Oscar Night is coming soon, on February 9. But how will you know which movies to root for (or put money on in your office pool) if you haven’t seen most of them? For most of us, even fairly serious cinephiles, the toughest categories tend to be short films, which don’t get wide distribution. But as always, Upstate Films is there to help fill in the gaps in your Academy Award nominee familiarity. Four separate programs – Animation, Live Action, Documentary A and Documentary B – will be screened on a rotating basis between the Rhinebeck and Woodstock theaters from January 31 to February 6.
The Animation program, which runs about 85 minutes total, consists of Daughter (Dcera) (Daria Kashcheeva, Czechia); Hair Love (Matthew A. Cherry/Everett Downing Jr./Bruce W. Smith, USA); Kitbull (Rosana Sullivan, USA); Mémorable (Bruno Collet, France); and Sister (Siqi Song, China/USA). It will be shown at Upstate Films Rhinebeck at 6:40 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, January 31 and February 1; at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 2; and at 8 p.m. on Monday, February 3. Upstate Films Woodstock will screen the Animation program at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 1 and 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 6.
The 105-minute Live Action program includes A Sister (Delphine Girald, Belgium); Brotherhood (Meryam Joobeur, Tunisia/Canada); Nefta Football Club (Yves Piat, France); Saria (Bryan Buckley, USA); and The Neighbors’ Window (Marshall Curry, USA). It will screen in Rhinebeck at 4:20 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, January 31 and February 1; at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4; and at 5:40 p.m. on Thursday, February 6. The Woodstock theater will show the Live Action shorts at 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 2 and at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5.
Documentary Program A runs about 80 minutes and includes Life Overtakes Me (John Haptas/Kristine Samuelson, USA) and Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), (Carol Dysinger, UK). Upstate Films Rhinebeck will have it at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, January 31 and at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5. Woodstock will have it at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 3.
Documentary Program B, also about 80 minutes, consists of In the Absence (Seung-jun Yi, USA); St. Louis Superman (Smriti Mundhra/Sami Khan, USA); and Walk Run Cha-Cha (Laura Nix, USA). The Rhinebeck theater will show it at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 1 and at 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5. In Woodstock, you can see it at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4.
Upstate Films reminds patrons the “the animated shorts are not necessarily suited to younger viewers. They feature heavy themes and difficult content, about the equivalent of a PG-13 rating. All other programs are the equivalent of an R rating.”
Tickets to these programs cost $10 general admission, $8 for seniors and students and $6 for Upstate Films members. To learn more, visit www.upstatefilms.org.
2020 Oscar Shorts, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, $10/$8/$6, Upstate Films, 6415 Montgomery St. (Rt.9), Rhinebeck, (845) 876-2515; 132 Tinker St., Woodstock, (845) 679-6608, www.upstatefilms.org