The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that the winners of 94th Academy Awards telecast. Instead, they will be pre-taped earlier in the night and edited down to better fit in the Oscars' three-hour timeslot. This choice has stirred up quite a controversy among the film community.
The eight omissions include all three categories that honor shorts: Best Live Action Short Film, Best Documentary Short Subject, and Best Animated Short Film. It's a discouraging choice when these categories have a history of honoring familiar names and some of the future faces of cinema.
Riz Ahmed
Within the last decade, Riz Ahmed has turned into one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood from indie dramas like Nightcrawler to major blockbusters like multi-hyphenates with success in both acting and music.
This year, Ahmed scores his second career Oscar nomination, this time in Best Live Action Short Film for The Long Goodbye. The film presents the horrors that fall upon a family of South Asian Londoners as the police force their way into the family's house. The film incorporates music from Ahmed's album of the same name.
Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi cemented his place in the nerdom hall of fame when he took over the titular role in Doctor Who. Outside of his tenure as the twelfth Doctor, Capaldi has populated film and television in projects like The Thick of It, The Suicide Squad, and the Paddington films.
Capaldi wrote and directed Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, a fictional exploration of writer Franz Kafka looking for inspiration for his novella The Metamorphosis. Future Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant portrays Kafka. In an unusual tie, the film shared the win for Best Live Action Short Film at the 67th Academy Awards with Trevor.
Matthew A. Cherry
The world was first exposed to Matthew A. Cherry from his time as a wide receiver in the NFL. In his tenure, Cherry played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and the Baltimore Ravens. Since retiring in 2007, he's pivoted to filmmaking, having directed features and episodes of television.
The 2020 Oscar for Best Animated Short went to Cherry's Hair Love. This charming film captures a young Black girl's struggle to style her hair and her father's attempt to save the day. After Kickstarting the project, Cherry wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the film. Issa Rae (Insecure) provides the voice of the girl's mother.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is one of the NBA legends. In his long career, his many accomplishments include 20 years as the LA Lakers shooting guard, 18 NBA All-Star games, five NBA championships, and two Olympic gold medals.
In 2018, Bryant became the first Black person to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball. Directed by Glen Keane (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin), this touching short recreates moments from Bryant's life and career as he narrates with his 2015 retirement letter. His narration is accompanied by a score from cinematic luminary John Williams.
Martin McDonagh
Writer Martin McDonagh first made waves with his dark plays before transitioning to directing his own works on film. His feature directorial debut In Bruges has a legacy as a cult film while his latest outing, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Of his four Oscar nominations, McDonagh scored a win on his first bid in Best Live Action Short Film. Written and directed by McDonagh, Six Shooter stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) as a man who recently said goodbye to his late wife. After visiting her body, he connects with three strangers on his train ride home.
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi has become one of the most prominent and multifaceted multi-hyphenates in the last decade. He's co-created hit TV shows Thor: Ragnarok and indie hit Jojo Rabbit. With Jojo, Waititi made history as the first indigenous person to win Best Adapted Screenplay.
Before his historic Oscar win, Waititi received a nomination in Best Live Action Short Film for writing and directing Two Cars, One Night. The film captures a chance encounter between three kids in Te Kahna, New Zealand. The kids are separated in two adjacently parked cars and share a special moment through their limited interactions.
Jim Henson
Legendary puppeteer Jim Henson created The Muppets, everyone's favorite group of showbiz misfits who would star in many of their own TV shows and movies. In addition to Kermit and the gang, Henson created Fraggle Rock, helped develop many of the iconic characters of Sesame Street, and directed The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.
Long before The Muppets, Henson received his sole credited Oscar nomination in Best Live Action Short Film. Time Piece holds a unique place in Henson's oeuvre, a live-action short devoid of puppetry. Henson directed, wrote, produced, and starred in this experimental film about a man trying to escape time.
Walt Disney
The celebrated cartoonist and namesake for the corporate behemoth, Walt Disney is one of the most influential names in animation. From producing the first animated feature film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) to creating one of the most iconic characters of all time with Mickey Mouse, Disney created films that connected with audiences worldwide.
Disney himself holds many Oscar records including most wins (12) and nominations (39) in Best Animated Short Film. He was the first winner in the category for Flowers and Trees. In addition, he has been recognized for Best Documentary Short Subject (2 wins, 3 nominations) and Best Live Action Short Film (6 wins, 13 nominations).
Andrea Arnold
In her career, Andrea Arnold has made a name as Big Little Lies. At the 63rd BAFTAs, Fish Tank won the award for Best British Film.
The 77th Academy Awards crowned Arnold's Wasp the Best Live Action Short Film. The film follows Zoe, a young single mother grappling with the challenges of motherhood. One day she runs into an old friend who asks her on a date. Now, Zoe must learn to balance her wants with her responsibilities. Arnold wrote and directed the film.
Kris Bowers
Kris Bowers is one of the most popular composers working today. He worked with Jay Z and Kanye West on Watch the Throne before composing the scores for Green Book, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and King Richard. Bowers is a four-time Primetime Emmy nominee including two nods for his work on Bridgerton.
Bowers received his Oscar nomination in Best Documentary Short Subject for A Concerto Is a Conversation. He co-directed this New York Times documentary that revolves around a conversation between Bowers and his grandfather Horace Bowers. Together the two re-examine their lives and how Horace's struggles and sacrifices helped propel Kris to his current-day success.
