All Oscar-Qualified Live Action Short Films 2026 (N-Z)

Full List with Trailers, Festival Wins & Official Qualification Paths

Last Updated: 19th of November 2025

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List of all 207 qualified Live Action Short Films 2026 (alphabetical order)

• NE ME QUITTE PAS by Karim Huu Do (Switzerland/Spain)
• NEO DOME by Bonnie Discepolo (US)
• NOI by Neritan Zinxhiria (Albania, Greece)
• NWA (BLACK) by Hans Augustave (US)
• O by Rúnar Rúnarsson (Iceland)
• AN OLD FRIEND by Nuk Suwanchote (US)
• OLIVE by Tom Koch (France)
• ON A SUNDAY AT ELEVEN by Alicia K. Harris (Canada)
• ONE DAY THIS KID
• ONE LAST ROUND by Kor Adana (US)
• ONCE MORE, LIKE RAIN MAN by Sue Ann Pien (US)
• THE PAINTING AND THE STATUE by Freddie Fox (UK)
• PANTYHOSE by Fabian Munsterhjelm (Finland)
• THE PEARL COMB by Ali Cook (UK)
• PEOPLE & THINGS by Damian Kosowski (Poland)
• THE POISON CAT by Guan Tin (China)
• PORELESS by Harris Doran (US)
• THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT by Erik Jasaň (Slovakia/Romania)
• PUGILISTIC SOUL by Mike Noel (US)
• PUNTA SALINAS by María del Mar Rosario (Puerto Rico)
• PUNTER by Jason Adam Maselle (South Africa/US)
• RAGAMUFFIN by Kaitlyn Mikayla (US)
• RAPIDO by Richard Curtis (New Zealand)
• RED CLAY by Christopher Nolan Jones (US)
• RISE by Jessica J. Rowlands (Zimbabwe/UK)
• ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Franz Böhm (UK)
• SAMMI, WHO CAN DETACH HIS BODY PARTS by Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)
• SATOMI by Rayner Wang (Japan)
• THE SECOND TIME AROUND by Jack Howard (UK)
• THE SEVENTH TURN by Eric D. Howell (US)
• WHEN THE SHELVES HYMN by Hanaa Saleh Alfassi (Saudi Arabia/US)
• A SHORT FILM ABOUT KIDS by Ibrahim Handal (Palestine)
• SHUTTER BIRD by Réi (US)
• SIDE A: A SUMMER DAY by Wan Kin-Fai (Taiwan)
• SILENT MEMORIES by Gaetano Naccarato (France)
• THE SINGERS by Sam A. Davis (US)
• SINGLE RESIDENCE OCCUPANCY by Omer Ben-Shachar (US) - Full Film Available
• A SISYPHEAN TASK by Gus Flind-Henry & George Malcher (UK)
• SNIPPED by Alexander Saul (Denmark)
• SOL MENOR by André Silva Santos (Portugal)
• SOMETHING REAL by Tamara Shogaolu (US/Netherlands)
• SPIRITUM by Adolfo Margulis (Mexico)
• THE STAND by Oanh-Nhi Nguyen (US)
• STARLING STREET by Christia Crocker (US)
• STOMACH BUG by Matty Crawford (UK)
• A SUMMER'S END POEM by Lam Can-zhao (China/Switzerland/Malaysia)
• SWEETWATER by Michael Keaton (US)
• SWEETWATER AQUARIUM by Yvonne Zhang (US)
• SUSANA by Gerardo Coello Escalante & Amandine Thomas (Mexico, US)
• TALK ME by Joecar Hanna (Spain/US)
• TENEZ by Maximilian Nita (Germany)
• THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS by Elham Ehsas (UK)
• THE THIEF (Anngeerdardardor) by Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken (Denmark/Greenland)
• A THING ABOUT KASHEM by Bijon Imtiaz (Bangladesh/Australia/US)
• THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD by Kevin Walker & Irene Zahariadis (Greece/US)
• THREE KEENINGS by Oliver McGoldrick (UK/Ireland/US)
• TONGUE BEHIND TEETH by Ira Eduardovna (Israel/Uzbekistan)
• TRAPPED by Sam Cutler-Kreutz & David Cutler-Kreutz (US)
• THE TROPHY KING by Tighe Kellner (US)
• THE TRUCK by Liz Rao (US)
• TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA by Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata (France/US)
• UNSPOKEN by Damian Walshe-Howling (Australia)
• UPSIDE-DOWN GENIUS by Ryotaro Nishi (Japan)
• THE VICIOUS (AKJIL) by Jo Yangho (South Korea)
• VOX HUMANA by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines/Singapore/US)
• THE WAKE
• WALUD by Daood Alabdulaa & Louise Zenker (Germany/Syrian Arab Republic)
• WE HAVE SINNED BEFORE YOU by Ifat Nener Orgad (Israel)
• WHAT MEN DO FOR LOVE by Sai Karan Talwar (UK)
• WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON. by Greg Rubner (US)
• WHEN EVERYTHING WAS BLUE by Christina Chironna (US)
• WINDOW CLEANERS by Sylvie Weber (US)
• WITHOUT PERFECTION by Vega Moltke-Leth (Denmark)
• WITNESS by Radha Mehta & Saif Jaan (US)
• WONDERWALL by Róisín Burns (UK)
• YOU ONLY LIVE THREE TIMES by Antonio Andrisani (Italy)

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NE ME QUITTE PAS by Karim Huu Do (Switzerland/Spain)

🎬 Synopsis: Set in 1962, a former Belgian Congo soldier named Matthias and his beloved Congolese woman Awa seek refuge on a Mediterranean island; through spiraling memories and waking dreams, the film explores the traumatic experiences of a broken man and a love that refuses to die.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://selectedfilms.com/ne-me-quitte-pas/

NEO DOME by Bonnie Discepolo (US)

🎬 Synopsis: In a post-economic collapse America, a woman travels alone towards the promise of a utopian dome on the horizon, learning to trust no one on the dangerous road ahead when she negotiates a ride with strangers.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/_neodome_/

NOI by Neritan Zinxhiria (Albania/Greece)

🎬 Synopsis: When an older brother is killed by his beloved horse, the younger brother must decide—through nightmares and visions—whether to kill the animal or forgive it, in a coming-of-age story set against an otherworldly mountain landscape in northern Greece.

🌟 Qualified through: Golden Dionysus – National Competition at Drama International Short Film Festival

NWA (BLACK) by Hans Augustave (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Nwa is a candid, emotional, coming-of-age film about Frantz, a first-generation Haitian-American boy, torn by the decision to get the haircut he knows his strict immigrant father would approve of, or a trendy cut connecting him to the Black American culture he’s warned him not to embrace.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.hansaugustave.com/work/nwa

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O by Rúnar Rúnarsson (Iceland)

🎬 Synopsis: O is a humanistic and poetic story of a fragile man trying to achieve a simple task where his main obstacle is within himself.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short Film at Nordisk Panorama

🔗 https://www.thepartysales.com/movie/o/

AN OLD FRIEND by Nuk Suwanchote (US)

🎬 Synopsis: An imaginary friend named Calvin discovers his sole purpose is to bring happiness to his child, only to find out his child is a 90-year-old man named William on his deathbed.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/anoldfriendofficial/

OLIVE by Tom Koch (France)

🎬 Synopsis: While caring for Grandma, Sam begins to question the nature of their relationship—a psychological drama exploring love, memory, and identity through an elderly married couple dealing with Alzheimer's disease.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/olivethefilm/

ON A SUNDAY AT ELEVEN by Alicia K. Harris (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: Seven-year-old Angel performs her Sunday rituals, attending ballet class where she stands out as the only Black girl and escaping into a dream world where Black women dance as ballerinas with elaborate hairstyles.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short Drama at Canadian Screen Award

🔗 https://www.aliciakharris.com/film

ONE DAY THIS KID by Alexander Farah (Canada)

🎬 Synopsis: A first-generation Afghan-Canadian man takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of his father's shadow, contending with fear, desire, and shame in search of a self unknown.

🌟 Qualified through: Narrative Shorts Competition Jury Award at SXSW

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/one_day_this_kid_film/

ONE LAST ROUND by Kor Adana (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When Renee receives the devastating news of her terminal illness, she and her husband Don debate an impossible decision.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

ONCE MORE, LIKE RAIN MAN by Sue Ann Pien (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A day in the life of an autistic actress fighting against the stereotype and trying to make a future that has girls like her in it, following a young woman as she navigates Los Angeles auditions where she's repeatedly told she is "not autistic enough.”

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/omlrmovie/

THE PAINTING AND THE STATUE by Freddie Fox (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Two lonely strangers meet across a crowded room. It just takes one held look, one breathless moment, to bring them completely alive... literally.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

PANTYHOSE by Fabian Munsterhjelm (Finland)

🎬 Synopsis: A couple are about to attend an important gala. They have their keys, phones and invitations, but there is a hole in their tights.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix at Short Short Film Festival & Asia

THE PEARL COMB by Ali Cook (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A doctor, hell-bent on proving a woman’s place is in the home and not practising medicine, is sent to investigate her miraculous claim - only to discover the source of her unearthly power…

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/thepearlcombfilm/

PEOPLE & THINGS by Damian Kosowski (Poland)

🎬 Synopsis: A mass grave was discovered in the small town in eastern Ukraine as consequence of the 2022 Russian invasion. Olena (34) arrives with her daughter Kira (8) and boyfriend Tymur (31) to collect the DNA test result of her missing husband Ilya. During two days, Olena will not only find out if her husband is alive, but in addition to confronting the past, she also will be faced with the most important one - the present.

🌟 Qualified through: Best International Award at L.A. Shorts International Film Festival

THE POISON CAT by Guan Tin (China)

🎬 Synopsis: Deep within the mountains, men from a village continue to mysteriously disappear in the forest. It’s rumored that they were the victims of the legendary evil spirit, the “Poison Cat.” Hunter Abitai doesn’t believe in the legend, but he uses it to threat and rein in his wife.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

PORELESS by Harris Doran (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A fabulous, queer Muslim beauty entrepreneur must figure out how to compete in a Shark Tank-like product pitch contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/porelessmovie/

THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT by Erik Jasaň (Slovakia/Romania)

🎬 Synopsis: A first-generation Afghan-Canadian man takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of his father's shadow, contending with fear, desire, and shame in search of a self unknown.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/professional.parent/

PUGILISTIC SOUL by Mike Noel (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Pugilistic Soul is a proof-of-concept short film starring Patrick Walker. It delves into the intense backstage moments leading up 20 minutes for a pivotal fight, exploring the internal struggles that go beyond the physical rigors of the sport.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

PUNTA SALINAS by María del Mar Rosario (Puerto Rico)

🎬 Synopsis: A 16-year-old awaits her period after having sex for the first time, learning to own her power as she becomes more familiar with her body.

🌟 Qualified through: Jury Award Winner at New Orleans Film Festival 

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/puntasalinasfilm/

PUNTER by Jason Adam Maselle (South Africa/US)

🎬 Synopsis: Brett must navigate Johannesburg's gambling world as a seemingly harmless horse-racing bet jeopardizes the surprise he's prepared for his father's birthday.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Austin Film Festival

🔗 https://salaudmorisset.com/film/punter/

RAGAMUFFIN by Kaitlyn Mikayla (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A 12-year-old motocross racer spends what seems like an average race weekend with her father. But as things unfold, she's faced with her identity, her deafness, and what it means to be a girl.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.ragamuffinthefilm.com/

RAPIDO by Richard Curtis (New Zealand)

🎬 Synopsis: A young Maaori boy's fascination with war comics hits closer to home than he ever imagined.

🌟 Qualified through: Live Action Short Award at imaginNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

RED CLAY by Christopher Nolan Jones (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Caught in a rampant cycle of poverty and desperation within his Atlanta, Georgia community, Nook, a conflicted teenager dreams of a better life, but finds himself ensnared in the very world he envisions escaping.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.redclayfilm.com/home

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/redclaymovie/

RISE by Jessica J. Rowlands (Zimbabwe/UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A charismatic young boy who lives on a rubbish dump in Zimbabwe must convince a reclusive boxing coach to teach him to fight in order to find safety and strength in a world that has left him behind.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risezimbabwe.com/

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Franz Böhm (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Based on a true story – Ivan and his father operate a makeshift hospital at the frontline of war in Ukraine, but when enemy soldiers close in, Ivan faces an impossible choice to protect his father, their patients, and everything they stand for.

🌟 Qualified through: Best British Short Film at BAFTA

🔗 https://www.rockpaperscissorsfilm.com/

SAMMI, WHO CAN DETACH HIS BODY PARTS by Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)

🎬 Synopsis: A mother searches for her deceased son's body parts in a story exploring identity, loss, and the struggle to maintain identity after death, wrapped in magical realism.

🌟 Qualified through: Silver Dragon Award at Krakow Film Festival 

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/sammi.html

SATOMI by Rayner Wang (Japan)

🎬 Synopsis: Mayumi has the skill, the voice and the passion to be the perfect performer. The only problem: she suffers from stage fright. After her audition at a talent show goes awry, she has an inadvertent encounter with her favorite star, who just so happens to be a living anime. An enchanting story about an unassuming girl set during the tail end of the 20th century.—

🌟 Qualified through: Best Animated Short at St. Louis International Film Festival

THE SECOND TIME AROUND by Jack Howard (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: On a rain-drenched London night, a weary waitress is confronted by an enigmatic older woman in this time-bending story about love, grief, and moments that define us.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/secondtime_film/

THE SEVENTH TURN by Eric D. Howell (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A young man drives through the night with his pregnant fiancée; his gaslighting manipulates her into submission until a mysterious, ghost-like woman appears at a dark curve on the road ahead. An allegory based on a Spanish urban legend about the manipulative power of gaslighting.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/theseventhturn/

WHEN THE SHELVES HYMN by Hanaa Saleh Alfassi (Saudi Arabia/US)

🎬 Synopsis: A grieving mother and son travel to AlUla city in Saudi Arabia to sell their family’s antique shop, only to uncover hidden secrets about their missing father that transform their lives and redefine their bond.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

A SHORT FILM ABOUT KIDS by Ibrahim Handal (Palestine)

🎬 Synopsis: Four kids from the refugee camp in Bethlehem decide to visit the sea for the first time in their life.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix at Tehran International Short Film Festival

🔗 https://www.ladistributrice.ca/en/films/a-short-film-about-kids

SHUTTER BIRD by Réi (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Two teens from different backgrounds—a young photographer and recovering misfit—yearn to escape their farm town in Santa Ynez Valley, California, but must confront inner demons, family traditions, and supernatural forces.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.shutterbirdfilm.com/

SIDE A: A SUMMER DAY by Wan Kin-Fai (Taiwan)

🎬 Synopsis: Fei will get the best birthday present ever if he finishes his homework. That is what his mother has promised him. But it’s already the last day of summer, and Fei hasn’t received anything yet.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short Film at Golden Horse Film Festival

SILENT MEMORIES by Gaetano Naccarato (France)

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/memoiressilencieuses/

THE SINGERS by Sam A. Davis (US)

🎬 Synopsis: An adaptation of a 19th-century short story by Ivan Turgenev—a lowly pub full of downtrodden men connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Indy Shorts International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.thesingersfilm.com/

SINGLE RESIDENCE OCCUPANCY by Omer Ben-Shachar (US) - Full Film Available

🎬 Synopsis: A Chinese immigrant living in a Single Residence Occupancy apartment receives news that her family's application for better housing is denied, and grapples with how to share the news with her children.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Narrative Short at Atlanta Film Festival

🔗 https://www.omerbenshachar.com/single-residence-occupancy/

A SISYPHEAN TASK by Gus Flind-Henry & George Malcher (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A Sisyphean Task follows Lucy, a 23 year old newly qualified teacher, through her first year of teaching. A bright yet unflinching glimpse into the British school system, all set within the walls of Lucy's classroom.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

SNIPPED by Alexander Saul (Denmark)

🎬 Synopsis: A Jewish convert undergoes ritual circumcision at a small Muslim clinic—a darkly humorous cultural encounter unfolds. Inspired by the director's own life.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://alexandersaul.com/snipped-short-film

SOL MENOR by André Silva Santos (Portugal)

🎬 Synopsis: Early Spring. A sonata, a letter, a bouquet of flowers. A train runs slowly through the landscape of São João da Madeira, a small town in the north of Portugal. Samuel, 38, devotes his days to his work as a flute teacher and the rituals of mourning the early death of his wife Luísa, with whom he shared a life dedicated to music. After a visit from his brother, Samuel faces a dilemma.

🌟 Qualified through: Best National Film at Curtas Vila do Conde

🔗 https://bravadofilmes.com/solmenor

SOMETHING REAL by Tamara Shogaolu (US/Netherlands)

🎬 Synopsis: Set in a near-future world where emotions can be programmed, Something Real is a dark comedy about intimacy and the illusion of perfect relationships-featuring Emmy-winning director Tamara Shogaolu.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/something-real/

SPIRITUM by Adolfo Margulis (Mexico)

🎬 Synopsis: Ramiro is a young addict admitted to a rehab center. At first, he distances himself from everyone, but gradually the experiences and the words of the other patients confronts him with his reality.

🌟 Qualified through: Ojo for Best Mexican Fiction Short Film at Morelia International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/spiritum_shortfilm/

THE STAND by Oanh-Nhi Nguyen (US)

🎬 Synopsis: When her mother is forced to leave their family’s bustling food stand, a determined immigrant girl must team up with her pesky kid brother to keep things running — and earn enough to give their mom a rare night off to attend her choir concert.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/the-stand/

STARLING STREET by Christia Crocker (US)

🎬 Synopsis: After their parent’s death, Katie Behnan cares for her sister Megan, with early onset Alzheimer’s. As the disease progresses, it takes a physical, emotional, and social toll.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

STOMACH BUG by Matty Crawford (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: A father grapples with loneliness after his daughter moves out, descending into disturbing physical experiences. A psychological drama that morphs into body horror.

🌟 Qualified through: Narrative Short Film Award at San Francisco International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.mattycrawford.com/stomach-bug

A SUMMER'S END POEM by Lam Can-zhao (China/Switzerland/Malaysia)

🎬 Synopsis: Just before the end of summer vacation, a rural boy spends his entire savings to make his dream of an urban hairstyle come true - with startling results.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short Fiction Film at Beirut Shorts International Film Festival

SWEETWATER by Michael Keaton (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A man returns to his mother’s historical Hollywood ranch home where he comes face to face with an unexpected futuristic gift.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://blog.google/technology/ai/sweetwater-film/

SWEETWATER AQUARIUM by Yvonne Zhang (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Rehearsals are in full swing at the Sweetwater Boarding School; the End of the Year Show is just around the corner. This year's motto is sea creatures, as the costumes suggest. But four girls have other plans.

🌟 Qualified through: The Golden Chair for International Short Film at Norwegian Short Film Festival

🔗 https://yvonne-zhang.com/SWEETWATER-AQUARIUM-2024-1

SUSANA by Gerardo Coello Escalante & Amandine Thomas (Mexico/US)

🎬 Synopsis: A middle-aged American tourist finds herself alone in Mexico City. When she encounters a group of young Americans, she jumps at the opportunity for a little adventure.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Live Action Short over 15 minutes at Palm Springs International ShortFest

🔗 https://thumperfilms.com/susana-1

TALK ME by Joecar Hanna (Spain/US)

🎬 Synopsis: In a world where speech is a forbidden form of intimacy, a local outsider stumbles from a loveless marriage into true connection with a stranger. Set in a dystopian society where sexual intimacy is normalized everywhere, but talking and building deeper relationships is socially frowned upon.

🌟 Qualified through: Best International Short Film at Toronto International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.joecarhanna.com/portfolio/talk-me/

TENEZ by Maximilian Nita (Germany)

🎬 Synopsis: Before a crucial tennis championship, Leo encounters his former coach, who physically abused him nearly ten years ago. Leo, who has been struggling with mental health problems since then, threatens to spiral out of control, caught between the tennis court and the gambling halls.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short at Dallas International Film Festival

THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS by Elham Ehsas (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Haunted by rising sea levels, a daughter digs up her father’s grave to move his body to higher ground.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://elhame.co/SoftRains

THE THIEF (Anngeerdardardor) by Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken (Denmark/Greenland)

🎬 Synopsis: Kaali embarks on an intense search through the town of Tasiilaq in East Greenland, determined to find his missing sled dog. After an encounter with a group of young bullies, he recovers the dog but risks losing his only friend.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Danish Fiction Award at Odense International Film Festival

A THING ABOUT KASHEM by Bijon Imtiaz (Bangladesh/Australia/US)

🎬 Synopsis: A married man's unexpected bodily reaction, at the wrong time and in the wrong place, plunges him into a midlife crisis, forcing him to confront his identity and desires. The film explores the inner duality of human identity as Kashem discovers a different persona within himself.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD by Kevin Walker & Irene Zahariadis (Greece/US)

🎬 Synopsis: In a small, quiet Greek village, nestled high in the mountains above an ancient volcano, a group of elderly villagers must move the remains of their ancestors to a mausoleum at the peak of the mountain of Prophet Elias. The village priest must call upon the last nine remaining habitants to dig up the graves of their relatives and move them to the top of the mountain, to make space for the newly deceased.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

THREE KEENINGS by Oliver McGoldrick (UK/Ireland/US)

🎬 Synopsis: Based around the tradition of 'Keening', a form of vocal lament for the dead in Gaelic Celtic Culture. Ian is a struggling actor who finds himself in the unconventional role of a professional mourner. As he tours the Northern Irish countryside with his mourning troupe "The Banshees", his practiced mask of apathy begins to slip amongst the humour and heartache of the local funeral circuit.

🌟 Qualified through: Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama at Galway Film Fleadh

🔗 https://www.lightsonfilm.com/threekeenings.html

TONGUE BEHIND TEETH by Ira Eduardovna (Israel/Uzbekistan)

🎬 Synopsis: A fifteen-year-old Bukharan immigrant in Israel pursues her ambitions through a relationship with a twenty-one-year-old Russian newcomer, forcing her to confront the true cost of social climbing.

🌟 Qualified through: The Diamond Award for Best Narrative Short Film at Jerusalem Film Festival

TRAPPED by Sam Cutler-Kreutz & David Cutler-Kreutz (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A high school janitor runs into a series of dangerous obstacles.

🌟 Qualified through: Best Short Film Grand Prize at Hollyshorts Film Festival

🔗 https://www.samck.com/trapped

THE TROPHY KING by Tighe Kellner (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A trophy salesman's inept robbery falls apart when his partners in crime rob him in the process. Trip Mahoney, a small town trophy salesman deep in debt to loan sharks, devises a plan to settle his debt.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://thetrophykingmovie.com/

THE TRUCK by Liz Rao (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A Chinese American teen and her boyfriend try to buy the morning-after pill in post-Roe America.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Jury Award: Best Narrative Short at Florida Film Festival

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA by Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata (France/US)

🎬 Synopsis: In a farcical dystopian world where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store. There, she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl, and despite the prohibition, the two become close.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Jury Prize, Live Action Short at AFI Fest and Best Drama Short at Out on Film, Atlanta LGBTQ International Film Festival

🔗 https://www.twopeopleexchangingsaliva.com/

UNSPOKEN by Damian Walshe-Howling (Australia)

🎬 Synopsis: 1979. As volatile protests for Croatian independence break out across Sydney, Marina is forced to expose a secret love affair with her boyfriend, as escalating political violence spills into her childhood home with devastating consequences.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix (International) at Clermont-Ferrand International Shortfilm Festival

UPSIDE-DOWN GENIUS by Ryotaro Nishi (Japan)

🎬 Synopsis: Dr. Noboru Sakai was a genius, but an odd one who, for some reason, always conducted his research hanging upside-down. One day, a new secretary named Margaret arrives at his laboratory. Claiming to be "perfect," she begins a strange life alongside the "upside-down genius" doctor.

🌟 Qualified through: Japan Best Short Award at Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

THE VICIOUS (AKJIL) by Jo Yangho (South Korea)

🎬 Synopsis: After winning an apartment unit from a real-estate auction, Kim Mi-jin brings her boyfriend Kang Sang-woo to the property to speak with the people currently occupying it. A dark comedy exploring social inequality and the pressures of contemporary neoliberal society.

🌟 Qualified through: Grand Prix in Korean Competition at Busan International Short Film Festival

VOX HUMANA by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines/Singapore/US)

🎬 Synopsis: In a near-future world, strangers’ lives intertwine as they grapple with technology’s impact on relationships and identity, exploring profound questions of human connection amidst alienation.

🌟 Qualified through: Gold Hugo for Best Live Action Short Film at Chicago International Film Festival and Silver Wolf for Best Short Film at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma

🔗 https://squareeyesfilm.com/shorts/vox-humana/

THE WAKE

WALUD by Daood Alabdulaa & Louise Zenker (Germany/Syrian Arab Republic)

🎬 Synopsis: 2014: Amuna and her husband Aziz, an ISIS fighter, live as shepherds in the rural Syrian desert. When he takes a very young, European ISIS convert as his second wife, Amuna's everyday life is thrown into turmoil. WALUD ولود is an Arabic adjective and describes the potential to create new life. In relation to humans, it refers to pregnancies and the possibility of bearing many children.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

WE HAVE SINNED BEFORE YOU by Ifat Nener Orgad (Israel)

🎬 Synopsis: A game designed to pass the time on Yom Kippur, brings up secrets and difficulties that could tear the Dagan family apart.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

WHAT MEN DO FOR LOVE by Sai Karan Talwar (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: An aging dentist kidnaps a young man with intentions of killing him because he's had an affair with his wife, but an unlikely connection starts to form between them.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://saikarantalwar.com/films/what-men-do-for-love

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON. by Greg Rubner (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Three people struggle to comprehend a rapidly evolving reality.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

WHEN EVERYTHING WAS BLUE by Christina Chironna (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A heartfelt drama that unfolds through the intimate lens of a home video camera. Capturing everyday moments, the film immerses us in the love, grief, and strength of a family as they navigate the emotional and physical toll of a father's 9/11-related illness.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.wheneverythingwasblue.com/

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/wheneverythingwasbluefilm/

WINDOW CLEANERS by Sylvie Weber (US)

🎬 Synopsis: Suspended high above the city, two undocumented immigrant window cleaners face a moral dilemma when they witness a woman in distress inside a luxury high-rise apartment, forcing them to choose whether achieving their dreams is worth betraying their values.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://risingvoicesfilms.com/film/window-cleaners/

WITHOUT PERFECTION by Vega Moltke-Leth (Denmark)

🎬 Synopsis: An experimental short film about existing as a young woman in today's world, where pressure to meet expectations and the pursuit of perfection take center stage.

🌟 Qualified through: Silver Prize at Student Academy Awards

WITNESS by Radha Mehta & Saif Jaan (US)

🎬 Synopsis: A revered small-town imam faces a crisis of faith when he must choose between upholding the values of his mosque or protecting the safety and spiritual belonging of a male congregant.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/witness.shortfilm/

WONDERWALL by Róisín Burns (UK)

🎬 Synopsis: Liverpool, 1995. The dockers are on strike. But Siobhan (9) and her big brother Rory have other things on their mind : will their heroes Oasis beat Blur in tonight’s Battle of Britpop. When a fight breaks out, Siobhan runs off into the night.  She drifts around, tired and alone, and the streets seem strange and unfamiliar.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

🔗 http://www.manifest.pictures/film/wonderwall/

YOU ONLY LIVE THREE TIMES by Antonio Andrisani (Italy)

🎬 Synopsis: In Matera, a beloved tourist destination (and prey) as well as a prestigious film location — from Pasolini to 007 to Mel Gibson — an Australian director arrives with the intention of shooting a bizarre film: the first installment of a new “franchise” featuring a new secret agent… Jesus Bond.

🌟 Qualified through: Screenings

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Related Pages:

• Complete List of Oscar-Qualified Animated Short Films 2026
• How to Qualify for the Oscars (Live Action Short Films)