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2026 Oscar® Shorts (Documentary)

Image: Children No More

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Don’t come to the program of Oscar®-nominated documentary shorts for escapism. But let’s talk about the Canadian contender, Perfectly a Strangeness, featuring an abandoned observatory and three donkeys. More of this, please.

All The Empty Rooms (Joshua Seftel, USA, 33 min)
A journalist and a photographer memorialize the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.

Armed Only With a Camera: The Life And Death Of Brent Renaud (Craig and Brent Renaud, USA, 38 min)
Craig Renaud’s tribute to his older brother, Craig, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine.

Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” (Hilla Medalia, Israel, 36 min)
In Tel Aviv, activists gather weekly to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Gaza with a silent vigil for the children killed in Israeli attacks.

The Devil is Busy (Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir, USA, 31 min)
A day on the frontlines in the battle for reproductive rights at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia.

Perfectly A Strangeness (Alison McAlpine, Canada, 15 min)
Three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.

Director

Various

Country of Origin

Various

Year

2025

Language

Various

19+
157 min

Book Tickets

Tuesday March 03

3:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Wednesday March 11

7:00 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Also Playing

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)

Dir. Various
119 min

This year's contenders in the Live Action category include comedies, drama, an experimental musical, and a dystopian fantasy; films from the UK and the US, France and Israel.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Animated)

Dir. Various
83 min

The nominees for Best Animated Short Film include The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a fable from Canadian filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, narrated by Colm Feore.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Muzizi

Dir. Jamila Pomeroy
84 min

From the director of the award-winning film Union Street, Jamila Pomeroy, Muzizi embarks on a great culinary adventure through Vancouver’s African diasporic culinary scene. Muzizi explores powerful stories of immigration, resilience, and joy.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Nomadland

Dir. Chloe Zhao
108 min

Hamnet director Chloe Zhao picked up one of three Academy Awards (along with Best Picture and Best Actress) in 2021 for this unconventional, compassionate adaptation of Jessica Bruder's nonfiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema