The Academy likes to celebrate issue-based projects in its short categories, though this year's best is an apolitical take on artificial intelligence.

Shot in an anxiety-inducing series of cuts, camera angles, and disembodied voices, the directors hammer home that often-heard phrase “the cruelty is the point.” I found myself seething at the screen as the credits rolled, and I’m sure enough Academy voters will draw a parallel between “A Lien” and current events to give this film the Oscar. (★★★★)

Two decades ago, in 2006, the team at Shorts International transformed one of the key Oscar races, securing the rights to release all five finalists in the Academy Awards’ animated short category on the big screen and pretty much all devices,

Running five minutes longer than "Wicked" - and still nearly an hour below "The Brutalist" - the "2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary" package makes for a heavy evening at the movies. Bodycam evidence of police brutality,