The Live Action Short Film category has long been one of the Academy Awards’ most quietly adventurous races. Free from box office pressures and studio mandates, these films often tackle bold themes with emotional immediacy, relying on performance, concept, and craft rather than scale. This year’s shortlist points to a particularly strong and varied field, and five titles stand out as the most likely nominees: A Friend of Dorothy, Beyond Silence, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Butterfly on a Wheel, and The Pearl Comb.
Together, these films represent the full spectrum of what the category does best, personal storytelling, social relevance, and cinematic risk taking.
1. A Friend of Dorothy
A Friend of Dorothy stands as the strongest contender and clear standout in this year’s Live Action Short Film race, bolstered by its inclusion on the Academy’s Oscar shortlist and an impressive run on the festival circuit. Starring BAFTA winner Miriam Margolyes alongside Sir Stephen Fry, the BAFTA-qualified short marks the writing and directorial debut of Lee Knight. The film follows Dorothy, an elderly woman living alone, who forms an unexpected and deeply affecting friendship with her young neighbor JJ, played by Alistair Nwachukwu (Shadow and Bone), after a simple chance encounter. Also featuring Oscar Lloyd (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), the story explores loneliness, acceptance, and the quiet power of human connection, inspired by Knight’s real-life friendship with his late neighbor Shirley Woodham.
2. Beyond Silence
Beyond Silence, the searing short from writer and director Marnie Blok, has emerged as one of the most thematically urgent contenders in the Live Action Short Film race after securing a place on the Academy’s Oscar shortlist. Rooted in Blok’s own lived experience, the film delivers a stark and emotionally charged exploration of generational trauma, resilience, and the transformative power of breaking long-held silence. Set in a world where silence functions as both refuge and prison, the story follows two women, one who has remained voiceless for more than three decades and another just beginning to reclaim her voice, as their lives intersect. Anchored by a striking debut performance from deaf actress Henrianne Jansen, alongside Sigrid ten Napel and Tamar van den Dop, the film gives cinematic space to stories long suppressed, particularly those of women shaped by inherited pain. With its minimalist, poetic visual language and profound emotional clarity, Beyond Silence turns absence into expression, positioning itself as a powerful act of testimony and a resonant call for visibility and healing.
3. Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock, Paper, Scissors has firmly positioned itself as a must-nominate contender in the Live Action Short Film category following its BAFTA win for Best British Short Film and its inclusion on the Academy’s Oscar shortlist. Written and directed by Franz Böhm, the BAFTA-winning war drama is based on a true story from the ongoing Ukraine–Russia conflict and delivers a gripping, emotionally devastating portrait of civilian survival under fire. The film follows 17-year-old Ivan and his father as they run a makeshift frontline hospital from inside a bunker, where an approaching platoon of soldiers forces them into an impossible moral choice. Produced by Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer, the short combines technical precision with urgent human stakes, grounding global conflict in intimate, personal sacrifice. With its Oscar-qualifying festival run, extraordinary collaboration with the Ukrainian community, and rare alignment of critical acclaim, awards recognition, and real-world relevance, Rock, Paper, Scissors exemplifies the power of short-form cinema and stands as one of the clearest and most deserving nomination choices in this year’s race.
4. Butterfly on a Wheel
Butterfly on a Wheel, the Oscar-qualifying short marking the directorial debut of two-time Emmy-winning composer Trevor Morris, has secured a place on the Academy’s Live Action Short Film shortlist, emerging as one of the category’s most emotionally resonant contenders. Set against Toronto’s vibrant urban landscape, the film follows Jacen, a gifted jazz student at the Royal Conservatory of Music, played by Curran Walters, as he grapples with OCD and anxiety while preparing for a pivotal performance at Koerner Hall. Supported by strong performances from Brielle Robillard and Michael Provost, the film blends music and visual storytelling into a grounded, compassionate portrait of mental health and creative vulnerability. With a growing festival presence and a creative team led by Morris’ lyrical sensibility and seasoned producers Susan Cooper and Jim Seibel, Butterfly on a Wheel stands out for its sincerity, craft, and human scale, making its Oscar shortlist recognition both earned and timely in an increasingly mental-health-conscious awards landscape.
5. The Pearl Comb
Set in 1893, The Pearl Comb follows a fisherman’s wife who becomes the first person to cure someone of tuberculosis, an act that immediately provokes suspicion rather than acclaim. A male doctor, intent on proving that a woman’s place is in the home and not practicing medicine, investigates her work, only to uncover the unsettling source of her apparent power.
Written and directed by Ali Cook, and inspired by the true story of the Edinburgh Seven, the film explores female resilience and intellectual erasure in a rigidly patriarchal era. Starring Beatie Edney (Highlander), Clara Paget (Too Much), Simon Armstrong (Game of Thrones), and Ali Cook (Ragdoll), The Pearl Comb combines historical insight with quiet mysticism, making it a strong and Academy friendly contender in the live action short race.
Final Thoughts
If these five films secure nominations, the Live Action Short Film category will once again showcase the Academy at its most discerning, celebrating stories that are small in scale but vast in emotional and thematic reach. From historical reclamation to psychological thrillers and poetic meditations on memory, this predicted lineup reflects a category that continues to push boundaries and redefine what short form storytelling can achieve.
As always, surprises are possible, but these five films feel especially aligned with the Academy’s evolving tastes, and together, they represent a compelling snapshot of contemporary short filmmaking at its best.
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