2026 Live Action Oscar Nominated Shorts

The annual audience favorite programs are back for another year at the Circle! The Live Action shorts open on Fri 2/27, plus Animated shorts on Fri 2/20 and Documentary shorts on Fri 3/6. Tickets and showtimes coming soon.

Roadside Attractions will distribute the 98th Oscar® Nominated Shorts, presented by acclaimed filmmaker, writer, and actor Taika Waititi, exclusively in theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The program features three feature-length theatrical presentations, one for each Academy Award® Short Film category—Animated, Documentary, and Live Action—showcasing outstanding short films from around the world. Oscar® Nominated Shorts Program offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience these celebrated works on the big screen ahead of the Oscars®. Honoring short films as a distinct art form, Roadside Attractions will support the program as a must-see theatrical event, uniting film lovers and the global filmmaking community in a shared cinematic experience. The 98th Oscar® Nominated Shorts is presented by Roadside Attractions and is not a release presented by, sponsored by or endorsed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy has licensed Roadside Attractions the right to use the Oscar® trade name in connection with such release.

Live Action Shorts - total runtime 1h59min - Some films in this program contain adult language, adult themes and sensual images. Recommended for persons 17 and up.

The Singers - 18min, US

The Singers is a short film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. With a cast comprised of viral video singing talents and other one-of-a-kind personalities from the unlikeliest corners of the internet, the film is an experimental docu-musical hybrid crafted like an improvisational play.

A Friend of Dorothy - 21min, United Kingdom

Dorothy (BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes) is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) accidentally kicks his football into her garden, he upends Dorothy’s daily routine of pills, prunes and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. Despite being worlds apart in every way, the two come to find they have more in common than they could ever imagine.

Butcher's Stain - 26min, Israel

Samir, a Palestinian butcher working at an Israeli supermarket, is accused of tearing down the Israeli hostage posters in the break room. Samir sets out to prove his innocence in order to keep his job he desperately needs.

Two People Exchanging Saliva - 36min, France, US

In a society 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. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.

Jane Austen's Period Drama - 12min, US

England, 1813. Miss Estrogenia “Essy” Talbot gets her period during a long-awaited marriage proposal. Mr. Dickley mistakes the blood for an injury and rushes off to fetch a doctor. While he’s gone, Essy’s sisters plead with her not to imperil her engagement by telling Mr. Dickley the truth. But when he returns, Essy barrels ahead, sharing every little bloody detail.