Sharing my love of all things Oscar. I see all the movies with nominations so you don't have to - and I do my best to research and help pick the winners. Subscribe, share your comments, and feel free to share with others. Follow me on Twitter @JodiBee.
Visual Effects, Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus
I sat down to write this blog post and I thought, "I'm writing an Oscars blog post. For Academy Award nominee, King Kong. Am I drunk right now?" Well guess what? King Kong in 1977 was not only NOMINATED for three Academy Awards, it actually WON one, for none other than Visual Effects. So take that Ms. Judgy McJudgerson!
This film is your basic Kong experience, a giant monkey inhabits an uncharted island. A team of scientists come to explore said island accompanied by the military and photojournalist,and they quickly discover that Kong is not the bad guy, but the protector of the island from underground giant lizards called "Skullcrawlers." Lots of people die and lots of crazy monsters die and at the end of the film, we get an obligatory post credits hint that there will be more of these films hunting down other fantastical and dangerous creatures like Godzilla.
It's not a terribly serious film, but it's fun, has great one liners, and was surprisingly entertaining. There will always be an audience for these films so they'll just keep making them. And while I'm taking stock, the visual effects (and the setting of the film) are gorgeous and so cool. So, ok Skull Island, I'm giving you an Oscars pass!
Costume Design, Consolata Boyle Makeup and Hairstyling, Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard Victoria and Abdul tells the story of England's Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) in the late 1800's and her unlikely friendship with a young man from India who becomes her trusted advisor and teacher. This relationship comes much to the chagrin of her family (especially her son Bertie, future heir to the throne), her staff, her advisors and the British government. Queen Victoria knows her power and her standing as the Queen of England and the Empress of India, and she refuses to be bullied into or out of the relationships she chooses. Here's a funny bit of trivia, in the film, the Queen talks about how much she misses John Brown, the man that Queen Victoria had a close relationship with earlier in her life after her husband died. There was even a movie made about that relationship in 1997, and the woman who played the Queen in that film? You guessed it. It was Judi Dench. So perhaps, in a way, Queen Victoria/Judi Dench was reminiscing about John Brown/Billy Connelly! Either way, this film was just a pleasure. Another one that is based on true events (we don't know how true, or which were real events), but it's fun to imagine a stalwart Queen who knows her own mind and won't take any guff from anyone. The costumes and makeup and hairstyling are of course wonderful, as they often are in period pieces. (Period pieces do remarkably well at the Oscars.) I highly recommend Victoria and Abdul for a solid piece of lovely entertainment.
Original Score, John Williams (his 51st nomination, and remember the rabbit hole I went down during Costume Design? John Williams has been nominated against HIMSELF for two movies in the Original Score category 5 times.)
Sound Editing, Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce
Sound Mixing, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects, Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Fans of the blog know that I loved Star Wars: The Last Jedi before I even saw it. I love Star Wars. I'm obsessed with Star Wars. I liked the prequels, I like Jar Jar Binks, I'm just all in on the franchise. So when I say that this film was excellent (with a few plot holes), I'm certainly coming from a biased point of view, but I'm also being honest when I say that it's a really great film.
This is the second installment of the recent franchise in which scavenger Rey finds Luke Skywalker and begs him to train her in the ways of the force. Skywalker is reluctant to get back into the Jedi training game. Having been scarred by his experience training young Kylo Ren who turned to the dark side and who has become the now powerful sith eager to continue Darth Vader's dream of ruling the galaxy. Kylo Ren is under the tutelage and leadership of the evil Snoke and uses the force for evil and not for good.
Meanwhile, back at the resistance, General Leah Organa (Carrie Fisher, and yes, I did cry almost every time she was on screen, what's it to ya?) is doing her best to keep all of our beloved characters focused on overthrowing the sinister First Order.
There is much more to the story and there are some terrific newcomers into the Star Wars universe. But one of the most interesting pieces of this film is the connection between our young Jedi hopeful Rey and Kylo Ren. They communicate across space and when they are finally together, they join forces to fight a brief battle. And here's one of the most compelling pieces of the film. The two have fought off enemies together, and they realize that the resistance is heading toward a trap spelling certain destruction by the First Order. Ren says to her, let's forget about all these people, let them destroy each other and then let's start together afresh and make the world the place we want it to be together. Now, we know that a moral and ethical person like Rey could never accept the destruction of good people fighting the resistance. But it is easy to see how Kylo Ren can frame this situation as neither good nor bad, and let's just embrace a fresh reality without good and without evil that is just right. Lots of morally relativistic questions in this proposal, but it goes to show that good and evil are frameworks that depend on the lens that you look through. What an important idea in the midst of an excellent piece of entertainment.
I'd have given this film many more nominations if I were the Oscars Czarina, but in the meantime, I highly recommend seeing it. The visual effects, the sound, and especially the score are among the finest in film this year. Yay Star Wars!
Sound Mixing, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis
Baby Driver is about a young guy named Baby (Ansel Elgort) who is in debt to a criminal mob boss named Doc (Kevin Spacey) who puts together teams of criminals to rob banks. With each score, Baby is the getaway driver (an outstanding one at that), and each take gets him further and further out of his debt. Baby falls in love with a young night shift waitress, and he becomes determined to leave this life and Doc, as soon as he can. He is compelled into a big hit and hopes that this will be the final one.
More than anything else, the standout of this film is the music. Every song beautifully and expertly matches what is happening in the scene, and even Baby relies on his music to get him through the high speed chases as they escape the crime scenes. The movie was fine for action but also funny with really well drawn and interesting characters - each band of criminals has enough to them to be highly entertaining. I doubt that the film will fare well at the Oscars, but will do for a good night on the couch watching a movie with friends and family.
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman
Abacus looks back at the financial crisis and mortgage fraud epidemic and examines a small bank, of service to the Chinese community in New York, who discovered and reported one of their bankers was guilty of fraud, only to find themselves the target of an SEC investigation. Criminal charges were filed in the case. In the collapse of the economy, Abacus (the name of the bank) was the single bank in America to be charged with mortgage fraud. All of the big guys were instead bailed out by the US without parameters that even required them to give up bonuses or extravagant expenditures. This small family owned bank had a very compelling case, and one can't help but suspect that racism is the cause of this single bank being picked on and targeted. It's an excellent film.
Faces Places, Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda
It's rare to get a fun, funny, adorable film into the top 5 documentary nominees, but this film is a breath of fresh air. 88 year old filmmaker Agnes Varda teams up with 33 year old photographer and muralist JR to travel around France transforming spaces into art pieces. Their relationship is the sweetest part of the film, but watching them create art together, engaging the communities and the people that they capture is incredible. Their work is sometimes heart wrenching and sometimes hilarious, and always impactful. This was my favorite of the five films.
Icarus, Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan
What an interesting time to be watching a documentary about doping during the Olympics, the very Olympics when Russia has been officially banned from state participation (although they made accommodations for athletes who have tested "clean"). As an observer of the Lance Armstrong scandal and so many others, it's hard to wrap your head around HOW these athletes and teams have been able to get away with it, when there are so many safeguards to the testing. This film answers all those questions and more. And to be honest, I'm much more cynical after watching the film. Anytime you believe that the opposing team is up to no good and your team is the only moral, ethical one, you're most certainly deluding yourself or at least being willfully naive. If this film doesn't challenge all of us to be more suspicious across the board, I don't know what will. As an aside, every time I see anything about doping in sports, I recall the hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch for the "All Drug Olympics." Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAdG-iTilWU You're welcome.
The Last Men in Aleppo, Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen
The Last Men in Aleppo is the continuation of last year's winning Documentary Short, The White Helmets. The devastation and destruction in Syria continues with the aid of the Russian military, more and more people try fleeing to Turkey, and the situation is even more dire than last year (although we didn't think that possible). The movie gets more personal this time, with a deeper dive into the lives of these brave men who rush to the sites of bombings to help recover dead bodies, and to help save anyone trapped in the rubble. These men know that if they stay in Syria they have no future. They talk about their deaths as though they are just weeks and months away, knowing that Bashar Al Asaad will not stop until they are all dead. These are the people who I think about when considering what it takes to get people to leave their beloved homelands - these men suspect they will die in Syria, but feel compelled to stay.
Strong Island, Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes
Strong Island follows the story of the Ford family, desperate to understand how their beloved son and brother came to be murdered, and his murderers never charged by the Grand Jury rendering them forever without justice. My friend Steve has a saying that I always think of with stories like this, "Understanding is the booby prize." Never more true than here - no amount of understanding will ever bring back William Ford, and yet in this case, understanding is all they have left in this horrific tale where a young black man can be shot point blank and still have his white killer not convicted. Yance Ford is the filmmaker and also the sister, and her vulnerability and her willingness to show her own devastation makes this film truly powerful.
The trailers:
Strong Island and Icarus are available on Netflix.
Visual Effects, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the next installment of this Marvel powerhouse where we reunite with Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and his little gang of misfit superheroes - Gamora, the rejected daughter of the scary god Thanos who is out to rule the world, Drax, the super he-man on steroids, Rocket, the wise ass raccoon who is also a bounty hunter scavenger, and of course Teenager Groot, the reincarnation of the tree who saved our heroes' lives in the last film. This time, we get to meet Quill's real father Ego, who brings the group to a magnificent planet, but even though idyllic, something isn't quite right.
If you've followed the blog, you know I'm a Marvel fan to the max, and this film did not disappoint. If possible, the sequel exceeded the high bar set by the original film. A hallmark of the original movie is the mix tape left for Peter Quill by his mother and in this film, he discovers Vol. 2 of the mix tape, which also does not disappoint.
The visual effects are stunning, beyond all expectations. I loooooooooooved this film and so did every member of my family. It does not disappoint! I won't tell you more about the film, spoilers are oh-so unfair in the Marvel world, so to see all of the juicy details that I didn't describe, you'll have to see the movie yourself!
Molly's Game is the (based on a true) story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chasten) a former Olympic athlete who got into the world of high stakes poker servicing Hollywood stars, superstar athletes, high powered business people, and ultimately (and she claims unknowingly), the Russian mob. The laws about what makes her actions legal versus illegal seem to skate along a very thin edge, but Bloom claims that for the majority of her decade running tables, all of her actions were completely legal. As the Russian mob begins to get involved, the FBI takes an interest in Bloom, ultimately raiding her apartment in the middle of the night. Her lawyer, Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) seems to be the only one on her side.
The writing on this film is phenomenal. It's precise, it's tight, it's engaging. It's Sorkin. I'm a Sorkin groupie (West Wing forever!), and this movie exemplifies why. He managed to take a topic about which I know less than nothing (I don't even know how to play poker), and I both understood what was happening and I was on the edge of my seat. Jessica Chastain was almost certainly on the short list of Best Actress nominees, but this film didn't quite break through the way the other nominees' films did. It is also just a matter of time for Idris Elba's first Oscar nom.
At any rate, I would not only recommend this film, but I intend to watch it again. It was excellent.
Original Song, "Stand Up for Something," Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren
Could someone please explain to me why nobody has heard of this incredible movie? I don't recall seeing a single piece of advertising, a preview at a movie (I see a lot of movies, as you can imagine), a single ad in a magazine. Dear PR team for this film, you're fired!
This film follows a young Thurgood Marshall who travels the country for the NAACP and defends hopeless African Americans who have been charged with crimes they didn't commit just because they are black. In this case, Joseph Spell (Sterling K Brown) is accused of rape and attempted murder by a wealthy white woman, desperate for her husband not to find out that they slept together. Marshall partners with another attorney, as the court will not grant him privilege to serve in a state where he is not licensed, so Sam Friedman (Josh Gad) becomes the official "of counsel" to the defendant. Together, they work hard to earn a not guilty verdict.
Chadwick Boseman is making a career out of biopics having played Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and now Thurgood Marshall (he is certainly on his way to an Oscars nomination in the future). If it was up to me, I'd keep giving him these juicy real-life roles. He was different in each film, managing to pay homage to the real person without it being a cheesy impression of the real person.
Now, I don't know how much of this film is based on fact, or is historical, but it is worth every minute of the two hours to watch it. The song is glorious (thank you Diane Warren and her NINTH Oscars nomination for Original Song) and powerful, and means something even as the events of today unfold. I am MAD that I didn't see this film or even know about it before the Oscars nominated this song. Now that you know about it, see it.
The Florida Project follows the poor residents of a motel near Disney World, where people live for extended periods of time. The children in the complex are unruly, the parents in the complex are mostly people who are down on their luck in some way, scraping by to keep a roof over their heads. Moonee is 6 years old, precocious, and a bit of a trouble maker. Her mom gets by in any way she can, sometimes legally, sometimes illegally. Her mom, Halley, does what she can to keep an eye on Moonee, but she is untroubled by the shenanigans that Moonee gets into. Willem Dafoe is the manager of the motel complex, and he has a soft spot for Halley and Moonee, and deals with the grind of low income living.
For the first 25 minutes of this film, I couldn't find a single redeeming element. I hated the kids who were wild and rude, I thought Willem Dafoe was fine, but this part was certainly not Oscar worthy, so I had to go back to watch it again to see what all the fuss was about. But I gave it a second chance.
Truth be told, there wasn't enough of a plot to wrap your arms around, and I still wouldn't say that I liked the film, but it did get more engaging as the story went along. It was more of a character study with situations than an overriding movie with a plot, but I started to understand at least what the filmmakers were intending, which was to show the despair associated with these street families. The story is very intentionally set under the looming eye of one of the richest, most decadent experiences available in the country - Disney World (one character in the film loses his passes for his family of 4, which cost $1700). The disparity of experience in this one town are jarring and are important to consider, sadly, this film just didn't speak to me.
Remember the childhood book of Ferdinand the bull who refuses to fight? This is that book, but animated as a feature film. I was not expecting to like it. But it is the most adorable film.
Ferdinand is sweet and gentle by nature and is more interested in flower tending than fighting others. After Ferdinand's father goes to the bullring in Spain and doesn't return, Ferdinand becomes more ardent that he will not fight. To his good fortune, he is adopted by a family with a farm where he is free to play with other animals and enjoy the flower beds. One day, his owner and her father go to the flower show, and they leave him behind because he has gotten so big, much too big for people to feel comfortable around him. Ferdinand disobeys and goes to the show, as well, and ends up scaring the townspeople and destroying a china shop. Turns out the expression is true - bulls don't do well in china shops. Animal control captures him and he is returned to the place of his childhood - the place where they raise bulls for the bullfights (or if not the bull fights, for the slaughter houses). Ferdinand figures out that the system is rigged against the bull, no matter how big, how strong, how hard they fight, and with this new information, is determined to save his peers in the pen, even those who oppose him.
What a beautiful little animated feature, kudos to the film's producers.
Original Song, "This is Me," Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
The Greatest Showman is likely the very loosely based story of P.T. Barnum, his vision, and the development of his circus. The originator of the phrase, "a sucker is born every minute," this must be the highly polished version of Barnum's life and success. Full disclosure, other than this quote, and the legend that Barnum posted, "this way to the great egress" as a way of keeping people from lingering too long in his exhibits (most people didn't know that egress is a synonym for exit, and so they would go through the curtains expecting another exhibit, and what they found was that they had left the tent, and if they wanted to come back, they had to buy another ticket), I know very little about the actual PT Barnum. But I really WANT this to be his story.
You know who is actually the greatest showman? Hugh Jackman, that's who. I loved every second of this film, filled with all big song and dance numbers (shame on you Original Score category), lots of amazing choreography, fantastic costumes (shame on you Costume Design category), big gorgeous sets (shame on you Production Design category), and a fantastic cast who brings this story to life.
I loved it, loved it, loved it. I would have stayed and watched it again right after the first showing. After the song, "This is Me," I turned to my husband and said, "that's the winner" before I even knew what else would be nominated. I hope this song wins. This movie deserves ever so much more love from the Academy. Sad that it didn't get the attention it earned.
"This is Me" is the anthem of our times. I almost don't know what to say about it, because it is uplifting, it is the power song we need right now. We will not be judged. We will not stand down. We will be who we are, and we will be proud. "For we are glorious." You bet we are, Benj and Justin, you bet we are.
I have never done this before, but I love this song so much, I'm sharing the lyrics to the full, powerful song on this blog post. Enjoy.
I am not a stranger to the dark Hide away, they say 'Cause we don't want your broken parts I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars Run away, they say No one'll love you as you are
But I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me
Another round of bullets hits my skin Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun (we are warriors) Yeah, that's what we've become (yeah, that's what we've become)
I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us
For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh This is me
and I know that I deserve your love (Oh-oh-oh-oh) 'cause there's nothing I'm not worthy of (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh) When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out This is brave, this is proof This is who I'm meant to be, this is me
Look out 'cause here I come (look out 'cause here I come) And I'm marching on to the beat I drum (marching on, marching, marching on) I'm not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out I'm gonna send a flood Gonna drown them out Oh This is me
Original Screenplay, Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
Let's start here - it is hard for me to be objective about this film because I'm a HUGE fan of Kumail Nanjiani's. I love his stand up comedy, I love Silicon Valley, I love the Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, I love his voice overs on Bob's Burgers, this list can go on but won't. I had heard Kumail on The Nerdist podcast (now called ID10T), and so I knew this story a little bit before the movie came out. He always seems like such a nice guy whenever he is being interviewed on podcasts, I've found him to be an endearing persona, at least.
Then came The Big Sick, the film about his and his wife's real life experience about a time in their lives when they were dating, they had broken up over cultural expectations from their families, and she (Emily) fell ill to the point that before her parents could arrive in town, he had to make the decision to put her into a medically induced coma... as her EX-boyfriend (no pressure, right?). When her parents come to town, they have the awkward situation of being together in the hospital and in her apartment. Their discomfort around each other passes quickly, and eventually their common love of Emily moves them past any initial cultural boundaries.
This film is touching, it's really really funny (I missed one scene because I was laughing so hard from the prior scene), and without knowing how much of the storytelling is real, it still feels incredibly authentic. This was one of my favorite films of 2017. Do not miss it.
Adapted Screenplay, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
The Disaster Artist is an Oscars unicorn - funny films don't often find their way into nominations (something that is much to my husband's chagrin), and this one is screamingly funny. It tells the behind the scenes tale of Tommy Wiseau and his best friend Greg who move to Los Angeles with dreams of being in the movie business. When neither of them is achieving what they had hoped to, Tommy decides to write and bankroll a movie himself. They make the infamous film, "The Room," considered to be the best worst movie of all time. (I tried to watch it, I couldn't get past the first 15 minutes. It's, well, a disaster.)
But Tommy is as compelling a mystery as the production of the film (which includes cameos from dozens of comedians, stars, it's almost baffling the people that James Franco roped into appearing in this movie) - he clearly has a thick Eastern European accent, but claims to be from New Orleans (all American boy). He is filthy rich but claims to have made his money in blue jeans. There is literally nothing about this guy that makes any sense, and it's so much the funnier for it.
But the genius of the production that isn't talked about much is how carefully Franco and his fellow filmmakers constructed The Disaster Artist to match the original shot for shot. He finds a way to match footstep paces, tone, pauses, accents, everything is meticulously executed, making the movie that much more impressive. As always, stay to the end of the film!
Makeup and Hairstyling, Arjen Tuiten Wonder is the beautiful adaptation of the best selling book being taught in schools around the country. The story follows Augie Pullman, entering middle schooler, whose facial features make him look dramatically different than the other kids at school. He struggles to make friends at first, but his winning personality and his incredible brain eventually wins over most of the kids at school. The genius of this story is that it honors the multiple points of view in the film - his sister, his sister's friend, his parents, the bully, his friends and it creates a larger narrative that isn't just about the main character and his challenges. Ultimately,the story is meant to teach us about kindness, kindness above all. Everyone in the film is terrific, but I was particularly moved by Daveed Diggs' portrayal of Auggie's teacher. I read the book shortly after it came out, and my sense was that the facial features were far more dramatic than portrayed in the film. It's hard to imagine why the changes were made or why the makeup was tamped down, but I hope that it wasn't to make viewing the character more palatable. That would be entirely opposite to the purpose of the film. Nonetheless, I believe you'll find this film to be very moving and most worth your while.
Animated Feature, Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart
Loving Vincent is a beautiful film in which a friend of Vincent Van Gogh tries to deliver a letter from Vincent to his also deceased (unknown to the friend) brother. While doing so, he happens upon a potential mystery - did Vincent Van Gogh really kill himself, or was there foul play afoot? He meets and gets to know many members of the village where Van Gogh spent the last weeks of his life.
While the story is good, the artistry is magnificent. Over 100 artists hand painted this film, but more than that, the scenes in the movie are filled with call backs to Van Gogh's most famous paintings, and the entire movie is done in his brush stroke style. We see the sunflowers, the lake scenes, the people who appeared over and over in Van Gogh's work. That alone makes this film stunning to watch. You can't help seeing shots of the admiral or the man in the yellow suit or the sunflowers on the table without referencing the real art. It's genius.
This chilling retelling of a true story follows the relationship built between a potential school shooter and the office administrator who sits with him as she tries to keep him calm and non violent. He diagnoses his own mental illness (with a backpack full of ammunition) and asks for the police to take him to a hospital as he is threatening to kill them. It's impossible to watch this film - whatever side you are on - and not think, "this guy really shouldn't be able to buy weapons." The woman who cares for him as he waits to surrender to police gives him love and respect while she quietly shakes with fear.
The Eleven O'Clock, Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
This isn't the live action short films first foray into who is the real doctor and who is the real patient, but it is hilarious all the same. Two men, both claiming to be the psychiatrist and both claiming that the other is his patient battle it out to decide who should be thrown out from the doctor's office and who should stay and see the doctor's patients for the rest of the day.
My Nephew Emmett, Kevin Wilson, Jr.
My Nephew Emmett reminds us of the famous case in Mississippi in which a young black teenager has been accused by a white woman of whistling at her, the punishment for which is death. Emmett's uncle Mose, the preacher, catches wind that he has been accused, and must sit in the house with the teenager without letting on that something terrible is about to happen.
The Silent Child, Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton
As a person who has had a passion for sign language since the 4th grade, The Silent Child was my favorite of the 5 excellent nominees. Libby is the child who is quite clearly deaf, and she develops a relationship with a social worker who comes to her home to teach her sign language. But her family, and especially her mother, live in fear that Libby won't be able to mainstream in school if she learns sign instead of learning to speak. The sad injustice and prejudice facing deaf children is embodied in this film, which reminds us that a large majority of deaf children are in mainstream schools (at least in England) with no adaptive support.
Watu Wote/All of Us, Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen
Another powerful retelling of a true story, this film follows a young Christian woman who must go home to visit her sick mother via the bus in Kenya among a majority of passengers who are Muslim. While traveling, the bus is raided by Muslim terrorists, and they demand to separate the passengers so that they can murder any Christians aboard. Her fellow passengers give her a hijab, they protect her, they hide her among the people as fellow passengers shout at the terrorists that this is not the Islam that they learned in the Q'uran. Two passengers ultimately give their lives to save hers.
Dear Basketball is the animated of Kobe Bryant's incredibly touching tribute to the
profession he dreamed about as a child which changed his life beyond measure.
Shut up, I'm not crying, you're crying. I think this is possibly the winner of the category.
Garden Party, Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon The animation in this short is incredible! The funny tale of frogs who have taken over a lush mansion where something has clearly gone wrong with a surprise ending! The animation is stunning.
Lou, Dave Mullins and Dana Murray This film is the most adorable of the bunch. The creature charged with guarding the contents of the lost and found, teaches a school bully the lesson that it is better to share and give than it is to take.
Negative Space, Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata This hilarious little film bonds a son and father over their mutual love of packing, and using every nook and cranny of space when storing items in luggage. Making the most of space turns into a lifelong obsession, one that lasts beyond the grave.
Revolting Rhymes, Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer Revolting Rhymes is the retelling of fairy tales, interweaving characters from assorted stories into a single narrative, through the lens of the Big Bad Wolf's uncle. Based on a story by Roald Dahl, this film is a clever little bugger with a more modern take on old themes. Dear Basketball (entire film) on YouTube:
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