2011 Oscar Nominated Short Films

I had a chance to see the Oscar Nominated Short Films for 2011 last week, and here's my take on them. There are ten films in all, five animated and five live action. These films are playing for a limited time at the Kahala Consolidated Theater, so see them while you can! Also, the animated feature film The Illusionist and Best Foreign Film nominee Biutiful are playing at Kahala. Read more for details about the short films.

Animated Shorts

• “Day & Night” Teddy Newton - (Watch Clip)
  This short is probably the most well known of the five, since it played with Toy Story 3. It's a cute look at characters who personify the daytime and nighttime.
• “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang - (Watch Clip)
  This short has the most star power, with voice actors such as Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid in Harry Potter). It's based on a children's book of the same name, and is the best choice out of these five for children.
• “Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe - (Watch Clip)
  Let's Pollute is a darkly humorous look at educational films that tell people to recycle and reuse. Instead it focuses on wasting and consuming as much as possible.
• “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann - (Watch Clip)
  The Lost Thing is a look at how we sometimes lose creativity and imagination in the process of growing up. A young man finds this "lost thing" while at the beach. It's a very strange creature, which everyone else seems to ignore or not see at all.
• “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois - (Watch Clip)
  This short is a travel journal or diary of a European traveller in Madagascar, and has a unique hand animated feel. It's a very good look at the culture and people of the African island, which many of you may not have been exposed to before.

Live Action Shorts

With one exception, the live action shorts this year are more on the serious side than the animated ones.

• “The Confession” Tanel Toom - (Watch Clip)
  9 year old Sam is a devout Catholic and his first confession is coming up soon. However, he's too good and doesn't really have anything serious to confess. With the help of a friend, he does something bad so he has something to confess, with tragic results.
• “The Crush” Michael Creagh - (Watch Clip)
  Ardal is experiencing his first crush. The only problem is that he's 8 & the object of his affection is his teacher, Miss Purdy. Unforunately, Ardal is heartbroken when Miss Purdy's boyfriend shows up, and when he becomes her fiance. Ardal challenges Miss Purdy's boyfriend to a duel. To the death.
• “God of Love” Luke Matheny - (Watch Clip)
  Raymond, a dart throwing singer of a band, loves Kelly, the band's drummer. Kelly only has eyes for the band's guitarist, Fozzie, who happens to be Raymond's best friend. Raymond's wishes are answered when he receives the "Love Dart 3000", a box of darts that will make the person they're pricked with fall in love with the first person they see. There's a catch though, the effect is only good for six hours. However, there's a small chance that the love will continue after the time limit. Can Raymond make Kelly fall in love with him in only 6 hours?
• “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt - (Watch Clip)
  Are you a Hutu or Tutsi? That's the question in this short which chronicles a conflict in the Central African state of Burundi, where a genocidal war has broken out and each faction is trying to eliminate the other. Mercenaries intercept a van full of travelers at gunpoint and demand to know who is a Tutsi, intending to kill them.
• “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite - (Watch Clip)
  What would be your one last wish if you were a teenager, diagnosed with cancer and only had months to live? David's last wish is to have sex and lose his virginity. It's not exactly something that the hospital can grant though.

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