ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED SHORTS TO BE SHOWN AT TIBBITS

From the latest in computer-animated shorts to the grittiest of live action dramas, Tibbits Classic Film Series will showcase the 2022 Academy Award nominees for best animated and best live action short films Saturday, February 18.

“We are excited to bring this event back for a fifth year and present these films before the Academy Awards take place,” said Tibbits film curator Matt Biolchini. “You have a chance to be among the select few to see these films on the big screen,” he continued.

A short film is any motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits, per guidelines set forth by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In the past, short films generally relied on exhibitions at festivals to reach an audience, often with the short films shown at Sundance and Cannes, the biggest festivals.

While there are three categories-live action, animation, and documentary- Tibbits will be showing nominations in the first two categories. Animation really took advantage of the short film format when Warner Brothers and Disney began putting short cartoons before all of their feature length films. This is a tradition that Pixar has carried over to the present day by screening a short along with each of its feature films during its initial theatrical run since 1995.

A short film can also be used a prelude to a bigger project such the Wes Anderson written/directed 2007 short, Hotel Chevalier. This 13-minute short starring Natalie Portman & Jason Schwartzman was used as sort of a teaser for Anderson’s soon to be released film, The Darjeeling Limited. The short film has been particularly kind to up-and-coming directors, most notably Neil Blomkamp (District 9, CHAPPIE), Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood), Tim Burton (Edward Scissor Hands, Batman), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing, Christine), Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Office Space, Idiocracy), and Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation).

This special presentation of the 2023 Oscar-Nominated Shorts will begin with Animated films at 4pm followed by Live Action films at 6:30pm. The $15 cost gains audience members entrance to both sets of films. A link to the trailers for each of the nominated films is available at shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/. Some trailers/films, including the animated shorts, may not be appropriate for younger audiences and contain explicit content. Concessions including a cash bar will be available for purchase. The Classic Film Series will close out with Criminal Farces on April 1 and The World at War on May 20. All films are sponsored by Dr. Matthew Christopher, DDS.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit Tibbits.org or call 517-278-6029. Screenings are held at the historic Tibbits Opera House, 14 S. Hanchett St. Coldwater.