This year's Oscar nominations got you down? There's good reason. The most talked-about categories (the four acting ones, Best Director) are lacking in representation when it comes to the gender, race, and sexual orientation of the nominees. But, on the bright side, there are other categories to look at that provide a wide variety of perspectives. The nominees in the 2020 Oscar short film categories include 15 diverse stories, and most of them are available to watch online right now.
The short film categories at the Academy Awards are Short Film (Live Action), Short Film (Animated), and Documentary (Short Subject), with five nominees for each. The films range from an animated movie about a Black father learning how to do his daughter's hair, to a documentary about a deadly ferry disaster in South Korea, to a comedy about two Tunisian kids who accidentally find a literal drug mule.
There's a lot to choose from here, but with most of these films clocking in at around 20 minutes or shorter, it's easy to watch several of them.
The majority of the Oscar shorts are available to stream online, but they will also been shown as groupings in theaters starting in some cinemas on January 29 and others on January 31. The Oscar Shorts showtimes and locations can be found here, but however you choose to watch, here's what you should know about each of them.
Brotherhood
— Short Film (Live Action)
Starting off with the nominees for Best Live Action Short Film, we have Brotherhood about a Tunisian family with three boys, and their experience after one son suddenly runs off and returns with a new wife. It is available to watch on Short of the Week.
Nefta Football Club
— Short Film (Live Action)
Like Brotherhood, Nefta Football Club is set in Tunisia. It follows two kids, who stumble across a drug shipment attached to a headphone-wearing donkey and take it back home with them, the youngest one thinking it's flour or laundry detergent. Watch on Short of the Week.
The Neighbors’ Window
— Short Film (Live Action)
In The Neighbors' Window, a mother with two young kids realizes that she can see into the apartment of her young "free-spirited" neighbors, and she keeps looking. It is available to view on YouTube.
Saria
— Short Film (Live Action)
Saria is based on the true story of a fire that killed 41 girls at a Guatemalan orphanage in 2017. This short focuses specifically on the characters Saria and Ximena, sisters who live at the Virgen de La Asunción Safe Home. Saria is not available online currently.
A Sister
— Short Film (Live Action)
A Sister is described as "A night. A car. A woman in trouble. A call" and involves a woman in a dangerous situation calling an emergency services dispatcher without being found out. It is listed on YouTube, but unavailable in the U.S.
Dcera (Daughter)
— Short Film (Animated)
Next up we have the five nominees for Best Animated Short Film. First up is Dcera (Daughter) about a daughter looking back on a time in her childhood when she tried to share about seeing an injured bird with her father. This film can be rented on Vimeo for $2.17.
Hair Love
— Short Film (Animated)
Hair Love is about a Black father who learns how to style his young daughter's hair. The full film is available on YouTube.
Kitbull
— Short Film (Animated)
As the title hints, this short animated film is about a kitten and a pitbull who become friends. Full film on YouTube.
Memorable
— Short Film (Animated)
Memorable is a French film about a man and his wife whose world is becoming very, very surreal. It's available on Vimeo.
Sister
— Short Film (Animated)
Sister is about a man reminiscing about growing up in China in the '90s with his younger sister, and imagining how things might have gone differently. The film can be rented on Vimeo for $2.17 or purchased for $5.51.
In The Absence
— Documentary (Short Subject)
Lastly, we have the nominees for Best Documentary (Short Subject). In the Absence is about the 2014 sinking of the ferry MV Sewol in South Korea, which killed over 300 people, primarily children. The full film is on YouTube.
Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re A Girl)
— Documentary (Short Subject)
This film centers around a group of girls in Kabul, Afghanistan, who are getting an education, learning to skateboard, and dreaming about their futures. Available on Hulu with a subscription and on A&E by signing in with an accepted cable provider.
Life Overtakes Me
— Documentary (Short Subject)
Life Overtakes Me documents "Resignation Syndrome" and its effect on child refugees in Sweden. The psychological syndrome causes the children go into a coma-like state that is tied to their past trauma. The full film is streaming on Netflix.
St. Louis Superman
— Documentary (Short Subject)
St. Louis Superman follows Bruce Franks Jr., a former Missouri state representative, Black Lives Matter activist, and battle rapper. The film details his time in the Missouri House of Representatives. This short is not currently available online.
Walk Run Cha-Cha
— Documentary (Short Subject)
Walk Run Cha-Cha tells the story of a couple who fell in love as teenagers, but were separated by the Vietnam War. Now, they've reunited in the U.S. and bonded over a shared love of ballroom dancing. It's available to view on YouTube.