PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: Miracle Fish

Miracle Fish

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2009 Best Live Action Short Film nominee, Miracle Fish.

Australia | 18 mins

Director/Writer: Luke Doolan

Producer: Drew Bailey

Cast: Karl Beattie, Brendan Donoghue, Tara Morice, Angus Russo, Jason Doric

The film tells the story of 8 year old Joe (Karl Beattie), who has a Birthday he will never forget. After friends tease him, he sneaks off to the sick bay, wishing everyone in the world would go away. He wakes up to find his dream may have become a reality.

The short film was shot over two and a half days using the RED ONE camera.

Download Miracle Fish from iTunes.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: Instead of Abracadabra

Instead of Abracadabra

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2009 Best Live Action Short Film nominee, Instead of Abracadabra.

Sweden | 22 mins

Director/Writer: Patrick Eklund

Producer: Mathias Fjällström

Cast: Simon J. Berger, Jacob Nordenson, Anki Larsson, Saga Garde, Goran Forsmark, Daniel Rudstedt

Tomas is a bit too old to be still living at home with his parents, but his failure to become a magician leaves him with no other choice. His father Bengt wants him to get a proper job. At Bengt's 60th birthday party, Tomas gives him and all his guests a quite bizarre magic show.

Eklund and Fjällström are gifted filmmakers, creating mini-masterpieces that are littered with laughs and big on heart. This year they've been short-listed for their latest comedy short, Seeds of the Fall.

View a clip below and download Instead of Abracadabra from iTunes in HD or SD.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: Harvie Krumpet

Harvie Krumpet

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2003 Best Animated Short Film winner, Harvie Krumpet.

Australia | 22 mins

Director/Writer: Adam Elliot

Producer: Melanie Coombs

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Julie Forsyth, Kamahl, John Flaus 

The odd biography of a man who has Tourette's Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of "fakts" hung around his neck.

Director Adam Elliot had a number of short films under his belt, prior to tackling Harvie Krumpet. With it's broad scope and complex narrative, the film was shot over the course of a year, utilising an innovative software that allowed the creator to view captured frames while working (a tool that has since revolutionised the production of stop-motion animation).

On completion, the film screened at over 100 film festivals worldwide winning over 40 awards including the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Adam Elliot has since directed his first feature film Mary and Max, a stop-motion drama starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette.

View a clip below and download Harvie Krumpet from iTunes.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: Badgered

Badgered

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2005 Best Animated Short Film nominee, Badgered.

UK | 6 mins

Director/Writer: Sharon Colman

Producer: Jamie Wolpert

Cast: Rupert Degas

A solitary Eurasian badger wants to get some sleep. It attempts to make an environmental statement by showing the interaction between the badger and USA Trident nuclear missiles that are stored inside the hill in Scotland where the badger lives.

Download Badgered from iTunes.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: West Bank Story

West Bank Story

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2006 Best Live Action Short Film winner, West Bank Story.

USA | 21 mins

Director: Ari Sandel

Writers: Kim Ray, Ari Sandel

Producers: Bill Boland, Ashley Jordan, Amy S. Kim, Ravi Malhotra, Ari Sandel, Pascal Vaguelsy

Cast: Ben Newmark, Noureen DeWulf, Joey Naber, A.J. Tannen

A musical comedy set in the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank. David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with Fatima, a beautiful Palestinian cashier, despite the animosity between their families' dueling restaurants. Can the couple's love withstand a 58-year-old conflict and their families' desire to control the future of the chick pea in the Middle East?

View a clip below and download West Bank Story from iTunes.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: God Sleeps in Rwanda

God Sleeps in Rwanda

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, 2006 Best Documentary, Short Subject nominee, God Sleeps in Rwanda.

USA | 28 mins

Directors: Kimberlee Acquaro, Stacy Sherman

Producers: Kimberlee Acquaro, Stacy Sherman, Craig Tanner

Narrator: Rosario Dawson

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide left the country nearly 70% female, handing Rwanda's women an extraordinary burden and an unprecedented opportunity. An inspiring story of loss and redemption "God Sleeps in Rwanda" tells the story of women survivor's spirit to overcome the genocide's devastating legacy. The film follows five courageous women as they rebuild their lives, and, in doing so, redefine women's roles in Rwandan society and bring hope to a wounded nation.

Download God Sleeps in Rwanda from iTunes.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: Logorama

Logorama

In the lead up to the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Today, last year's Best Animated Short Film winner, Logorama.

France | 16mins

Director: H5

Producer: Autour de Minuit

Cast: Bob Stephenson, Sherman Augustus, Aja Evans, Joel Michaely, Matt Winston, Andrew Kevin Walker, David Fincher

Directed by H5, a graphic studio renowned for its CD front covers (Superdiscount, Air, Demon), artistic direction (Dior, Cartier, YSL), and music videos (Alex Gopher, Massive Attack, Goldfrapp), Logorama features spectacular car chases, an intense hostage crisis, wild animals rampaging through the city and lots, lots more!

View a clip below and download Logorama from iTunes in HD or SD.

PAST NOMINEES & WINNERS: The New Tenants

The New Tenants

In the lead up to the 83^rd Academy Awards on February 27^th, we are revisiting past nominees and winners in the short film categories, all of which you can download from iTunes. Kicking things off, last year's Best Live Action Short Film winner, The New Tenants.

US/Denmark | 20mins

Park Pictures

Director: Joachim Back

Writer: Anders Tomas Jensen

Producers: Sam Bisbee, Tivi Magnusson, Erika Hampson, Christian Potalivo

Cast: Vincent D’Onofrio Kevin Corrigan, Liane Balaban

A prying neighbour, a glassy-eyed drug dealer, and a husband brandishing both a weapon and a vendetta make up the welcome wagon in this darkly satirical short film. Set amidst the as-yet-unopened boxes and the hopes for a fresh start of two men on what might be the worst moving day ever, their new apartment reveals its terrifying history in a film that is by turns funny, frightening, and unexpectedly romantic.

View a clip below and download The New Tenants from iTunes in HD or SD.