Our lead film programmer, Matt Dy, shares his insights on the upcoming Oscars®, focusing on the three Shorts Categories for which AFF is a qualifying festival. Your journey to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood could start in Austin, TX by submitting your film to AFF’s Narrative, Documentary, or Animated Short categories. Submit by the March 27 Early Bird Deadline!
Or simply join us to watch next year’s Oscar contenders screening at the 33rd Austin Film Festival, October 29 – November 5, 2026. To celebrate the Oscars®, enjoy $55 off your 2026 AFF Producers Badge all weekend, starting Thursday 3/12 at 12:00 AM CDT through Monday 3/16 at 11:59 PM CDT.
The Academy Awards take place this Sunday and, after a long season of not-so Supreme campaigning, will One Battle take one Oscar after another or will it be the Sinner-philes that come out on top? Either way, this was a great year for cinema and there is much to celebrate for Hollywood’s biggest night. As an Academy Award-qualifying film festival, the categories we are always very excited about are the short film categories. Since these are traditionally the least seen of the nominated films, getting the inside scoop on them could give you the edge for your Oscar predictions pool. Here is an analysis on the nominated short films from Matt Dy, our Senior Film Programmer.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Butcher’s Stain
Writer/Director: Meyer Levinson-Blount
A Friend of Dorothy
Writer/Director: Lee Knight
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Writers/Directors: Julia Aks & Steve Pinder
The Singers
Writer: Ivan Turgenev
Director: Sam A. Davis
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Writers/Directors: Natalie Musteata & Alexandre Singh
WINNER
Executive produced by Julianne Moore and Isabelle Huppert, Two People Exchanging Saliva, has perhaps the most cachet and is the presumed frontrunner here. It’s absurdist approach to a society where kissing is outlawed and transactions are completed through face slaps evoke Yorgos Lanthimos vibes. It’s objectively the most substantial short nominated and the likely winner. Watch out though for The Singers, a highly entertaining and feel good story featuring a cast of unknown performers from viral videos. A special shout out to AFF alum Samantha Smart who has a featured role in the wickedly funny Jane Austen’s Period Drama.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Butterfly (Papillon)
Writers: Marie Desplechin & Florence Miailhe
Director: Florence Miailhe
Forevergreen
Writers/Directors: Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears
WINNER
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Writers: Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski, & Isabelle Mandalian
Directors: Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski,
Retirement Plan
Writers: John Kelly & Tara Lawall
Director: John Kelly
The Three Sisters
Writer/Director: Konstantin Bronzit
While there isn’t a consensus frontrunner here, all five animated shorts are uniquely impressive and you could make a case for any of them to win. Past winners in this category tend to be the easiest to watch and most feel good of the bunch. Without a traditional Disney/Pixar film nominated, the likely stand-in choice might be Forevergreen, a dialogue-free environmental fable about a bear cub who forms a tight bond with an evergreen tree. The WWII set Butterfly and stop-motion The Girl Who Cried Pearls pose serious threats to win but its darker themes might hold them back.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
All the Empty Rooms
Director: Joshua Seftel
WINNER
Armed Only with a Camera
Directors: Brent Renaud & Craig Renaud
Children No More: Were and Are Gone
Director: Hilla Medalia
The Devil Is Busy
Directors: Geeta Gandbhir & Christalyn Hampton
Perfectly a Strangeness
Director: Alison McAlpine
With all of the nominees exploring darker themes or unconventional subjects, the likely winner will come down to what voters feel will be the most impressively constructed film. That choice seems to be Netflix’s All the Empty Rooms which also happens to be the most widely available short. Produced by Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries, the film follows CBS News reporter Steve Hartman as he memorializes the bedrooms of young victims from school shootings. It’s by no means an easy watch but it carries enough relevancy and gravitas to win and bring more awareness to a tough subject.
Fill out your own Oscar® Predication Ballot & Enter to Win 2 Lonestar Badges for AFF 2026!
Several of this year’s Oscar® nominees screened at AFF in 2025, including Best Picture nominees Hamnet, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams. You saw them here first—now see if you can predict who takes home the award!
Put your movie knowledge to the test with our 2026 Oscar® Prediction Contest! Fill out the ballot linked below before the awards show begins this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT, and the entrant with the most correct predictions will win two complimentary Lone Star Badges—granting first access to every film we screen at AFF 2026.
Make your picks, celebrate the nominees, and we’ll see you at the movies!