short film builds towards its titular track via a well-animated take on the needless dying during wartime. The usage of the song is a bit on-the-nose, but this short doesn’t overstay its welcome, either.
6. Once Upon a Studio
Once Upon a Studio is a much better tribute to the one-hundredth anniversary of Disney Studios than Wish was. This short is a fun, touching, nostalgic look at many eras of Disney (although the super recent stuff got a bit too prioritized over the classics, I feel: it feels a bit like promotional material for contemporary works rather than a celebration of all things Disney Studios). There’s mostly magical stuff here, and it all comes to a head with a loose narrative on the overcoming of all obstacles (big and small).
5. Wild Summon
Where do I start with this one? Wild Summon is insanely animated with such detail and incredible physics. Powerful commentary on overfishing via the representation of the salmon life cycle with salmon represented as human swimmers/divers. The short is a bit heavy-handed, though, but the surreal imagery makes up for that because I could not look away from this one (even when it got really gruesome).
4. A Kind of Testament
A Kind of Testament is such a creative take on the invasiveness of online culture, the endless permutations of what digital creations (AI-generated or human-concocted) can muster, and how lives and privacy are treated as nonessential in this day and age of compassionless socialization. This short is nightmarish and freaky, and I love it.
3. Koerkorter (Dog Apartment)
Koerkorter (Dog Apartment) is all kinds of twisted in its art style and commentary, as it drills into the ways that society pigeonholes humans into dream-killing jobs and routines. An eerie, stop-motion animated film that sent shivers down my spine and confusion straight to my brain; this one’s for cynics and absurdist aficionados like myself.
2. Ninety-Five Senses
Ninety-Five Reasons starts off quaint and humble, as you hear the reminiscing of a geriatric man who is near the end of his life. Once the big twist happens, you learn that this short is a confession of regret and a means of making one’s life mean something since it’s all been wasted. Quite a powerful film.
1. Letter to a Pig
Hands down my favourite animated short film this year. Letter to a Pig takes the grey area of the human psyche quite literally via scribble-based animation and what appears to be rotoscoping. A Holocaust survivor’s visit to a school sends a student’s mind wandering into nightmarish territory to great effect. I found this film haunting and effective. I couldn’t shake it off for days.
For Your Consideration: Best Documentary Short Subject
Documentary shorts are hit-or-miss for me. They can feel like intriguing ideas that go on for too long or aren’t fully realized more often than not: like opening paragraphs or single arguments for essays that never got finished. Great documentary shorts pull off what they need to say in their brief runtimes, and you’ll find a handful of those down below this year as well. I’ll also preface these shorts by stating that their ranking does not coincide with my political affiliations or the subject matters themselves. I’m judging these films as films and their effectiveness in what they convey, not on whether or not I agree with the talking points (unless they’re flat-out absent-minded and poorly thought out).
15. Island in Between
Island in Between features a director, S. Leo Chiang, and his identity regarding three different nations (Taiwan, China, and the US) as he contemplates his life on the Kinmen islands. I found this short to be meandering and unfocused, even at twenty minutes. It somehow felt like it was dragging in this short amount of time. I wanted to like it more given the sincerity present, but I just didn’t.
14. How We Get Free
We follow Elisabeth Epps’ goal to abolish the costly effects of being poor via the eradication of cash bail. Another strong topic that led me towards wanting to appreciate How We Get Free more, but this felt so lethargically paced and narrow in focus despite its best and honest intentions.
13. Oasis
Oasis places us amid a summer between two twin brothers who are going to be separated shortly due to one’s developing disability; their lives will change forever from this point on. This is a fairly minimalist take on the subject that allows its two focal points to speak volumes on their own, but it also feels like an unpolished draft as opposed to a final short that says a lot as opposed to the surface-level comment that “this is a bittersweet summer”, which is what we get.
12. Between Earth & Sky
Between Earth & Sky is the recounting of a nearly-fatal fall that ecologist Nalini Nadkarni survived, and her determination to find common ground between her and the trees around her when it comes to the concepts of regrowth and the course of the natural order. Beautifully shot but a little basic in its approach, Between Earth & Sky is still a touching watch.
11. Camp Courage
A Ukranian girl separated from her family and motherland is encouraged to face her fears at a camp in the Alps. Camp Courage is a little too invested in trying to make you feel emotional, but it is driven by the true depictions of perseverance from a child that is bravely confronting the tough cards that life has granted her.
10. The ABCs of Book Banning
This short is a laundry list of the countless books that are being banned from schools for many stupid reasons (be they bigotry or misunderstanding). I love what The ABCs of Book Banning is getting at, but I also think it settles for something too simplistic (the notion that it’s bad to ban books). I wish it went a bit deeper with its premise and the long-term repercussions created by this kind of censorship. Maybe the ABCs weren’t enough: we needed to finish the whole alphabet on this one.
9. The Last Repair Shop
The Last Repair Shop is a bit overlong, but a thorough tender look at the importance music has played in the lives of an older generation and the youths of a struggling community; it all comes to a head in a final, unified symphony of release that ties all of the interviews before nicely.
8. Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
This is a heartfelt and silly documentary done well. Sean Wang turns his grandmothers into superstars with Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. Wang documents his elders’ fun-filled philosophies on life as they cherish each moment with one another in a carefree fashion. Usually, watching documentaries can be a depressing ordeal. Allow this one to give you a nice break from the worries of life.
7. If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis
If Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare Crisis goes into the many different ways that improper healthcare coverage can negatively effect poorer communities. Likeminded documentaries usually focus on one or two arguments numerous times, but I appreciate that this short actually has a handful of different talking points to best utilize its runtime and educate us properly.
6. The Barber of Little Rock
We follow Arlo Washington in Little Rock, Arkansas as he operates both a barbershop and a nonprofit community bank for the working and lower classes. Washington and the short get into racial and classist struggles he faces while we get the gist of what life in this area is like. Eye-opening material told cohesively.
5. Last Song from Kabul
The quality of the documentary shorts from this point on is at its highest. We start with Last Song from Kabul which is a heartbreaking look at orphaned girls in Taliban-run Afghanistan who flee to Portugal. They try to reconnect with their childhoods and memories via the relearning of playing musical instruments. Such a precise topic while covering the larger discussion of political turmoil. This is a great short.
4. Bear
Bear — or Ours — is one of the more peculiar documentary shorts I’ve ever seen when doing these watches for the Academy Awards, and I love it. What was meant to be a documentary about bear watching turns into an artistic, filmic essay on what voyeurism in society entails. This film isn’t even twenty minutes, yet it forces you to re-contextualize a lot of what you already understand (like an episode of How To with John Wilson without being as out-there).
3. Deciding Vote
This short breaks my heart since Roe v Wade was overturned. We learn about assemblyman George Michaels’ crucial, tie-breaking vote regarding New York State’s abortion bill and the many battles he had to face in order to try and make a positive impact on history. Equal parts horrifying and triumphant. It’s only twenty minutes long, but Deciding Vote gets the gist of its subject, important details, and the rippling impact down really well.
2. Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games
I love, love, love this short film. Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games is a fascinating lesson on the importance of the hand games played by Black girls throughout musical history, and the repurposing and disparity that comes along with it (as well as the loss of connection with culture and youth that happens as a result). Equal parts educational and well-made. I learned a lot while being transfixed, and not once did I feel like I was being talked down to.
1. Wings of Dust
Wow. This short is powerful, folks. Wings of Dust focuses on Peruvian journalist Vidal Merma as he risks his life and well-being on a daily basis to bring attention to the environmental repercussions that humans have caused, and how we are also proving to be harmful to our own kind as well. He wants to provide a better world for his son and loved ones. This short moved me to tears. Adore it.
For Your Consideration: Best Live Action Short Film
Short films can be tricky because it’s tough to get a whole story out and fully realized in such a brief amount of time. Not every live-action short film achieves this here, but we do have a few major winners (and I do mean quite a few this year) in this shortlist. There are at least eight you don’t want to miss. This group is more plentiful in quality than usual this year, so let’s get watching!
15. The Shepherd
But first, let’s start with what’s easily the worst. The Shepherd is dull, boring, kitschy, and synthetic. It has good intentions of bringing a classic tale to life and granting new audiences a chance to fall in love with a touching story, but this is just a boring chore. I don’t want to waste any more time on this one.
14. The Anne Frank Gift Shop
I get what The Anne Frank Gift Shop is saying about corporations and institutions struggling to relate to Gen Z or be tasteful when it comes to tragic moments in history (as a meeting is held to try and redesign the titular gift shop to be more marketable), but there’s also a bit of a Boomer quality (I hate to say) to how this short film goes about it. Eh. I get it, but it is also a bit rough.
13. The After
This is absolutely carried by the central performance by David Oyelowo. The After is an interesting take on grief, but also one that is somewhat haphazardly made (the death itself that is at the core of the short feels extremely silly to a cartoonish degree, and the film doesn’t get anywhere outside of acknowledging the protagonist is lonely and he appreciates some compassion). I get what the film is trying to pull and its ending is quite something, but I can’t shake off how poorly handled much of the short is outside of Oyelowo.
12. Knight of Fortune
Knight of Fortune is a tragic-comic look at bereavement and accepting the death of a loved one. This short reminds me of last year’s Oscar winner An Irish Goodbye but it is less funny while being slightly better and more impactful. It also reminds me of Eeva from the animated shorts category this year, as both capture the extremes of grief, be they the depths of darkness or the accidental comedy that relieves us a bit.
11. Strange Way of Life
I’m one of the biggest Pedro Almodóvar fans you may ever find. Having said that, Strange Way of Life is a transfixing queer melodrama that I wish was a feature film. Not only am I left wanting more, but I feel like this is some of the most contrived, expository writing he has ever made, all in the name of making this short. This could have been a fantastic feature that comments on counterculture within the western genre. At least the two leads are fascinating and mid-Pedro is better than no-Pedro.
10. Dead Cat
A darkly funny yet pure look at learning to say goodbye to a loved one in the form of a taxidermized cat that is falling apart. Yes. I did guffaw at the shenanigans surrounding the poor, recently deceased feline. While I would have liked for the film to have gone on for longer (perhaps more situations before the conclusion), I think this is a fully realized short story that didn’t need to be a feature film either. Had a lot of fun with this title.
9. Invisible Border
The clock ticks as we follow police officers in charge of evicting illegal residents. Invisible Border is a harrowing short that somehow manages to have well-constructed characters, developing drama, and pure tension despite its half-hour run time. Consider the shorts from this point on great, and Invisible Border is worthy of such a title despite its low placement.
8. Bienvenidos a Los Angeles
What does making the right decision look like? How will it pan out in society? Bienvenidos a Los Angeles is based on the true events of a single mother who wants to partake in a good deed to mixed effect. It’s a short that makes you think as you are pressed to face some difficult realizations on screen.
7. Good Boy
No, this somehow isn’t one of the Wes Anderson shorts to be released in 2023. Good Boy follows a son who is forced to turn to robbery to make ends meet (and his mom who will support him through thick and thin, God bless her). As whimsical and silly as it is rooted in the real connection that mama’s boys and nice guys have, Good Boy learns to accept that some people are incapable of being evil no matter what hands they’ve been dealt.
6. The One Note Man
Here is a hilarious look at a man trying to shoot his shot at love, used via the allegory of a rehearsing orchestra and a bassoonist’s single note in a composition to impress his crush. The One Note Man is side-splittingly funny and sharp (that bassoon note won’t stop whomping in my head). It turns into a sweet, endearing fable that uses zero dialogue outside of some bookending narration to bring this adorable romance together.
5. Yellow
Short and to the point: a bittersweet look at a young girl’s last bit of freedom before facing Taliban-run Afghanistan’s suffocating laws against women (as the protagonist is tasked with having to buy her first full-body veil). Yellow makes the most of its subtle yet visible use of the titular colour to highlight the traits of a lovely character who is facing the dark road ahead.
4. Invincible
This short is a shocking, moving take on regret and the unforgiving nature of society that pushes us -- even our youths — to the limit. This film is based on the final forty-eight hours in the life of fourteen-year-old Marc-Antoine Bernier, and is a challenging yet crucial tribute to an unfortunate, lost soul.
3. An Avocado Pit
This evening connection between a heterosexual, cisgender man and a transgender woman who asks him for a ride is magical, moving, and spellbinding. The acting is natural and sublime, and I feel like I did spend the whole night with these two people as they got to learn more about one another (and themselves). I’d love a feature of this film, but this short version works so well on its own at the same time.
2. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Wes Anderson’s strongest release in years. His take on the under-loved Roald Dahl classic is a feast for both eyes and ears, as it plays like a podcast, puppet show, teleplay, and so many other forms of entertainment and communication. Artistically gorgeous, superbly acted, and so idiosyncratically whimsical, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is delightful, fascinating, and moving.
1. Red, White and Blue
A major, brilliant surprise. Red, White, and Blue is a harrowing take on the idiocy of abortion laws in the United States, down to the rising costs of living and the urgency for many who cannot afford to raise children (including survivors of assault who don’t want to keep the child of their abuser). A major twist is used to highlight the importance of these rights that you won’t see coming. This is a whopping short film that will stay with you. This needs to be nominated for an Oscar, and even win the award at the end of the day.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.