Anyone who has done an Oscar pool before knows that the difference between success and failure can often lie in the ability to pick the winners in the three short film categories: animated, live action and documentary short. But these movies often aren't seen by the general audiences, so it's more or less a shot in the dark.
However, in recent years it has become a tradition leading up to the Oscars for the Oscar-nominated short movies to be made available for a brief run in movie theaters or, with streaming always looking for content, popping up on popular services.
So if you want to have the edge in your Oscar pool this year, here is what you need to know on how to watch the Oscar-nominated shorts.
How to stream the Oscar-nominated shorts
Some of the Oscar-nominated shorts are actually available for at-home viewing on streaming services. Here are the movies you can watch right now and where:
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
This animated short features a voice cast that includes Idris Elba, Gabriel Byrne and Tom Hollander, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse follows the titular characters as they form an unexpected friendship.
Stream The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse on Apple TV Plus in the US, BBC iPlayer in the UK.
The Elephant Whisperers
One of the nominated documentary short subjects, The Elephant Whisperers follows Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world.
Stream The Elephant Whisperers on Netflix.
The Flying Sailor
Inspired by true events, the animated short film by Oscar-nominated duo Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis is a meditation on a sailor's unexpected voyage.
The Flying Sailor is available to watch in full on YouTube.
Haulout
This nominated short doc Follows a man waiting in his hut in the desolate expanse of the Russian Arctic. He is holding out in order to observe a natural event that occurs here, every year, but ocean warming is taking its toll.
Watch Haulout on YouTube.
Ice Merchants
Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily in this animated short.
Ice Merchants is available to watch in full on YouTube.
Ivalu
Here is the synopsis for the Oscar-nominated live action short, Ivalu: "Ivalu is gone. Her little sister is desperate to find her. Her father does not care. The vast Greenlandic nature holds secrets. The search for Ivalu is on."
Ivalu is available to rent on-demand through Prime Video.
Le Pupille
Follow the rebellious girls of a Catholic boarding school before Christmas, a time of war and scarcity in this nominated live action short.
Stream Le Pupille on Disney Plus or Hulu.
The Martha Mitchell Effect
The Cabinet wife who spoke out during Watergate and the Nixon administration's campaign to gaslight her into silence is the subject of this nominated documentary short.
Stream The Martha Mitchell Effect on Netflix.
My Year of Dicks
Pam tries very hard to lose her virginity and always searches for "the one." She's not alone, her best friends are with her in this animated short movie.
Stream My Year of Dicks on Hulu in the US; it is not available online in the UK.
Night Ride
This live action nominated short hails from Norway and takes place on a cold night in December as Ebba waits for the tram to go home after a party, but the ride takes an unexpected turn.
Watch Night Ride on the Shortverse website.
Stranger at the Gate
Executive produced by Malala, this nominated documentary short is about a US Marine whose plans to attack a small-town American mosque change when he comes face-to-face with the people who go there.
Watch Stranger at the Gate on YouTube.
How to watch Oscar-nominated shorts in movie theaters
You can knock all 15 of the nominated short movies out in one sitting if you opt to see the special screenings starting Friday, February 17.
Shorts TV Presents 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Film has showings across the US and Canada. The screenings are often split between the animated and live action movies. The collection of animated movies have a total runtime of one hour and 35 minutes, the live action movies are one hour and 50 minutes.
You can purchase your tickets directly from the Shorts TV website, your local theater where the special screenings are taking place or on Fandango.
All the Oscar-nominated short movies
Here are all of the Oscar-nominated short movies for 2023:
Animation
- An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
- The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse
- The Flying Sailor
- Ice Merchants
- My Year of Dicks
Documentary Short
- The Elephant Whisperers
- Haulout
- How Do You Measure a Year?
- The Martha Mitchell Effect
- Stranger at the Gate
Live Action
- An Irish Goodbye
- Ivalu
- Le Pupille
- Night Ride
- The Red Suitcase
