The Truck — Liz Rao’s Fierce, Tender Entry into Asian American Cinema and the Academy Awards

In an era when reproductive rights in the United States are increasingly contested, Liz Rao’s The Truck arrives with the clarity and force of a filmmaker who understands both the urgency of the moment and the quietness with which fear often settles into the lives of young people. What is most striking is that this impact comes not from a seasoned auteur but from a debut director … Continue reading The Truck — Liz Rao’s Fierce, Tender Entry into Asian American Cinema and the Academy Awards

OSCAR CONTENDING SERIES – Filmmaker Liz Rao on Power, Adolescence, and Post-Roe America, An Exclusive Interview on The Truck with Spike Lee & Joan Chen Joining as Executive Producers

Liz Rao’s debut live-action short film The Truck, already Oscar-qualified and honored across the festival circuit, has now gained the backing of two cinematic titans. Academy Award® winner Spike Lee and acclaimed actor-director Joan Chen have boarded the film as executive producers, providing significant creative momentum as the project enters post-production. Set against the tense landscape of post-Roe America, The Truck follows Jo, a Chinese American teenager, and … Continue reading OSCAR CONTENDING SERIES – Filmmaker Liz Rao on Power, Adolescence, and Post-Roe America, An Exclusive Interview on The Truck with Spike Lee & Joan Chen Joining as Executive Producers

‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ & ‘The Singers’ Lead HollyShorts UK Awards as Festival Accelerates Global Growth

HollyShorts delivered a burst of Hollywood energy to London this week, closing its second U.K. edition with a packed awards ceremony at Vue Cinemas West End. Franz Böhm’s Rock, Paper, Scissors and Sam Davis’ The Singers dominated the evening, underscoring the event’s rising profile on the international festival circuit. Now Oscar-qualifying and rapidly scaling its global footprint across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, HollyShorts UK drew filmmakers … Continue reading ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ & ‘The Singers’ Lead HollyShorts UK Awards as Festival Accelerates Global Growth

FILM BUSINESS Very Early Oscar Predictions: Live Action Short Film Shortlist for 2026 Academy Awards

The Academy’s Live Action Short category remains one of the industry’s strongest talent incubators, where emerging directors, ambitious craftspeople, and nimble producers collide with Hollywood’s spotlight. Voters tend to respond to crisp storytelling, emotional clarity, high production value on modest budgets, and shorts that feel complete. Cameos help, but resonance helps more. With that in mind, here’s how this year’s field is shaping up, based … Continue reading FILM BUSINESS Very Early Oscar Predictions: Live Action Short Film Shortlist for 2026 Academy Awards

Oscar®-Qualified Beyond Silence Unveiled: Breaking the Cycle With Quiet Fury

In a post-#MeToo cinematic landscape hungry for stories that confront long-buried truths, few films cut as deeply, or as elegantly, as Beyond Silence. Now officially Oscar®-qualified and steadily gaining traction on the international festival circuit, this fierce yet delicately rendered short from director Marnie Blok proves that the most seismic stories don’t always arrive with a shout. Sometimes, they whisper, and the echo is devastating. Blok, already celebrated … Continue reading Oscar®-Qualified Beyond Silence Unveiled: Breaking the Cycle With Quiet Fury