 "Forevergreen," part of the Oscar-nominated Short Film Program, Roadside Attractions, 2026. One of the best parts about being a film critic is getting my annual dose of Oscar-Nominated Short Films. Some of the very best that cinema has to offer is included in this program...rarely-seen and under-appreciated treasures that are often times the highlight of the entire year. This year, more movie-goers than ever will be able to experience the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Short Films program, thanks in part to their new distributer, Roadside Attractions (click here to find out where you can view these Oscar Short Programs). Beginning February 20th and through Oscar Sunday, March 15th, you can experience these amazing short films on the big-screen, being presented as three separate-admission matinees, one for each Short Film Category (Live-Action, Animation and Documentary). If you haven't experienced the Oscar Shorts before, please do! It will become your new favorite annual theatrical tradition. To help you prepare your winning 2026 Oscar Ballot, here is my take, and an overview, of this year's stellar program. Animated ShortsOverall Program Grade: A- A solid and diverse line-up this year, the Animated Shorts hit on nearly every emotion. "The Three Sisters" is quite inventive and funny, about three sisters living by themselves on a remote island, who are forced to rent out one of their three houses. The funniest entry though is "Retirement Plan", which also is this year's shortest of the short films, at just seven minutes. Voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, a man fantasizes about all the wondrous things he will do once he hits retirement age. "Forevergreen" is a touching story about a bear cub that befriends a protective tree, and learns about sacrifice, love and family. "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" might have won the Oscar in a different year, as it's perhaps the most inventive story this year, with a phenomenal animation style involving handmade puppets. But the clear front-runner for me in this category is "Butterfly." The hand-painted animation is breath-taking, as is the true story about Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache and his amazing journey through life, where all of his memories - good, bad and traumatic - bubble up to the surface. It's a film that sticks with you. Also of note, the theatrical Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Program also includes one animated short film, "Eiru," that was not nominated, but that brings this program in at about 90 minutes in total.  "The Three Sisters"  "Forevergreen"  "The Girl Who Cried Pearls"  "Butterfly"  "Retirement Plan"  "Eiru" Live-Action ShortsOverall Program Grade: A The Live-Action Program this year is undoubtedly lighter than in previous years, the comedic stand-out being "Jane Austen's Period Drama." It's laugh-out-loud funny, a satire of the famous author's "Pride and Prejudice," except this time, the heroine has unfortunate timing when she gets her period just as her beau declares his love for her. The most serious in tone, "Butcher's Stain," is about a Palestinian butcher who gets accused of tearing down Israeli hostage posters in the break room. "A Friend of Dorothy" is about an unlikely friendship between a closeted young man and his next door neighbor, a lonely widow who connects with the young man in unexpected ways. With a title like "Two People Exchanging Saliva," you would think that this is another comedy, but it is far from it. It takes place in a dystopian future where kissing is forbidden, and features by the far the best acting performance in any short film this year, by French actress Luana Bajrami. It's also the most cinematic of this year's selections. But my favorite of the bunch is "The Singers," an adaptation of a 19th-Century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, where local patrons in a dark and smoky pub end up in an impromptu sing-off. The cinematography has you feeling like you're bellied-up to the bar next to the rest of these characters, all who are comprised of real-life viral singing talents on the internet. I'm not sure why, but this one won me over quite easily.  "The Singers"  "A Friend of Dorothy"  "Two People Exchanging Saliva"  "Butcher's Stain"  Jane Austen's Period Drama Documentary ShortsOverall Program Grade: B+ The Documentary Short category is always the longest of the three Short Film categories, and almost always the most riveting and tragic. Some of this year's films are hard to watch, even if they should be essential viewing. "All the Empty Rooms" and "Children No More: 'Were and Gone'" are similar in tone and simply heart-wrenching. The first is a documentary about all of the empty rooms left behind from children killed in American school shootings, while the latter is about activists who gather in Tel Aviv in opposition to the several children who have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza. With the weight of these two films, it's hard to imagine that "Perfectly a Strangeness" exists in the same category; a sensory-driven, dialogue-free movie about three donkeys wandering around an abandoned observatory in the middle of an unnamed desert. "Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud" may be the most difficult of all of this year's entries, even with the aforementioned subject matter of the other films. It is a love letter and farewell to American journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine. Directed by his younger brother, Craig Renaud, he approaches the story of Brent's in a way that honors his brother's legacy, with raw, unflinching emotional truth. Warning: He films the dead body of his brother up-close, showing the horrors and atrocities of the Russo-Ukranian War just as his brother would have wanted. Of all of these, "The Devil is Busy" stood out. It's a chronicle of a day in the life of a female security guard at an abortion clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, and her minute-by-minute struggle to keep her arriving patients safe. Of all of the nominees this year, the message didn't feel forced. It just reflects back to us the realities of the world we live in, as all great documentary films do.  "The Devil is Busy"  "All the Empty Rooms"  "Children No More: 'Were and Are Gone'"  "Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud"  "Perfectly a Strangeness" The Oscar Shorts Program - presented by Roadside Attractions - is in theaters beginning February 20th, and is the ONLY way to see all of the nominated Short Films nominated for this year's Oscars. Click here for screenings in your area.
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