Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
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|---|---|
| Presented by | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | November 18, 1932 (for films released during the 1931/1932 film season) |
| Currently held by | Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt The Singers and Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata Two People Exchanging Saliva (2025) |
The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is a special prize given out every year at the famous Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars. This award celebrates the best short films that tell a story with real actors. Think of a short film as a mini-movie, usually under 40 minutes long, that packs a big punch! This award has been around since 1957, though it had different names before that. It's a fantastic way to recognize new talent and amazing storytelling in a shorter format.
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A Look Back at the Award's History
Before 1957, the Academy had different categories for short films. For example, from 1936 to 1956, there were two awards: "Best Short Subject, One-reel" and "Best Short Subject, Two-reel." These names referred to how long the film was. A "reel" of film used to be about 11 minutes long. So, a one-reel film was about 11 minutes, and a two-reel film was about 22 minutes. For a couple of years in the 1930s, there was even a special award just for color short films! Earlier, from 1932 to 1935, the awards were for "Best Short Subject, Comedy" and "Best Short Subject, Novelty." This meant they were looking for funny films or unique, interesting ones.
All these different short film awards were combined in 1957 into one main category. It was first called "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects," then "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." Finally, in 1974, it got its current name: "Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film."
How Films Qualify for the Award
To win this award, a film needs to be a "live action" film. This means it uses real actors and settings, not animation. The Academy defines a short film as being no longer than 40 minutes. This time limit includes all the opening and closing credits.
The award goes to the person or people most responsible for the film's idea and how it was made. If more than one person was very important in creating the film, a second award statue can be given. Before the final nominees are announced, a group of fifteen films is chosen for a special shortlist. This helps narrow down the many great films submitted each year.
Celebrating the Winners: A Journey Through Short Films
Over the years, many talented filmmakers have won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. These films often tell powerful stories in a short amount of time. From the early days, when films like The Music Box (starring Laurel and Hardy) won for comedy, to more recent thought-provoking stories, this award highlights creativity and skill.
The categories changed over time, from focusing on comedy or novelty to simply recognizing the best live action short. Many different studios and independent filmmakers have been honored.
Recent Winners and Nominees
Here are the winners and nominees from the 2020s, showing some of the amazing short films that have been recognized recently. The winning film for each year is highlighted.
| Year | Film | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 (93rd) |
Two Distant Strangers | Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe |
| Feeling Through | Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski | |
| The Letter Room | Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan | |
| The Present | Farah Nabulsi | |
| White Eye | Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman | |
| 2021 (94th) |
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| The Long Goodbye | Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed | |
| Ala Kachuu – Take and Run | Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger | |
| The Dress | Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki | |
| On My Mind | Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson | |
| Please Hold | K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse | |
| 2022 (95th) |
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| An Irish Goodbye | Tom Berkeley and Ross White | |
| Ivalu | Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan | |
| Le pupille | Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón | |
| Night Ride | Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen | |
| The Red Suitcase | Cyrus Neshvad | |
| 2023 (96th) |
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| The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar | Wes Anderson and Steven Rales | |
| The After | Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham | |
| Invincible | Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron | |
| Knight of Fortune | Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk | |
| Red, White and Blue | Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane | |
| 2024 (97th) |
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| I'm Not a Robot | Victoria Warmerdam and Trent | |
| A Lien | Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz | |
| Anuja | Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai | |
| The Last Ranger | Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw | |
| The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent | Nebojša Slijepčević and Danijel Pek | |
| 2025 (98th) |
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| The Singers (TIE) | Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt | |
| Two People Exchanging Saliva (TIE) | Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata | |
| Butcher's Stain | Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi | |
| A Friend of Dorothy | Lee Knight and James Dean | |
| Jane Austen's Period Drama | Julia Aks and Steve Pinder |
Amazing Achievements
For this Academy Award category, some people have achieved incredible things:
- Most awards: Walt Disney won 6 awards from 13 nominations.
- Most nominations: Gordon Hollingshead received 20 nominations and won 5 awards.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Óscar al mejor cortometraje para niños
- Short film
- BAFTA Award for Best Short Film
- Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
- List of Academy Award–nominated films
