The 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts come to The Gem in three distinct feature-length programs showcasing all five nominees for each category: Animated, Documentary, and Live Action shorts. See this year’s picks in a single category or see all three!

The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 15th, at 7pm. See the Oscar Shorts before the winners are announced! If you attend the Oscar Shorts at The Gem, you can fill out a ballot in each category and see who ends up winning on Award Night. This is our first time showing the Oscar Shorts and so we hope you will have fun by engaging in this weekend long event!

LIVE ACTION SHORTS

The Singers
Sam A. Davis | United States | 18 min
A short film adaptation of a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off.

A Friend Of Dorothy
Lee Knight | United Kingdom | 21 min
Dorothy (BAFTA-winner Miriam Margolyes) is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ (Alistair Nwachukwu) accidentally kicks his football into her garden, he upends Dorothy’s daily routine of pills, prunes and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms.

Butcher’s Stain
Meyer Levinson-Blount | Israel | 26 min
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 his job he desperately needs.

Two People Exchanging Saliva
Alexandre Singh, Natalie Musteata | France, United States | 36 min
In a 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 a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.

Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Julia Aks, Steve Pinder | United States | 12 min
England, 1813. Miss Estrogenia “Essy” Talbot gets her period during a long-awaited marriage proposal. Mr. Dickley mistakes the blood for an injury and rushes off to fetch a doctor. The film is a satire on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

See the other 2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts here:
2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Documentary
2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Animated
(Admission by separate ticket to each program)