(TRENTON, NJ) -- The Trenton Film Society presents their annual Oscar Shorts Festival at the Mill Hill Playhouse, Thursday, February 23 through Saturday, February 25. They will be screening short films nominated in the Oscar categories of Best Documentary Short, Live Action Short, and Animated Short before the Sunday, February 26, Academy Awards ceremony.
Within the categories is a variety of films by filmmakers from around the globe, from the U.S. to Denmark and Hungary. The nominees showcase diverse stories from unique perspectives. U.S.-based filmmaker Daphne Matziaraki’s documentary short “4.1 Miles” is about a Greek Coast Guard captain caught in the struggle of refugees fleeing the Middle East, traveling from the Turkish coast to the island of Lesbos. In the live action category, Hungarian filmmaker Kristof Deák tells the story of a young girl, Zsofi, who is having trouble fitting in at her new school in the short film “Sing.” Animated short film nominee, “Borrowed Time,” had its trailer go viral online in the fall of 2016. Directors Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj, whose previous credits include Pixar feature films “Brave” and “Inside Out,” tell the story of a sheriff from the Old West who returns to the place of a tragic accident from his past.
Documentary short films will screen Thursday and Friday evenings, February 23 and 24, in a two-part program with complimentary refreshments during intermission. Live Action and Animated short films will screen on Saturday, Feb. 25, in separate matinee programs and together as a Saturday night double feature with a reception during intermission. Audience members are encouraged to vote on their picks to win the Academy Awards and enter a raffle for passes to the Trenton Film Society’s annual Trenton Film Festival in March.
"Our Saturday night double feature of the animated and live action shorts was a big hit at last year's festival, bringing the audience together for film, food, and conversation," said Trenton Film Society board member Susan Fou. "Not only is this a great opportunity to see the Oscar short films on a big screen, but also a wonderful way to meet fellow film lovers from around the Trenton/Princeton area."
All screenings are at the Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street in Trenton, NJ. Tickets and information are available online at www.trentonfilmsociety.org.
