I never know what to make of the shorts categories at the Academy Awards. When making predictions, these categories often break my ballot, lacking the same awards-season build-up and cross-category play of feature nominees. Though they operate in isolation, I still consider the short film categories an integral part of the Oscars.
Every year, SHORTS packages the nominees by category for theatrical screenings. While some short films are available online, I’ve found this to be the best way to knock them all off your list. Screenings for the short film festivals can be found on their website.
Many Academy voters forgo these categories altogether. Though anonymous ballots should not be considered strongly representative, it is worth noting that four of Variety’s five anonymous voters abstained in these three categories.
This is a shame. While the short film categories often provide a mixed bag of nominees, I fondly remember many impactful films I discovered among their ranks. Short films can be the breeding grounds of future filmmakers and diverse voices; they are worth a watch.
In this series for Ampersand, I will break down every category for the 2025 Academy Awards. In each category, I will evaluate the individual nominees and predict the eventual winner. Though only Best Picture utilizes a preferential ballot for Oscar voting, I will include what my preferential ballot would be for every category if I were a voter.
Best Animated Short Film
The Nominees: “Beautiful Men,” “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” “Magic Candies,” “Wander to Wonder,” “Yuck!”
Predicted Winner: “Wander to Wonder”
On the whole, Best Animated Short Film proved to be the most consistently solid of this year’s short categories. “Yuck!” charmingly depicts the transition from thinking kisses are gross to compelling, while “Magic Candies” features a child forging connections with those around him after a local shopkeeper gives him some, uh… “magic candies.” “Beautiful Men” holds the group back, an aimless short film about three men attempting to get hair transplants in Turkey.
“Wander to Wonder” jumps out as a strange gem among this bunch. Developed by Nina Gantz over eight years, the stop motion short depicts three tiny humans — Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton — fighting for survival in a world without their creator, Uncle Gilly. The trio starred on a children’s show, “Wander to Wonder,” with Uncle Gilly, and the world feels impossibly large without him in it. As resources in their home become increasingly scarce, the three wonder how — and if — they can continue on. Gantz created a strange, singular and at times touching short, and I imagine the Academy will recognize its craft and vision.
If something had to upset “Wander to Wonder,” I would love to see “In the Shadow of the Cypress” take the spot. This film, centered around a divide between a captain suffering from PTSD and his daughter, boasts unique animation and no dialogue. Directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani leave much up to interpretation, but I found myself deeply moved.
My Preferential Ballot: “Wander to Wonder,” “In the Shadow of the Cypress,” “Yuck!” “Magic Candies,” “Beautiful Men”
Best Documentary Short Film
The Nominees: “Death by Numbers,” “I Am Ready, Warden,” “Incident,” “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
Predicted Winner: “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
The clear stand-out in this category is “Incident,” a documentary both vital and formally unique. The short film, directed and edited by Bill Morrison, documents the killing of Black civilian Harith “Snoop” Augustus by Chicago police officer Dillan Halley. Morrison showcases the scene entirely through the use of police body cam and public surveillance footage, often playing multiple clips simultaneously; as Snoop lays dying on the streets of Chicago, officers are heard justifying their actions, framing them as heroics. Halley is repeatedly encouraged to refrain from speaking on-camera and, eventually, turn his body cam off.
“Why’d he have to pull a gun out on us,” Halley asks. Footage shows Augustus never did.
“Incident” makes powerful use of public footage, highlighting in real-time the distinction between reality and a spun narrative. Morrison’s is a matter-of-fact documentary, utilizing silence for the first several minutes and employing only the barest of edits. It hides behind nothing. Simply put, it’s one of the most effective and enraging films I watched in 2024. “Incident” is available for free on both The New Yorker’s YouTube and website.
Though no other documentary in this category approached the resonance of “Incident,” I quite enjoyed “Instruments of a Beating Heart” as a light runner-up. This short by Ema Ryan Yamazaki showcases a group of first-graders in Tokyo preparing to welcome the incoming first-grade class with an instrumental performance of “Ode to Joy.” The doc follows the students from auditions through their final show, including the wild emotions and mounting stress in between.
There’s an inherent dichotomy between the pressure the students (and, at times, faculty) place on themselves and the performance they build to. The first-graders treat simple percussion as a matter of life or death, wondering if perfection will ever be within grasp. It’s like “Whiplash” if Miles Teller only had to learn seven notes — complete with a scene of humiliation from a male teacher. Yet Yamazaki never mocks her subjects, focusing on the determination they find to overcome one of life’s first hurdles; by the end, their performance truly feels like an achievement. “Instruments of a Beating Heart” is available for free on The New York Times’ YouTube.
Predictions in the short film categories always prove perilous — and frequently break my Oscar ballots. I am inclined to predict “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” here. The documentary follows Orin O’Brien, a double bassist who was hired by Leonard Bernstein as the first woman to play in the New York Philharmonic. Orin’s niece, Molly O’Brien, directs the documentary, granting significant access to the musician’s story. I do, however, wonder if Molly’s proximity proved detrimental. By the end, I felt like the surface of Orin’s significant story had hardly been scratched. “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” is available on Netflix.
My Preferential Ballot: “Incident,” “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” “The Only Girl in the Orchestra,” “Death by Numbers,” “I Am Ready, Warden”
Best Live-Action Short Film
The Nominees: “A Lien,” “Anuja,” “I’m Not A Robot,” “The Last Ranger,” “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
Predicted Winner: “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
The first month of Donald Trump’s second presidency saw a sharp antagonism against undocumented immigrants. The White House’s official Twitter account featured posts in February exhibiting a gleeful attitude toward deportation, including a Valentine’s Day poem and ASMR video. Malice infects the country’s highest office.
David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz’s “A Lien” may be a fictional narrative, but it highlights the very real people affected by such malice. The film follows married couple Oscar and Sophia Gomez as they seek citizenship for Oscar through their marriage. Their young daughter, Nina, joins them at the immigration office.
Edited by Caitlin Carr, tension quickly mounts in “A Lien” as ICE agents arrive at the office, interrupting Oscar’s process to become a legal citizen in the country he’s called home for three decades. It’s an infuriating short that makes the most of its 14 minutes. “A Lien” can be viewed for free on Sam Cutler-Kreutz’s Vimeo.
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” similarly does a lot with a little, presenting a gripping narrative in only 13 minutes. Nebojša Slijepčević’s short film tells the true-to-life story of 1993’s Štrpci massacre, where 18 Muslims and one Croat in Bosnian territory were removed from a train and executed by paramilitary forces. This titular man gives an impactful performance in a tense, effective, and well-directed short film. “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” was easily my favorite of the bunch, and I would be shocked if the winner wasn’t either it or “A Lien.” “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” can be rented on Vimeo.
The other three short films are solid, if unremarkable. Kudos to “I’m Not A Robot” — following a woman who questions her reality following a series of failed CAPTCHAs — for instilling in me a new fear.
My Preferential Ballot: “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent,” “A Lien,” “I’m Not a Robot,” “The Last Ranger,” “Anuja