2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Live Action

The Oscar-Nominated Shorts return to Proctors from Feb. 24–March 14. Showcasing the best short films from around the world, the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts program includes films in all three categories: Animated, Documentary, and Live Action.

Not Rated, but some films in this program contain adult language, adult themes, and sensual images. Recommended for persons 17 and up. 120 minutes.

• Butcher's Stain (Israel): Directed by Meyer Levinson-Blount — Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv, is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. 26 minutes.

• A Friend of Dorothy (U.K.): Directed by Lee Knight — A lonely widow’s quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden. 21 minutes.

• Jane Austen’s Period Drama (U.S.): Directed by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder — England, 1813: in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, as it quickly becomes clear that his expensive education missed a spot. 12 minutes.

• The Singers (U.S.): Directed by Sam A. Davis — A pub full of downtrodden patrons connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off. With a cast comprised of viral video singing talents and other one-of-a-kind personalities from the unlikeliest corners of the internet, the film is an experimental docu-musical hybrid crafted like an improvisational play. 18 minutes.

• Two People Exchanging Saliva (France/U.S.): Directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh — In a society where kissing is punishable by death and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angeline, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store where she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague. In French with English subtitles. 36 minutes.

Recurring screenings:
- Tue, Feb 24
- Thu, Feb 26
- Tue, Mar 3