2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films
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For the 20th year, ShortsTV presents the Oscar-nominated Shorts for Animation, Live Action, and Documentary.
Table of Contents
2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films – Animation
Magic Candies (Daisuke Nishio – Japan)
Dong-Dong acquires a bag of marble-shaped candies, each with a different magical property. Magic Candies is directed by Daisuke Nisho of Toei Animation, best known for Dragonball Z and Interstella 5555, among others. The film is a CGI anime with a very stop-motion-like feel. It tells a cute story that even pulls on the heartstrings at some moments.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsIn the Shadow of the Cypress (Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani – Iran)
An old sea captain dealing with PTSD has to help his daughter save a beached whale. Mental health is a major theme of this short, with the protagonist’s PTSD illustrated by his periodically turning blue. The end result is a very heartwarming short.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsYuck! (Loïc Espuche – France)
A group of kids make fun of adults kissing at a campsite; however, Leo secretly desires to kiss Lucie. Yuck! is a very cute short film, which signifies attraction by the characters’ lips glowing pink. Despite the protagonist Leo receiving some quite nasty bullying from the other kids, Yuck! builds to a very sweet conclusion.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsWander to Wonder (Nina Gantz – Netherlands, Belgium, France, UK)
Tiny humans Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton struggle to survive after the creator of their children’s show dies. A mix of stop-motion and live-action, Wander to Wonder begins like a typical British children’s show, before moving into much darker territory. This short features many adult-oriented humans, such as the crazed character of Fumbleton often “showing his winkie” and the very bloody final moments.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsBeautiful Men (Nicolas Keppens – Belgium, France, The Netherlands)
Steven, Koen, and Bart are three balding men, who travel to Istanbul for a hair transplant and have to deal with their growing insecurities. The stop-motion animation of this short is well done, though I feel that Beautiful Men is most notable for its gratuitous full-frontal male nudity.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films – Live Action
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Nebojša Slijepčević – Croatia, Bulgaria, France, Slovenia)
As paramilitary forces arrest innocent civilians, one man refuses to stay silent.The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is a very politically charged short film speaking out against Islamophobia and discrimination. Despite being set in early 1990s Bosnia, the themes of this short is quite relevant today.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsAnuja (Adam J. Graves – India, USA)
Two sisters take different paths to survival on the streets of New Dehli. One of the most notable aspects of Anuja is how real street kids were cast in the film. This includes a reel during the credits showing the young star Sajda Pathan watching the film for the first time.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsI’m Not a Robot (Victoria Warmerdam – Netherlands, Belgium)
After repeatedly failing CAPTCHA tests, music producer Lara begins to wonder if she could actually be a robot. I’m Not a Robot is an enjoyable sci-fi comedy short, which plays off how annoying CAPTCHA tests can be to solve. Add in the children’s choir version of Radiohead’s “Creep” and I’m Not a Robot is quite a joy to watch.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsA Lien (David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz – USA)
Sophia Gomez accompanies her husband Oscar to his green card interview, only to learn that he has been targeted for arrest by ICE. A Lien is a politically charged thriller based on the regular practice of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of instructing non-documented individuals to go through the process of getting their green card, only to arrest them when they arrive. This results in A Lien being a very important short film about the current political state of America.
4.5 out of 5.0 starsThe Last Ranger (Cindy Lee – South Africa)
Young Litha is friends with the ranger Khuselwa on a Rhino Game Reserve. However, when poachers attack, Litha discovers a terrible secret. The Last Ranger utilizes real camcorder footage to create a story about the endangered plight of Rhinos in Africa and the rangers who risk their lives to protect them. While there are some difficult-to-watch moments, this short ultimately has a hopeful and positive message.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films – Documentary
Instruments of a Beating Heart (Ema Ryan Yamazaki – Japan)
A first-grade class prepares for a performance of “Ode to Joy.” A New York Times Op-Doc, Instruments of a Beating Heart follows a handful of students as they audition and practice for this performance. Altogether this is a cute film about working together to achieve a goal.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsIncident (Bill Morrison – USA)
Multiple video sources help to break down the events leading up to and following a 2018 police shooting in Chicago. The context given by the on-screen text in Incident is that tensions were high in Chicago, due to the pending trial of officer Jason Van Dyke. Constructed from a combination of security and body-cam footage, Incident breaks down an example of racial profiling at its worst, made more disturbing by the static shot of the shooting victim lying in the middle of the street for the majority of the half-hour running time. Combine that with the revelation that the officers involved got little more than a slap on the wrist and Incident is sure going to anger the social justice warriors out there.
4.5 out of 5.0 starsI Am Ready, Warden (Smriti Mundhra – USA)
After spending 14 years on death row, the date of execution finally approaches for convicted murderer John Henry Ramirez. I Am Ready, Warden is a film that is very much arguing against the death penalty by showing how much John Henry Ramirez changed in prison, finding religion and love for his teenage son Izzy. Arguably, the most affecting moment of I Am Ready, Warden comes when the victim’s son, who maintains an eye-for-an-eye attitude throughout the film, listens to a recording of Ramirez’s final statement and and reacts in a way that is quite reminiscent of a similar moment in The Act of Killing.
4.0 out of 5.0 starsThe Only Girl in the Orchestra (Molly O’Brien – USA)
Molly O’Brien films a biography of her aunt Orin O’Brien, the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic, on the eve of her retirement after 55 years. One thing that is quite apparent watching The Only Girl in the Orchestra is how Orin O’Brien, the daughter of movie stars George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill, did not at all like the media attention she received when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966. While little more than a fluff piece, The Only Girl in the Orchestra is still inspirational for women wanting to get into the arts.
3.5 out of 5.0 starsDeath By Numbers (Kim A. Snyder – USA)
Sam Fuentes is the survivor of a school shooting who is asked to confront her assistant in the courtroom, during his sentencing trial. Death by Numbers is a film about Sam Fuentes’ continued efforts to recover from trauma, four years after being a victim in a school shooting. Sam’s diary entries form the basis of the film’s narration, which builds up to her very powerful statement in the film’s final moments.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars