Wichita library’s popular Academy Award Shorts Film Festival returns
For 40 years, the Wichita Public Library has screened Academy Award-nominated short films. This year, they’ve partnered with Boulevard Theatres Old Town for an all-day celebration on Saturday, March 7, featuring all 15 nominated short films across the Animated, Live Action and Documentary categories.
The festivities continue with additional screenings at several Wichita Public Library locations throughout the week leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony on March 15.
Here are the nominees:
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
Some films in this program may not be suitable for very young children.
“Butterfly” (Writer and Director Florence Miailhe) – A retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache’s life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, framed as memories during his final swim. (15 min.)
“Forevergreen” (Written and Directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears) – An orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree face temptation, fire and sacrifice in this emotional adventure. (13 min.)
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls” (Directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski) – A haunting fable about sorrow, love and how greed can corrupt good hearts. (17 min.)
“Retirement Plan” (Directed by John Kelly) – Ray (voice of Domhnall Gleeson) imagines everything he hopes to do once he finally has time to retire. (7 min.)
“The Three Sisters” (Writer and Director Konstantin Bronzit) – Three reclusive sisters live in isolation on a remote island until they are forced to rent out one of their homes. (14 min.)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
Contain graphic war imagery and adult themes and language. Recommended for ages 17 and older.
“All the Empty Rooms” (Directed by Joshua Seftel) – A journalist and photographer memorialize bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings. (33 min.)
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud” (Directed by Craig Renaud and Brent Renaud) – An intimate portrait of filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed covering the Russo-Ukrainian War. (38 min.)
“Children No More: ‘Were and Are Gone’” (Directed by Hilla Medalia) – Activists in Tel Aviv hold silent vigils for children killed in the war in Gaza. (36 min.)
“The Devil Is Busy” (Directed by Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir) – A day on the front lines of the fight for reproductive rights at a women’s health clinic. (31 min.)
“Perfectly a Strangeness” (Directed, Written and Produced by Alison McAlpine) – In a remote desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned observatory in this lyrical meditation on story and the universe. (15 min.)
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS
Contain graphic war imagery and adult themes and language. Recommended for ages 17 and older.
“Butcher’s Stain” (Written and Directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount) – A Palestinian butcher is accused of tearing down hostage posters and must prove his innocence to keep his job. (26 min.)
“A Friend of Dorothy” (Written and Directed by Lee Knight) – A lonely widow and a teenage boy form an unexpected bond that changes them both. (21 min.)
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama” (Written and Directed by Steve Pinder and Julia Aks) – A comedy satire inspired by Austen’s seminal novel “Pride and Prejudice.” (12 min.)
“The Singers” (Directed, Shot & Edited by Sam A. Davis) – An experimental docu-musical adaptation of an Ivan Turgenev story about connection through song. (18 min.)
“Two People Exchanging Saliva” (Directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh) – A dystopian tale set in a world where kissing is punishable by death. (36 min.)
THE SCHEDULE
Admission to all screenings is free.
All categories: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Boulevard Theatres Old Town, 353 N. Mead
Animated and Live Action categories: 1:15-4:45 p.m. Sunday, March 8, Alford Branch Library, 3447 S. Meridian
Animated and Live Action categories: 4-7:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second St.
Senior Wednesday: Documentary category: 1:30-4 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second St.
Documentary category: 3-6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, Rockwell Branch Library, 5939 E. Ninth St.
Animated and Live Action categories: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second St.
Animated and Live Action categories: 10:15 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, Westlink Branch Library, 8515 Bekemeyer St.
Documentary category: 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, Evergreen Community Center & Library, 2601 N. Arkansas
Reach Rod Pocowatchit at rodrick@rawdzilla.com.