Simon's Oscar Preview: Short Films

This week's schedule:
Monday - Art & Design, Music
Tuesday - Technical Achievements
Wednesday - Short Films, Special Feature Films
Thursday - Writing & Directing, Acting
Friday - Best Picture

Films I haven't seen are marked accordingly. Since Shorts International only made some of the live action and animated shorts available on iTunes, I've seen less of these than I expected. I may still see the documentary shorts later this week and will update my post accordingly.

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Nominees: The Confession, The Crush, God of Love, Na Wewe, Wish 143

Who Will Win: Wish 143
Who Should Win: God of Love

Short film awards are notoriously hard to predict, so I'm taking my best stab here, based on my own opinions and a wealth of thoughts on the subject from major short film blogs. Wish 143, a poignant story about a dying boy's wish to lose his virginity, is certainly a strong candidate. For a story with that subject, it's surprisingly serious and emotionally powerful. Na Wewe, a slightly heavy-handed story of racial confrontation in Burundi, is also getting a few nods here and there. Personally, I prefer Luke Matheny's God of Love, a sleek and stylish student film about a dart-throwing jazz singer who inadvertently becomes Cupid. It's fun, romantic and features some very strong black-and-white cinematography. Whether its lighthearted tone will play with Oscar voters is another story, though.

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Nominees: Day & Night, The Gruffalo, Let's Pollute, The Lost Thing, Madagascar, a Journey Diary

Who Will Win: Day & Night
Who Should Win: Day & Night

I love me some animated shorts. This year is a bit of a mixed bag, but the overall level of quality is high. Pixar's Day & Night appears to have a well-deserved edge however, thanks to its charming premise, which features anthropomorphized representations of day time and night time. Full of clever visual jokes and featuring a strong score from Michael Giacchino, it should prevail. That said, keep an eye on Madagascar, a Journey Diary and The Gruffalo as possible dark horse candidates.

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Nominees: Killing in the Name (have not seen), Poster Girl (have not seen), Strangers No More (have not seen), Sun Come Up (have not seen), The Warriors of Qiugang

Who Will Win: Poster Girl
Who Should Win: uhh... Killing in the Name?

Ok, obviously, I haven't seen enough here to have an actual opinion. Shorts International promised that all the nominated short films would be made available on iTunes, but that never actually happened. I'm considering going to a screening of these missing films, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, Poster Girl seems to be the clear favorite, concerning a woman's experience with PTSD following service in the Iraq War. My sources tell me that Killing in the Name is the other worthy candidate, but since I haven't seen either, I can't add my own commentary. Sorry, guys.