2015 Oscar® Nominated Short Films / Live Action | Animation | Documentary

The 10th anniversary list for the 2015 Oscar®Nominated Short Films: Live Action | Animation | Documentary Have a peek and learn about each 2015 Oscar®Nominated Short Film and read a synopsis for each film in their respective categories. Animation: Live Action: *LIVE ACTION* *AYA* Israel & France / 39 mins *Directors: *Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun *Producers: *Yael Abecassis, Hilel Rozman, Pablo Mehler *Co-writer: *Tom Shoval *Production: *Cassis Films (Israel), Divine Productions (France) Two strangers unexpectedly meet at an airport. He mistakenly assumes her to be his assigned driver. She, enchanted by the random encounter, does not hurry to prove him wrong. *BOOGALOO AND GRAHAM* UK / 14 mins *Director: *Michael Lennox *Producer: *Brian J. Falconer *Writer: *Ronan Blaney Jamesy and Malachy are over the moon when their soft-hearted dad presents them with two baby chicks to care for. Raising their tiny charges, declaring themselves vegetarian and dreaming of running a chicken farm, the two boys are in for a shock when their parents announce that big changes are coming to the family. Starring Martin McCann, Charlene McKenna, Riley Hamilton and Aaron Lynch. *BUTTER LAMP (LA LAMPE AU BEURRE DE YAK)* France & China / 15 mins *Director: *Hu Wei *Producer: *Julien Féret A young itinerant photographer and his assistant offer to photograph some Tibetan nomads in front of various backgrounds. *PARVANEH* Switzerland / 25 mins *Director: *Talkhon Hamzavi *Producer: *Stefan Eichenberger A young Afghan immigrant travels to Zurich where she encounters a punk named Emily. *THE PHONE CALL* UK / 21 mins *Director: *Mat Kirkby *Writers: *Mat Kirkby and James Lucas “THE PHONE CALL” follows HEATHER, (played by OSCAR® nominee SALLY HAWKINS), a shy lady who works at a helpline call centre. When she receives a phone call from a mystery man (played by Oscar winner JIM BROADBENT) she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever. *ANIMATION* *A SINGLE LIFE* The Netherlands / 2 mins *Production: *Job, Joris & Marieke When playing a mysterious vinyl single, Pia is suddenly able to travel through her life. *FEAST* USA / 6 mins *Director: *Patrick Osborne *Producer: *Kristina Reed “FEAST”, a new short from first-time director Patrick Osborne (Head of Animation, “PAPERMAN”) and Walt Disney Animation Studios, is the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share. *ME AND MY MOULTON* Canada & Norway / 14 mins *Director: *Torill Kove *Producers: *Lise Fearnley, Marcy Page *Production: *Mikrofilm AS in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada One summer in mid-’60s Norway, a seven-year-old girl asks her parents if she and her sisters can have a bicycle. Me and My Moulton provides a glimpse of its young protagonist’s thoughts as she struggles with her sense that her family is a little out of sync with what she perceives as “normal”. *THE BIGGER PICTURE* UK / 7 mins *Director: *Daisy Jacobs *Producer: *Christopher Hees 'You want to put her in a home; you tell her; tell her now!' hisses one brother to the other. But Mother won't go, and their own lives unravel as she clings on. Innovative life-size animated characters tell the stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly parent. *THE DAM KEEPER* USA / 18 mins *Directors: *Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi *Production: *Tonko House The Dam Keeper, an original animated short film by feature animation artists Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, tells the tale of a young pig encumbered with an important job, and the meeting of a new classmate who changes everything. A first-time collaboration between some of the most talented artists in animation, The Dam Keeper made its world premiere as an official selection at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival and is slated to make its US premiere at The New York International Children's Film Festival this spring. Set in a desolate future, one small town's survival is solely due to a large windmill dam that acts as a fan to keep out poisonous clouds. Despite bullying from classmates and an indifferent public, the dam's operator, Pig, works tirelessly to keep the sails spinning in order to protect the town. When a new student, Fox, joins Pig's class, everything begins to change. Made up of over 8,000 paintings, The Dam Keeper blends traditional hand-drawn animation with lush brushstrokes to bring Kondo and Tsutsumi's celebrated painting-style to life like never before. The Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen of television's Forbrydelsen (The Killing), and BBC's Sherlock, narrates this timeless fable. Directors Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi are known for their art direction on such beloved films as Ice Age, Ratatouille, Monsters University and Toy Story 3. *DOCUMENTARY* *CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1* USA / 39 mins *Director: *Ellen Goosenberg Kent *Producer: *Dana Perry The timely documentary CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 spotlights the traumas endured by America’s veterans, as seen through the work of the hotline’s trained responders, who provide immediate intervention and support in hopes of saving the lives of service members. *JOANNA * Poland / 40 mins *Director: *Aneta Kopacz *Producer: *Adam Slesicki *Production: *Wajda Studio With great visual poetry, 'Joanna' portrays the simple and meaningful moments in the life of her family. Diagnosed with an untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. It is a story of close relationships, tenderness, love and thoughtfulness. *OUR CURSE* Poland / 27 mins *Director: *Tomasz Sliwinski *Production: *Warsaw Film School The film is a personal statement of the director and his wife, who have to deal with a very rare and incurable disease of their newborn child – the Ondine’s Curse (also known as CCHS, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome). People affected with this disease stop breathing during sleep and require lifetime mechanical ventilation on a ventilator. *THE REAPER (LA PARKA)* Mexico / 29 mins *Director: *Gabriel Serra Argüello *Producers: *Henner Hofmann, Liliana Pardo, Karla Bukantz Efrain, known as the Reaper, has worked at a slaughterhouse for 25 years. We will discover his deep relationship with death and his struggle to live. *WHITE EARTH* USA / 20 mins *Director/Producer: *J. Christian Jensen Thousands of souls flock to America’s Northern Plains seeking work in the oil fields. "White Earth" is the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes. Three children and an immigrant mother brave a cruel winter and explore themes of innocence, home and the American Dream.