Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts

Some films in this program include some disturbing and mature content and may not be suitable for very young children.

The Three Sisters

Dir. Konstantin Bronzit Israel, Cyprus 14min

Synopsis: Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses.

Forevergreen

Dir. Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears United States 13min

Synopsis: A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Dir. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski Canada 17min

Synopsis: In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul. From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the magic of stop-motion animation. With handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Colm Feore and a haunting score by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception and the price of innocence.

WARNING – THE REMAINING FILMS ARE NOT SUITEABLE FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES!

Butterfly

Dir. Florence Miailhe France 15min

Synopsis: In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water. Some are happy, some glorious, some traumatic. This story will be that of his last swim. It will take us from the source to the river - from the waters of childhood pools to those of swimming pools - from a North African country to the shores of the Mediterranean – from Olympic stadiums to water retention basins - from concentration camps to the dream beaches of Reunion.

Retirement Plan

Dir. John Kelly Ireland 7min

Synopsis: Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) lays out a beautiful life for himself in his retirement plan. He will pursue his curiosities, challenge his limiting beliefs, embrace fear, beauty, even the complexities of wine culture. Ray will check off every box on every list for every interest he ever even half-thought about. He will discover what he loves (Italian red wine), what he hates (camping). He will grow and learn and change rapidly. It's beautiful and it's messy and achingly relatable. But Ray is forgetting something. The one thing he treats as flippantly disposable will be the single most rapidly depleting resource of his future self. His healthy-ish, agile enough 40-something-year-old body. Also, actual retirement time is not endless, but guaranteed to be finite.

Éiru (Shortlisted)

Dir. Giovanna Ferrari Ireland 13min

Synopsis: When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan's village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it. Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.