Oscar-nominated short films at Avon

Posted 2/13/19

By DON and JOYCE FOWLER You are in for a very special treat at the Avon, where Richard Dulgarian has brought in the 2018 Oscar-nominated short films. You even get a chance to select your favorite films in the three categories of Live Action, Animation

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Oscar-nominated short films at Avon

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You are in for a very special treat at the Avon, where Richard Dulgarian has brought in the 2018 Oscar-nominated short films. You even get a chance to select your favorite films in the three categories of Live Action, Animation and Documentary.

Most people who watch the Academy Awards on television are clueless when it comes to short films. We had the pleasure of seeing four of them at the Rhode Island International Film Festival last summer, an event we recommend you add to your calendar for August 6-11.

Animation

You are treated to seven of the best animation shorts: the five nominees plus two interesting runner-ups. Our favorite was “Animal Behavior,” featuring a variety of animals in a group therapy session.

“Bao” is about one of those unusual Chinese foods that you can get at the downtown Bao restaurant, only this one comes to life.

“Late Afternoon” is a poignant tale of an old woman recalling her youth.

“One Small Step” and “Weekends” are the other two contenders, joined by “Wishing Box” and the Russian “Tweet Tweet.”

Live action

The Live Action shorts open with a disturbing Spanish entry, “Madre,” followed by an eerie “Fauve.”

Our favorite was one featured at the RIIFF, “Marguerite,” a tale of lost love, followed by “Detainment,” a fascinating story of two young murderers.

The program closes with a frightening tale of racial prejudice that has a twist at the end that you won’t soon forget. “Skin” is original, tense, edge-of-your-seat drama that could take the award.

Documentary

Our favorite was “End Game,” an intimate, poignant, but uplifting look at palliative care at a hospice site.

“Period: End of Sentence” is an uplifting, funny story about the power of women in a changing Indian society where a group of women change a taboo about a word forbidden to be said in their culture: menstruation.

“A Night at the Garden” is a short with actual footage of a shocking white supremacy event that took place with over 20,000 people in attendance at Madison Square Garden in 1939.

“Black Sheep” tells the story of a young black man who seeks to be accepted by a group of white racists.

“Life Boat” tells the story of Sea Watch, an organization dedicated to saving the thousands of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in unsafe vessels. Our choices for Academy Awards are:

Live Action: Marguerite. (With a shout-out for “Skin”)

Animation: Animal Behavior

Documentary: End Game

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