Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Oscar shorts clamor for attention … while they can.
Oscar shorts? Who watches them? Why make them? Does anyone care? Oscar does.
It may not have been the most jammed-packed, star-studded red carpet, but a week of official Oscars meet-and-greets and a taste of possible Hollywood glory kicked off Tuesday night with the first official Academy Award reception for the best short film nominees. It was not exactly Power Hollywood. But a crowd of ticket-paying short film lovers laughed and whooped as they crammed into the Academy’s headquarters to watch the five animation and five live-action nominated short films and rub elbows with their makers who flew in from around the world.
Nominees chatted at the reception before the screening about being at the Oscars for the first time. Danish director Joachim Back of “The New Tenants” talks about how his work as an advertising commercials director paved the way for his short and how he keeps changing his possible Oscar-winning speech.
Irish producer James Flynn, nominated alongside director Juanita Wilson for the somber film, “The Door,” which is set in Russia about the Chernobyl disaster, shares how short films are a serious business and how it’s a strong Oscar year for Irish-produced films with five Irish nominations. But the real question is this: Could the Irish presence mean hard partying at an Oscar ceremony full of Irish fun? Maybe. That answer awaits Sunday’s awards. In the meantime, Flynn thinks it may. Watch him above.
