2025.2.16,17, Oscar Shorts

SIFF Uptown screens Oscar short film nominations in 3 categories. Went to animation on 2/16, and documentory on 2/17 for 2025.

By the order of screening. Here's the list of Animation Shorts:

• Magic Candies, Japan, Daisuke Nishio + Takashi Washio (fun)
• In the Shadow of the Cypress, Iran, Shirin Sohani + Hossein Molayemi (my favorite, very stylized)
• Yuck!, France, by Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet (ok)
• Wander to Wonder, Netherland, Nina Gantz + Stienette Bosklopper (urh?)
• Beautiful Men, Netherland, Nicolas Keppens + Brecht Van Elslande (so so)

Here's the list of Documentary Shorts:

• Instruments of a Beating Heart, Japan, Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari (very shaky, too long)
• Incident, USA, Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven (a crime report, good)
• I Am Ready, Warden, USA, Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp (good)
• Death by Numbers, USA, Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard (over-analyzed)
• The Only Girl in the Orchestra, USA, Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington (so so)

I liked the first 2 animations, didn't like any of the documentary shorts. However, the comparison of the fact between "I Am Ready, Warden" (a reborn criminal put to death) and "Death by Numbers" (a hardhead mass shooter without remorse, saved from death sentence) is shocking, and baffling of the US judiciary system.