Los Angeles, CA, January 22nd, 2014 – ShortsHD™, the world’s only Short Movie Channel in high definition (www.shorts.tv), working with Magnolia Pictures, will open “The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2014” in over 250 theaters across the United States, Canada, and Europe on Friday, January 31, 2014, with more than 400 theatres slated to screen the films during its theatrical release. In its 9th year, “The Oscar® Nominated Short Films” showcase the Live Action, Animation, and Documentary nominees as three separate theatrical events. This will be the only opportunity for audiences to watch the nominated shorts prior to the 86th Academy Awards® ceremony on Sunday, March 2, 2014.
This year’s release will be hosted by past Oscar® winners and a slew of renowned filmmakers who have made their mark in short films. For the Live Action Nominees, the hosts include Shawn Christensen (“Curfew”), Matthew Modine (“Full Metal Jacket”), Tom Vaughan (“What Happens in Vegas”), Peter Webber (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”), Jim Field Smith (“She’s Out of My League”) and Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine (“Inocente”). For the Documentary Shorts, the hosts include Lucy Walker (“Waste Land”) Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, Eva Orner (“Taxi to the Dark Side”) Peter Webber, and Shawn Christensen. The Animated Shorts, in a special treat for audiences, will be hosted by one of the high-diving giraffes of YouTube fame and his ostrich buddy in this special commission by Paris-based Cube Creative and Nicolas Deveaux.
This year’s Oscar® Nominated Short Films originate from all parts of the globe, representing the pinnacle of filmmaking from Japan, the UK, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Finland, UAE, Yemen, Canada, and the United States.
A fast-growing genre of film entertainment, ShortsHD’s™Oscar® Nominated Short Films theatrical release has become a key fixture of the awards season while breaking box office records for the genre each year. “The audience for premium-quality, short-form storytelling is exploding with the growth of ‘Constant Content’ “, said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive at ShortsHD. “Shorts films are in the “zone” for today’s fast-paced movie fans, and audiences this year are in for a treat — the Oscar Shorts this year contain some of the best films they’ll see all year, bar none….because the Oscar Shorts is where the REAL ‘American hustle’ is fast underway.”
In 2013, the release was one of the most successful independent film releases in the country grossing $2,175,000 up 28% year-on-year, and more than 800% since the release started.
For a sneak peek at The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2014 program, go to http://theoscarshorts.shorts.tv/
This year’s release includes the following nominated short films:
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM NOMINEES
Estimated Running Time- 108 minutes
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” (Director: Esteban Crespo, Spain/Spanish). Synopsis: Paula, a Spanish aid worker, has an encounter with an African child soldier named Kaney.
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” (Directors: Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras, France/French). Synopsis: Miriam has left her abusive husband and taken refuge with her children in the local supermarket where she works.
“Helium” (Directors Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson, Denmark/Danish). Synopsis: A dying boy finds comfort in the tales of a magical land called HELIUM, told to him by the hospital janitor.
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” (Directors: Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari, Finland/Finnish). Synopsis: Sini tries frantically to get her family ready to leave for a wedding, but her husband and two children are interfering with her efforts.
“The Voorman Problem” (Directors: Mark Gill and Baldwin Li, UK/English). Synopsis: A psychiatrist is called to a prison to examine an inmate named Voorman, who is convinced he is a god.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM NOMINEES
Estimated Running Time- 110 minutes
“Feral” (Directors Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden, USA/Non-dialogue). Synopsis: A wild boy who has grown up in the woods is found by a hunter and returned to civilization.
“Get a Horse!” (Directors: Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim, USA/English). Synopsis: Mickey Mouse and his friends are enjoying a wagon ride until Peg-Leg Pete shows up with plans to ruin their day.
“Mr. Hublot” (Directors: Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares, Luxembourg/France/Non-
“Possessions” (Director:
“Room on the Broom” (Directors: Max Lang and Jan Lachauer, voices by Simon Pegg, Gillian Anderson, Rob Brydon in UK/English). Synopsis: A genial witch and her cat are joined on their broom by several friends as they set off on an adventure.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT NOMINEES
Documentary Program A
Estimated Running Time- 97 minutes
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” (Directors: Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed, Canada/USA/UK – English). Synopsis: At 109, Alice Herz Sommer is the world’s oldest pianist…and its oldest Holocaust survivor. At the heart of her remarkable story of courage and endurance is her passion for music.
“Karama Has No Walls” (Director: Sara Ishaq, UAE/UK/Yemen – Arabic). Synopsis: When protesters in Yemen added their voices to those of other nations during the Arab Spring, the government responded with an attack that left 53 people dead and inspired widespread sympathy throughout the country.
“Facing Fear” (Director: Jason Cohen, USA/English). Synopsis: As a gay 13-year-old, Matthew Boger endured a savage beating at the hands of a group of neo-Nazis. Twenty-five years later, he meets one of them again by chance.
Documentary Program A
Estimated Running Time- 87 minutes
“Cavedigger” (Director Jeffrey Karoff, USA/English). Synopsis: New Mexico environmental sculptor Ra Paulette carves elaborately designed and painstakingly executed sandstone caves, driven by an artistic vision that often brings him into conflict with his patrons.
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” (Director: Edgar Barens, USA/English). Synopsis: In a maximum security prison, the terminally ill Jack Hall faces his final days with the assistance of hospice care provided by workers drawn from the prison population.
Nominations for the 86th Academy Awards® were announced on January 16. For more information, visit http://theoscarshorts.shorts.
About ShortsHD™: ShortsHD™ is the first high-definition channel dedicated to short movies and is available on DIRECTV (Channel 573), and AT&T U-Verse (Channel 1789). ShortsHD™ is operated by Shorts International, the world’s leading short movie entertainment company with the world’s largest movie catalog dedicated to short movies. Shorts International also operates ShortsTV®, which is available in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg on Numerical (Channels 134 and 52) and in Turkey via TTNET’s Tivibu service. Shorts™ is the short movie on-demand service available on iTunes movie stores in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, and throughout Europe. The company is headquartered in London, England with additional offices in Paris and Los Angeles, and is led by Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive. Shorts International is owned 75% by Shorts Entertainment Holdings and 25% by Liberty Global. Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/shortshd and Twitter: twitter.com/shortshd.
