Oscar-nominated shorts upend expectations at Pittsburgh's Harris Theater
The 2022 Oscar Shorts program opens Feb. 25 at the Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, with films showing through March 17.
Separate screenings will feature the animated, documentary and live-action short films from around the world that have been nominated for Academy Awards, to be announced March 27.
The Harris is one of more than 350 theaters across the country that will debut the program that day. It will then expand to more than 500 theaters nationwide before becoming available on-demand on March 22.
Though the short film nominees don’t necessarily receive the same buzz as feature-length films, they’re noteworthy on their own terms, said Joseph Morrison, programming and venue manager for the theater, which is operated by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
“This is a great laboratory for short filmmakers to learn the craft and put adventurous stories on the screen for the first time,” he said. “There are lots of great things about short films that lend themselves to first-time filmmakers, rather than the cream of the Hollywood crop.”
Not every short-filmmaker is seeking mainstream Hollywood glory, though.
“There are people who work completely within the short-film genre, because it fits their desire to tell a story in a particular way,” Morrison said. “This is their chosen palette or canvas to tell their particular story.
“Not every one of these films could be expanded into a 2-hour narrative, or is meant to be. They stand on their own,” he said.
Viewers might find their expectations upended with films in at least two of the categories.
“The documentary shorts in the past have been particularly bleak and sad, but this year’s slate is really uplifting,” Morrison said. “There’s some fun stuff in there, and they’re really watchable. Not every one breaks your heart.”
On the other had, themes of the animated films give them the equivalent of an R rating.
”This is not a family friendly animation slate — they are not aimed at kids,” Morrison said.
Of the live action shorts that he has previewed, Morrison said he was intrigued by “Please Hold,” by American filmmakers K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse.
“It’s a nifty twist on what our online future might hold for us,” he said. “We all know there’s a darker side to that, but it has its moments of comedy, too.”
Film-goers will be given ballots to vote for winners in each category. Prize drawings will be held for those who pick the individual winning films, along with a grand prize drawing for those who pick all three winners.
“There’s always a buzz in the lobby before and after, with people making their snap judgments about the films,” Morrison said. “It’s always fun to hear the opinions on which film stood out to each person.”
And the nominees are:
Animated shorts
Robin Robin – Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, United Kingdom, 32 minutes
Boxballet – Anton Dyakov, Russia, 15 minutes (Unconfirmed)
Affairs of the Art – Joanna Quinn and Les Mills, United Kingdom/Canada, 16 minutes
The Windshield Wiper – Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez, USA/Spain, 14 minutes
Bestia – Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz, Chile, 15 minutes
(Estimated running time: 97 minutes or more. Rating equivalent of R — no children should be admitted under any circumstances.)
Documentary shorts
Audible – Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean, USA, 39 minutes
When We Were Bullies – Jay Rosenblatt, USA/Germany, 36 minutes
Three Songs for Benazir – Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei, Afghanistan, 22 minutes
Lead Me Home – Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk, USA, 39 minutes
The Queen of Basketball – Ben Proudfoot, USA, 22 minutes
(One program, 160 minutes. Rating equivalent of PG-13 or R for adult themes and topics.)
Live action shorts
On My Mind – Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson, Denmark, 18 minutes
Please Hold – K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse, USA, 19 minutes
The Dress – Tadeusz Lysiak and Maciej Ślesicki, Poland, 30 minutes
The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed, UK/Netherlands, 12 minutes
Ala Kachuu (Take and Run) – Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger, Kyrgyzstan/Switzerland, 38 minutes
(Estimated running time: 125 minutes. Rating equivalent of R for adult themes, violence and language.)
For movie times, tickets and more information, visit trustarts.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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