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Law and order, and the lack thereof, were impossible to ignore amid last year’s “defund the police” protests, and the same tensions are reflected in the Oscar-nominated live-action shorts lineup. Some of the entries predate the George Floyd killing, while another was shot in direct reaction to that tragedy last summer; two more were made abroad, on opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, touching on themes that transcend borders. It’s not unusual for finalists in this category to come pushing a political agenda, and yet, this crop doesn’t feel like agitprop, but sincere, activist storytelling, well worth seeking out in theaters or on demand, as ShortsTV has once again made possible.

In “The Present,” which won top honors at the SXSW Film Festival, Palestinian Yusef (Saleh Bakri) and his daughter Yasmine (Mariam Kanj) must cross an armed checkpoint in order to fetch a refrigerator for his wife’s anniversary.

Writer/director Tomer Shushan takes a familiar subject for a ride around the Israeli block in his Oscar-nominated short. The White Eye of the title no doubt refers to the white privilege experience of his protagonist Omer (Daniel Gad), who spots the bicycle he claims was stolen from him recently while on a night out. His class privilege also goes a long way to convincing others around him that the bike is his, even if he is initially given the runaround by the local police. This sense of entitlement throbs through the film as he barely thinks twice about taking matters into his own hands and others are only too help.

Given this set up you can probably see where this is all going as the man about to stand accused of the theft has none of Omer's inherent power. Yunes (Dawit Tekelaeb) is an Eritrean migrant, working a breadline job in a.

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

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2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Live Action Short Film

Updated: Feb. 25, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: There seems to be a strong three films at the top Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Human Voice” (with Tilda Swinton), Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe’s “Two Distant Strangers” (with Joey...