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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

Friday February 20

7:30 pm
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VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Saturday February 21

5:30 pm
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VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Tuesday February 24

4:00 pm
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VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Wednesday February 25

1:30 pm
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VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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7:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Tuesday March 03

3:30 pm
Hearing Assistance Subtitles
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
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Also Playing

2026 Oscar® Shorts (Live Action)
A Friend of Dorothy film image; woman answering the door

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)
Butterfly film image; person swimming through water

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 - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

A Poet

Dir. Simón Mesa Soto
120 min

When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

It Was Just an Accident

Dir. Jafar Panahi
105 min

Having offered some late-night assistance to a stranger in the wake of an auto accident, a mechanic grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema