The 2025 awards season is in full swing now that the Golden Globes have wrapped up. We’re especially excited for Gints Zilbalodis, a filmmaker we first featured in 2014, who won Best Animated Feature and celebrated with a stop at In-N-Out Burger.
For short film fans, the Oscars are the main event since the Golden Globes don’t have categories for shorts. The Academy released its shortlists in December 2024, and voting is underway. To help voters choose the final 15 films from the 45 shortlisted across three categories, we’ve put together this guide.
Best Animated Short Film
This year’s 15 animated shorts showcase a wide range of styles and stories. Festival favourites and indie productions are well represented.
- Beautiful Men by Nicolas Keppens: A stop-motion story about three brothers seeking hair transplants in Istanbul, blending dark humour and subtle emotion.
- ME by Don Hertzfeldt: A musical journey exploring trauma, technology, and humanity’s isolation, showcasing Hertzfeldt’s signature creativity.
- The Wild-Tempered Clavier by Anna Samo: A film that mixes painting on 35mm film with a narrative about art, driven by Bach’s music.
- A Crab in the Pool by Alexandra Myotte & Jean-Sébastien Hamel: A touching 2D animated story about the bond between siblings, already highly awarded on the festival circuit.
- Wander to Wonder by Nina Gantz: A stop-motion film that surprises with its sinister tone, acclaimed at festivals and award shows.
Best Documentary Short Film
This year’s documentary shorts lean heavily on familiar formats but still offer compelling stories.
- A Swim Lesson by Rashida Jones & Will McCormack: A heartwarming profile of children’s swim instructor Bill Marsh, blending life lessons with charming visuals.
- I Am Ready, Warden by Smriti Mundhra: A thoughtful look at the death penalty in the U.S. through one man’s story, raising deep questions about justice.
- Incident by Bill Morrison: A reconstruction of a 2018 police killing in Chicago using archival footage, presented in Morrison’s signature style.
- Instruments of a Beating Heart by Ema Ryan Yamazaki: A personal favourite, this film explores intimate themes with creativity and impact.
- Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World by Julio Palacio: The story of a non-verbal autistic girl finding her voice, balancing emotional depth with creative visuals.
Best Live-Action Short Film
This year’s live-action shortlist feels stronger than last year, offering a range of compelling stories.
- An Orange from Jaffa by Mohammed Almughanni: A tense and authentic portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict set in a taxi.
- A Lien by Sam Cutler-Kreutz & David Cutler-Kreutz: A topical and immersive short that leaves a strong impression.
- Crust by Jens Kevin Georg: A light-hearted, stylized story about a boy proving himself to his family, filled with charm.
- I Am Not a Robot by Victoria Warmerdam: A sci-fi short that thoughtfully explores identity and consciousness.
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent by Nebojša Slijepčević: A powerful period drama about courage and integrity, set on a train in the Balkans.
With such a diverse lineup across all categories, it’ll be exciting to see which films make it to the Oscars stage.
