~ 2026 PROGRAM ~
CWC’s 25th Annual
OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS
The GARFIELD THEATRE
THREE PROGRAMS:
Documentary ~ Animation ~ Live-Action
FOUR WEEKENDS:
Feb 20 – 21 – 22 + Feb 27 – 28 – Mar 1
Mar 6 – 7 – 8 + Mar 13 – 14
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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 Canada, Cyprus, France, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, 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 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, in three separate programs:
“A” Documentary; “B” Animation; and “C” Live Action, with estimated run times of 153, 83 and 113 minutes respectively.
WHERE:
☀ THE GARFIELD THEATRE, 719 Race St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Google Map Garfield Parking Options
WHEN:
☀ Dates: Four consecutive weekends, Friday-Saturday-Sunday, Feb 20 – 21 – 22; Feb 27 – 28 – Mar 01; Mar 06 – 07 – 08; Mar 13 – 14.
☀ 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 2026 run time = 153 minutes – 6:30 program ends circa 9:05 pm. Rating: PG13/R.
Documentary Program Trailers
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ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS
Joshua Seftel, USA, 2025, 34 min.
Follows correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.
Winner, Short Documentary, International Documentary Association Awards, 2025
Nominee, Best Short Documentary, Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards, 2025
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ARMED WITH ONLY A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD
Brent Renaud & Craig Renaud, USA, 2025, 37 min. In Spanish & Ukrainian with English subs.
An intimate chronicle about documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Winner, Audience Award for Documentary Short Film, SXSW Film Festival, 2025
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CHILDREN NO MORE: WERE AND ARE GONE
Hilla Medalia, Israel, UK & USA, 2025, 36 min. In Hebrew with English subs.
In Tel Aviv, activists gather weekly to “scream” their opposition to the genocidal war in Gaza with a silent vigil for the children killed by Israel. Their protest, consider a betrayal by many, is an act of defiance that calls to confront a reality we must not ignore.
Nominee, Short Documentary Shortlist, DOC NYC, 2O25
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THE DEVIL IS BUSY
Christalyn Hampton & Geeta Gandbhir, USA, 2024, 32 min.
A daylong journey with Tracii, the determined head of security at a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia as she works to ensure the safety of women seeking abortions in the face of new restrictions and persistent protests.
Following the routines of the staff who continue to provide a range of medical services, including preventive screenings, checkups, and reproductive healthcare, in an environment where clinics often face daily threats of danger.
FUN FACT: One of the Director’s of this short documentary, Geeta Gandbhir, also has a film nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category (“The Perfect Neighbor”)
Nominee, Best Short Documentary, Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards, 2025
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PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS
Alison McAlpine, Canada, 2024, 15 min.
In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.
Winner, Short Documentary, International Documentary Association Awards, 2025
Nominee, Best Short Documentary, Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards, 2025
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PROGRAM "B" ANIMATION
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
Estimated 2026 run time = 83 minutes. Est. finish circa 5:00 pm. Rating: PG-13.
Animation Program Trailers
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BUTTERFLY (PAPILLION)
Florence Miailhe, France, 2024, 15 min. In French, Arabic & German with English subs.
In the sea, a man swims. As he does, memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as a man, all his memories are linked to water.
Butterfly adapts the remarkable real-life story of Alfred Nakache, an early 20th-century Jewish Olympic swimmer who faced tremendous racism at the 1936 Berlin games, was later imprisoned at Auschwitz, where he was the only survivor from his family, and eventually returned to compete in the first post-war Olympics in London in 1948.
Winner, Generation Kplus Best Short Film, Berlin Film Festival, 2024
Nominee, Best Animated Short Film, César Awards, 2025
Nominee, Best Short, Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 2024
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FOREVERGREEN
Nathan Engelhardt & Jeremy Spears, USA, 2025, 13 min.
An orphaned bear cub finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him to danger.
Winner, Animated Short Film, AFI Fest, 2025
Winner, CANAL+ Award, Annecy Internatioal Animated Film Festival, 2025
Nominee, Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation & Production Design, Annie Awards, 2026
FUN FACT: Forevergreen was directed by two Disney animators, who have worked on films such as Zootopia, Frozen, Encanto & Moana.
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THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS
Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski, France, 2025, 16 mins., in French with English subs.
A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.
Nominee, Best Animated Short Film, Annie Awards, 2026
Nominee, Best Short, Annecy Internatioal Animated Film Festival, 2025
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RETIREMENT PLAN
John Kelly, Ireland, 2024, 7 min.
In the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, Ray fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”
Winner, Grand Jury & Audience Award for Best Animated Short Film, SXSW Film Festival, 2025
Nominee, Best Animated Short, Chicago International Film Festival, 2025
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THE THREE SISTERS
Konstantin Bronzit, Cyprus/Russia, 2024, 15 min.
Three sisters live a lonely life on an isolated island, each in their own small house. One day, circumstances develop in such a way that they are forced to rent out one of their houses.
FUN FACT: This is the Director’s third nomination in this category. His first two were Lavatory-Lovestory (2007) & We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (2015).
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EIRU
Giovanna Ferrari, Ireland, 2025, 13 min.
When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it. Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.
PROGRAM "C" LIVE ACTION
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS
Estimated 2026 run time = 113 minutes. Estimated finish circa 8:20 pm. Rating: mixed PG-13/R.
Live Action Program Trailers
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BUTCHER’S STAIN
Meyer Levinson-Blount, Israel, 2025, 17 min., in Hebrew with English subs.
Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv, is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs.
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A FRIEND OF DOROTHY
Lee Knight, UK, 2025, 22 min.
Dorothy (Miriam Margolyes, The Age of Innocence, Harry Potter) is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ accidentally kicks his football into her garden, he upends Dorothy’s daily routine of pills, prunes, and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. Despite being worlds apart in every way, the two come to find they have more in common than they could ever imagine.
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JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA
Julia Aks & Steve Pinder, USA, 2024, 13 min.
England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot.
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THE SINGERS
Sam Davis, USA, 2025, 17 min.
A genre-bending short film inspired by a 19th-century short story written by Ivan Turgenev, in which a lowly pub full of downtrodden men connect unexpectedly through an impromptu sing-off.
Winner, Live Action Short Drama, Cindependent Film Festival, 2025
Nominee, Grand Jury Award for Narrative Short, SXSW Film Festival, 2025
Nominee, Live Action Short Film, AFI Fest, 2025
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TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA
Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata, France, 2024, 36 min., French with English subs.
In a society where kissing is punishable by death, and people pay for things by receiving slaps to the face, Angine, an unhappy woman, shops compulsively in a department store.
There, she becomes fascinated by a playful salesgirl. Despite the prohibition of kissing, the two become close, raising the suspicions of a jealous colleague.
Nominee, Live Action Short Film, AFI Fest, 2024
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DRINKS & DINING
CWC is proud to partner with two excellent restaurants close to the Garfield, each offering discounts for our movie patrons!
SHANGHAI
ON ELM
Please welcome Shanghai on Elm to the CWC film family! One-and-a-half blocks from the theatre at 7th & Elm, this friendly, fun and affordable Asian fusion eatery offers late-night hours: 5 PM-Midnight, Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday; and 5 PM-2 AM, Friday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Perfect for a post film drink or delicious selection from their extensive menu – big-bowl noodle soups, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, traditional stir fry, fish/scallops/shrimp/prawn, plus all manner of wontons, dumplings, noodles, rice and homemade sauces.
Also open for lunch, 11 AM – 2 PM, Monday-Friday.
CWC patrons receive a 15% discount on their order, excluding alcohol; The discount is valid only for the date of a CWC screening. Let your server know you are a CWC patron and ask for your discount. Hours and menu subject to change – check before booking.
RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED: 513-906-7000, Shanghai On Elm.
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BUTCHER
& BARREL
CWC patrons receive a 15% discount on their order, excluding alcohol; menu is on the website. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially if you are dining between weekend sessions. 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, closed; TUE-WED-THS, 4-10 pm; FRI-SAT, 4-12 am; SUN, 4-10 pm. The kitchen closes one hour before the restaurant. Hours and menu subject to change – check the website before booking. RESERVATIONS REQUESTED: 513-954-8974 or thebutcherbarrel.com.
Click to enlarge/download 2026 schedule
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