CWC’s 24th Annual
OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS
~ 2025 PROGRAM ~
The GARFIELD THEATRE
THREE PROGRAMS:
Documentary ~ Animation ~ Live-Action
FOUR WEEKENDS:
Feb 14 – 15 – 16 + Feb 21 – 22 – 23
Feb 28 – Mar 1 – 2 + Mar 7 – 8
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A festival of short delights — yours to enjoy on the big screen — each program in a single sitting – in the company of family and friends, with multiple screening dates to fit busy schedules.
Join us for entertaining, emotional and enlightening short films, telling engaging stories featuring the people and cultures of Croatia, France, Japan, India, The Netherlands, South Africa, the UK and the USA.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW…
Film descriptions and individual trailers, tickets, show times, dates, prices — all in the sidebar tabs, along with ADA info, location and parking details plus dining windows and discounts .
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Single tickets: $15.50 advance, $21.00 door.
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Same-day Combo tickets: $26 advance, $32 door.
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Advance sale cuts off two hours before show time, with tickets available at the door 30 min before show time.
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Afternoon screenings are at 3:30, doors open at 3:00 pm.
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Evening screenings are at 6:30, doors open at 6:00 pm.
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Location Map Parking Options
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW MUCH
WHAT:
The 2025 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, in three separate programs:
“A” Documentary; “B” Animation; and “C” Live Action, with estimated run times of 157, 85 and 115 minutes respectively.
WHERE:
☀ THE GARFIELD THEATRE, 719 Race St., Cincinnati, OH 45202.
WHEN:
☀ Dates: Four consecutive weekends, Friday-Saturday-Sunday, February 14 – 15 – 16; February 21 – 22 – 23; Feb 28 – Mar 01 – 02; March 07 – 08.
☀ Times: Documentary – Friday 6:30 pm. Animation & Live Action – Saturday and Sunday: 3:30 & 6:30 pm, respectively.
TICKETS:
Advance tickets for individual programs are $15.50 each. Same-day combo tickets, Live Action & Animation, Saturday and Sunday, are discounted at $26 for both programs. Tickets at the door are $21 and $32, respectively.
Tickets are available for online purchase via the Tix Button, top of this page, and by phone at (859) 957-3456. Tickets are no-refund/no-exchange, although we will try to work with you if you need to change dates and there is sufficient lead time and seat avails.
BREAK BETWEEN SCREENINGS: Saturday and Sunday show time spacing allows a food/beverage break. Starting at 3:30 the Animation program typically runs 90 minutes, until 5:00. A 5:20 dinner reservation will allow time to walk to a nearby restaurant with time for a meal and return by 6:30 for the Live-Action Program. The Butcher & Barrel is across the street from the Garfield – they welcome CWC patrons and offer a discount. Learn more in the Drinks & Dining tab on this event page.
ADA ACCESS:
The Garfield offers a direct indoor path from the front door to wheelchair spaces and companion seats (no ramps, no stairs). Individuals using walkers, scooters or wheelchairs should call (859) 957-3456 at least 48 hours in advance to confirm your screening date and time. When notified, our staff will be standing by to assist.
PROGRAM "A" DOCUMENTARY
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
Estimated 2025 run time = 157 minutes – 6:30 program ends circa 9:05 pm. Rating: PG/PG13.
Documentary Program Trailers
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INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART
Ema Yamazki & Eric Nyari, Japan, 2024, 23 min.
First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: performing “Ode to Joy” at the ceremony for incoming first graders. Ayame, who often struggles to keep up with the group, is determined to play a major part – on the big drum.
Winner, Best Short Documentary, International Documentary Association, 2024
Nominee, Best Documentary Short, St. Louis International Film Festival, 2024
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INCIDENT
Bill Morrison & Jamie Kalven, USA, 2023, 30 min.
INCIDENT reconstructs a 2018 police shooting in Chicago, reassembling the event and its immediate aftermath from a variety of sources, including surveillance, CCTV, dashboard, and body-worn cameras, as a synchronized split-screen montage.
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I AM READY, WARDEN
Smriti Mundra & May Gnyp, USA, 2024, 37 min.
John Henry Ramirez was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. During his incarceration, Ramirez tried to reach out to his victim’s son while also preparing to say goodbye to his own family.
The film examines the forces of redemption and vengeance and the circle of loss and trauma by following Ramirez, as well as the son of his victim, Aaron Castro, and Ramirez’s own son and his supporters.
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THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA
Molly O’Brien & Lisa Remington, USA, 2023, 34 min.
A delightful film that encapsulates a life well lived showcasing Orin O’Brien’s humble journey in her respectable career despite her upbringing in a celebrity household. It also lets the audiences into her unique philosophy of enjoying life.
Trailblazing double bassist Orin O’Brien was never one to seek the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the 104-member New York Philharmonic, she inevitably became the focus of media attention and, ultimately, one of the most renowned musicians of a generation.
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DEATH BY NUMBERS
Kim Snyder & Janique Robillar, USA, 2024, 33 min.
A rare collaboration between Parkland shooting survivor / writer Sam Fuentes and Peabody award winning filmmaker Kim A Snyder – DEATH BY NUMBERS breaks through an American society increasingly inured to gun violence and seemingly impervious to a nation of traumatized youth.
Interweaving Sam’s evocative poetry and her shooter’s harrowing sentencing trial that will determine whether he lives or dies, we follow Sam’s journey to reclaim her equalibrium.
As she prepares to confront her shooter who left her wounded and killed classmates with an AR-15 in her Holocaust Studies class, she and her teacher examine complex questions of collective hate and what restorative justice looks like for the victims involved.
February 14th is the seventh anniversary of the Parkland shooting.
A comprehensive account of the event and its aftermath is posted on Wikipedia.
An interview with shooting survivor Sam Fuentes and the film’s director, Kim Snyder, is featured in a PBS/WNET video presentation by Amanpour and Company.
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PROGRAM "B" ANIMATION
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS Estimated 2025 run time = 85 minutes. Est. finish circa 5:10 pm. Rating: PG-13.
Animation Program Trailers
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MAGIC CANDIES
Daisuke Nishio & Takashi Washio, Japan, 2024, 21 min. In Flemish & English.
The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. That’s OK. He’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day, he buys a bag of colorful candies instead of new marbles. The first time he pops one of them into his mouth, his old sofa starts talking to him. As it happens, the people, animals, and objects in Dong-Dong’s life have a lot to say. With each candy, he discovers new voices and perspectives, including his own.
Inspired by the Korean picture book Magic Candies, the 21-minute film took four years to complete.
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IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS
Sohani and Hossein Molayemi, Iran, 2023, 20 min. In Persian with English subs.
Living in a house by the sea with his daughter, a former captain who has post-traumatic stress disorder leads a tough and secluded life which is pulled out of its isolation by the unexpected arrival of a stranded whale. As his daughter refuses to give up on the animal, the captain will face his own demons in this poignant universal story about resilience.
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BEURK! (YUCK!)
Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet, France, 2024, 13 mins., in French with English subs.
Yuck! Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst is, you can’t miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips become all pink and shiny. Léo laughs at them, just like all the kids at the summer camp. But he has a secret he won’t tell his friends: his own mouth has actually begun glistening. And in reality, Léo desperately wants to give kissing a try.
Selected in 80 festivals including the Berlinale and Aspen Shortsfest with 22 awards.
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WANDER TO WONDER
Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper, Netherlands/Belgium/France/UK 2023, 13 min., in English.
Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton star in an eighties kids’ TV-series called Wander to Wonder. After the creator of the show has died, they are left alone in the studio. Struggling to find enough to eat, they continue to make increasingly strange episodes for their fans.
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BEAUTIFUL MEN
Nicolas Keppen & Brecht Van Eislande, Belgium/France, 2024, 9 min. In Flemish & English.
Three balding brothers travel to Istanbul to get hair transplants. Stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than their hair.
PROGRAM "C" LIVE ACTION
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS
Estimated 2025 run time = 100 minutes. Estimated finish circa 8:10 pm. Rating: mixed PG-13/R.
Live Action Program Trailers
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A LIEN
Sam and David Cutler-Kruetz, USA, 2023, 15 min.
A compelling cinematic critique, using poignant storytelling and impactful visuals to shed light on the distressing consequences of immigration policies. A timely and resonant work that acquaints viewers with the moral dilemmas and human toll of rigid immigration enforcement, urging empathy for those affected.
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ANUJA
Adam Graves and Suchitra Mattai, INDIA/USA
USA, 2023, 22 min.
Globally, one in 10 kids is engaged in child labor, yet very few films address the situation. ANUJA tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old girl who, alongside her sister Palak, faces a life-changing opportunity that tests their bond and mirrors the struggles of girls worldwide.
Based on true events, ANUJA was made with the help of students from the schools that saved many children like Anuja. A tribute to sisterhood and resilience, this film will touch your heart in so many ways.
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I’M NOT A ROBOT
Victoria Warmerdam, The Netherlands, 2023, 22 min., in Dutch with English subs.
After repeatedly failing captcha tests, a music producer becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: could she be a robot? A festival favorite with 65 wins and another 30 nominations, INAR is a masterful blend of humor, emotion and the concept of identity in a digital world.
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THE LAST RANGER
Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw, South Africa, 2024, 28 min., with English subs.
A young girl in South Africa is taken on a journey by her ranger friend to see some rhinos, but when poachers turn up to cut off the rhino’s horn the girl’s life takes a dramatic turn.
There are many incredible shots of the South African landscape from director Cindy Lee and cinematographer James Adey — tracking shots on the ground, and aerial shots from above, pulling viewers into the South African veldt. The cinematography combines with great music and local sounds, the Thanda Choir, excellent performances and live wild animals to create and immersive narrative.
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THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT
Nebojsa Slijepcevic, Croatia, 2024, 13 min., in Croatian with English subs.
Winner, Palme d’Or, best short film Cannes Film Festival 2024.
During the 1993 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a passenger train is stopped by paramilitary forces in an ethnic cleansing operation. As they haul off innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 passengers dares to stand up to them.
This is about the strength of unwavering values and the weight of silence, both from those who watch and those who choose not to act. More than a tribute to an act of bravery but a reflection on the impact of the choices we make – and the ones we don’t make – in moments when morality is tested to its limits.
DRINKS & DINING
For CWC patrons, the Butcher & Barrel offers a 15% discount on your order, excluding alcohol; menu is on the website. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially if you are dining between a CWC double feature. You should present your online confirmation or ticket from the event, and let your server know if there are time constraints. The discount is valid only for the date of ticket.
HOURS: MON-TUE, closed; WED-THS, 4-10 pm; FRI-SAT, 4-12 am; SUN, 4-10 pm. The kitchen closes one hour before the restaurant, every night. Hours and menu subject to change – check the website before booking. RESERVATIONS: 513-954-8974 or thebutcherbarrel.com.