The "Best" of the Oscar Shorts
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Mountain Shadow’s Line-up: The Five “Best”of the Oscar Short Film Nominees - 2025
“Magic Candies” - Animated / Japan / 21 min.
Synopsis: The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. But he’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day he goes out in search of new marbles, but ends up buying a bag of colorful, marble-shaped candies instead; and has the most unexpected and amazing conversation of his life.
“The Last Ranger” - South Africa / 28 min. Director: Cindy Lee
Synopsis: When young Litha is introduced to the magic of a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, they are ambushed by poachers. In the ensuing battle to save the rhinos, Litha discovers a terrible secret. The film is part of an anthology series exploring human resilience amid the cultural and social upheaval, wildlife conservation, and education in South Africa.
“ANUJA” - India, USA / 22 min.Director: Adam J. Graves
Synopsis: ANUJA tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide.
“A LIEN” (not misspelled!) USA/14 min - Directors: David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz
Synopsis: On the day of their green card interview, a young couple confronts a dangerous immigration process. Director’s comment: “Synopsis: On the day of their green card interview, a young couple confronts a dangerous immigration process”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra” - USA/35 min. - Director: Molly O’Brien
Synopsis: Trailblazing double bassist Orin O’Brien was never one to seek the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic, she inevitably became the focus of media attention and, ultimately, one of the most renowned musicians of a generation. As Orin O’Brien, this story likes to say,the key to a happy life is, “learning to love to play second fiddle.”
Titles and brief synopses of the ten Short Film nominees NOT selected for our “Best” of the Shorts show:
“Beautiful Men” – Animated / Synopsis: Three balding brothers travel to Istanbul to get a hair transplant. Stuck with each other, naked in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than their hair.
“In the Shadow of the Cypress” – Animated / Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life.
“Wander to Womder” - Synopsis: Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are three tiny humans who star in a kids’ TV Series. After the human creator of the TV show dies, they are left alone in the studio. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes.
“Yuck” – France / 13 min. Synopsis: Adults kiss each other on the mouth, and kids find it disgusting.
“I’m Not a Robot” – Netherlands, Belgium / 22 min. Synopsis: After repeatedly failing CAPTCHA tests, Lara becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: could she be a robot? The viewer is left to decide after a gruesome ending.
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” – Croatia, France, Slovenia / 13 min. Synopsis: Synopsis: In the middle of winter, a passenger train is stopped by paramilitary forces. As they arrest innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 dares to stand up to them.
“Death by Numbers” – Documentary / USA / 33 min. Synopsis: An intimate lens on a school shooting survivor, Sam Fuentes’s journey to reclaim her power, processing trauma through journaling.
“I Am Ready, Warden” – Documentary / USA / 37 min. Synopsis: Tells the harrowing and emotionally charged story of John Henry Ramirez, a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Texas.
“Incident” – Documentary / USA / 30 min. Synopsis: Through a montage of surveillance and police body-camera footage, a reconstruction of a deadly shooting by a Chicago police officer becomes an investigation into how a narrative begins to take shape in the aftermath.
“Instruments of a Beating Heart” – Live-Action / Japan / 23 min. Synopsis: First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform “Ode to Joy” at a school ceremony. Note: this film was a “runner-up” in our selection of “the best” nominees this year, but exceeded our run time.
