Bermuda Docs to screen Oscar-nominated short films

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8: Bermuda Docs and the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute are to screen the Oscar-nominated short films this month.

The Oscar-nominated Documentary Shorts will screen on Thursday, February 23 at 6:30pm, the Live Action shorts will screen on Friday, February 24 at 6:30pm, and the Animation Shorts will screen on Sunday, February 26 at 3pm.

“Together, the films have won more than 70 awards,” Bermuda Docs founder and director, Duncan Hall, said. “Watching the Academy-Award nominated shorts is the perfect way to get into the mood to watch the Oscars that Sunday evening.”

Tickets for the three series are on sale now in the Oceans Gift Shop at the BUEI, or by calling 297-7314.

The Documentary Short series, which is 130 minutes long and rated R, includes the following films. (Synopses provided by Bermuda Docs):

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement: James Armstrong’s barber shop has been on the front line of the civil rights battle for more than 60 years. A hub for haircuts — on three occasions, he cut Martin Luther King Jr.’s hair — and civil rights, the shop serves as a virtual press museum of the civil rights movement. On the eve of the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, this charming and charismatic foot soldier of the civil rights movement prepares to see his dream come true. Co-directed by the late Gail Dolgin (Daughter of Danang).

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom: The iconic cherry blossom serves as inspiration for the survivors of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami as they find the courage to revive and rebuild their communities. Winner of the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short at January’s Sundance Film Festival, this beautiful and poignant film is directed by Lucy Walker (Waste Land, Bermuda Docs, 2010). Music by Moby.

Incident in New Baghdad: One of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq War — the July 2007 slayings of two Reuters journalists and unarmed civilians by a US attack helicopter — is recounted by an American infantryman whose life was transformed by his experiences on the scene.

Saving Face: Every year hundreds of people — mostly women — are attacked with acid in Pakistan. The film follows several survivors, their fight for justice, and a Pakistani plastic surgeon who has returned to his homeland to help them restore their faces and their lives.

The Live Action Series, which is 110 minutes long and rated R, includes:

Pentecost: When football-loving Damian is forced to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish, he faces a difficult choice — conform to the status quo, or serve an extended ban from his life’s passion – football.

Raju: The moral dilemma faced by couples wishing to adopt is emotionally palpable.

The Shore: After 25 years in exile, Jim Mahon (Ciaran Hinds) returns to Ireland to show his American daughter Patty (Kerry Condon) his Belfast roots. But things don’t go as planned when she learns of a secret love triangle and a long lost best friend, Paddy (Conleth Hill). Their reconciliation leads to hilarious confusion.

Time Freak: A neurotic inventor creates a time machine, only to get caught up travelling around yesterday.

Tuba Atlantic: Everybody is going to die one day. Oskar, 70, is going to die in six days. He is now ready to forgive his brother for a disagreement years ago. Will he reach his brother, who he believes lives on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, before it’s too late?

The Animation Series, which is 80 minutes long, has a family-friendly PG rating, and includes five Oscar nominees plus four additional “highly commended” short films, including:

La Luna: From the famed Pixar studios comes this fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances.

A Morning Stroll: When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we’re left to wonder which one is the real city slicker.

Wild Life: Calgary, 1909: an Englishman moves to the Canadian frontier, but is singularly unsuited to it. His letters home are sunnier than the reality.

Sunday/Dimanche: Every Sunday, it’s the same old routine! The train clatters through the village and almost shakes the pictures off the wall. In the church, Dad dreams about his toolbox. And of course later Grandma will get a visit.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore: A poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story.

Nullarbor: An animated road movie set across the vast and barren landscape of Australia’s Nullarbor Plain.

Amazonia: In the dangerous world of the Amazon Rainforest, finding a meal proves to be an impossible task for a little tree-frog named Bounce … until he meets a pal.

Skylight: A mock animated documentary about the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic.

Hybrid Union: In the imaginary land of Cyberdesert, Plus and Minus struggle with a dependency on an outdated source of energy. The mysterious self-sufficient Smart presents a new challenge for Plus and Minus and forces them to form an alliance - The Hybrid Union!