2026 Academy Award® Nominees Screening Series—Short Film Showcase and Filmmaker Conversations

LACMA members are invited to join FILM at LACMA for a short film showcase featuring compelling and awards-contending short films.

Perfectly A Strangeness
In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be. Followed by a conversation with director, writer, and producer Alison McAlpine.

Butcher's Stain
Samir, a Palestinian butcher working at an Israeli supermarket, is accused of tearing down the Israeli hostage posters in the break room. Samir sets out to prove his innocence in order to keep the job he desperately needs. Followed by a conversation with writer, director, and featured actor Meyer Levinson-Blount and producer Oron Caspi.

The Singers
Inspired by the 19th-century short story, The Singers follows a group of down-on-their-luck bar patrons as they find unexpected connection through an impromptu sing-off. Followed by a conversation with director, cinematographer, and editor Sam Davis and actors Chris Smither, Mike Young, and Will Harrington.

Jane Austin's Period Drama
In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. 
Followed by a conversation with co-writer and director Steve Pinder and co-writer, director, and featured actor Julia Aks.

Two People Exchanging Saliva
An absurdist tragedy set in a repressive society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face. Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store. There, she becomes fascinated by an ingenious salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague. Followed by a conversation with directors Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh and actresses Luàna Bajrami and Vicky Krieps.

All the Empty Rooms
Reporter Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp embark on a cross-country journey to memorialize the bedrooms of children lost to school shootings, highlighting the urgent need for action against the rising epidemic of gun violence. Followed by a conversation with featured participant Steve Hartman.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

In Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul. From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the magic of stop-motion animation. With handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Colm Feore and a haunting score by Patrick Watson, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception and the price of innocence. Followed by a message from director Chris Lavis.

Forevergreen

A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted by the allure of easy food. Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place. Forevergreen is an animated short film and after hours passion project created entirely by a crew of over 200 dedicated Artists and Technicians who all generously donated their free time and talent to bring every frame of the film to life. Production took over 5 years to complete.  Featuring never before seen animation techniques and handmade artistry, weaving art and technology together with heart and humor. Followed by a message from directors Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears.

Retirement Plan

Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) lays out a beautiful life for himself in his retirement plan. He will pursue his curiosities, challenge his limiting beliefs, embrace fear, beauty, even the complexities of wine culture. Ray will check off every box on every list for every interest he ever even half-thought about. He will discover what he loves (Italian red wine), what he hates (camping). He will grow and learn and change rapidly. It’s beautiful and it’s messy and achingly relatable. But Ray is forgetting something. The one thing he treats as flippantly disposable will be the single most rapidly depleting resource of his future self. His healthyish, agile enough 40-something-year-old body. Also, actual retirement time is not endless, but guaranteed to be finite. Followed by a message from director John Kelly.

Butterfly

In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water. Some are happy, some glorious, some traumatic. Followed by a message from director Florence Miailhe.

The Three Sisters

Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of the houses. Followed by a message from director Konstantin Bronzit.

This screening is hosted by Slipstream, a LACMA-approved third-party screening platform. If you have not previously registered with Slipstream, you will be asked to provide a valid email address and set a password to create an account.