OSCAR SHORT FILMS - 1
Due to copyright it can be difficult to find the latest Oscar winners but here are some of the most recent winning films available.
The Long Goodbye by Aneil Karia (2020) (UK) (12m)
The 2022 Oscar winner, and eventually told in the form of a poem, this drama tells the story of an ordinary day in a British Asian family until a far right group comes for them. It displays fine filmmaking - and Ahmed is always great - but its conceit does grate a little with me: that a Brownshirt-like movement is cleansing ethnic families (as the Nazis once did) and these families are taking no precautions, nor receiving any help from the public.
The Neighbors' Window by Marshall Curry (2019) (USA) (20m)
The Neighbors' Window - which won the Oscar in 2020 - is an examination of the greeness of the grass on the other side. A middle-aged couple with young children see a young, partying couple move into the apartment opposite, and are immediately reminded of their own unexciting lives. So much so, that the stressed-out mother becomes obsessed with the younger couple. However, everyone faces personal struggles and, after the passing of several seasons, it becomes clear that the couple opposite are facing a traumatic event.
The Silent Child by Chris Overton (2017) (UK) (20m)
The Silent Child is classic Oscar fodder (being a drama featuring a child) and duly won the Academy Award for Best Short Film in 2018. It tells the story of Libby, a deaf 6-year-old girl, who inhabits a silent world (because she has one of the most selfish families in the history of mankind) until a social worker teaches her sign language. It garnered a lot press at the time of its win (compared with other winners), perhaps due to Shenton's previous work on teen soap opera Hollyoaks. It is a solid drama with a great performance from the young Maisie Sly.
