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Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.

Ten live-action shorts out of 137 qualified films will vie for an Oscar nomination.

Frontrunners:

“Graffiti,” Lluis Quilez, director (Participant Media, Euphoria Productions and Ainur Films)

“Nocturne in Black,” Jimmy Keyrouz, director (Columbia University)

“Timecode,” Juanjo Giménez, director (Nadir Films)

“The Way of Tea (Les Frémissements du Thé),” Marc Fouchard, director, and Matthieu Devillers, producer (Existenz, BlackBox and P904)

“Sing” (“Mindenki”),” Kristof Deák, director (Meteor Filmstudio)

Contenders:

“Bon Voyage,” Marc Wilkins, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduction)

“Ennemis Intérieurs,” Sélim Azzazi, director (Qualia Films)

“La Femme et le Tgv,” Timo von Gunten, director (arbel gmbh)

“The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf and the Boy,” Oualid Mouaness, director (Tricycle Logic)

“Silent Nights,” Aske Bang, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)

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Related stories2017 Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Short2017 Oscar Predictions: Best...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 10 live-action shorts that will move forward in the voting process for the 89th Academy Awards. The shortlist was pared down from the 137 films that originally qualified, and the final nominees will be named along with all other categories on January 24. Find the full list below, with trailers where available.

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“Bon Voyage,” Marc Wilkins, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduction)

“Ennemis Intérieurs,” Sélim Azzazi, director (Qualia Films)

“Graffiti,” Lluis Quilez, director (Participant Media, Euphoria Productions and Ainur Films)

“La Femme et le Tgv,” Timo von Gunten, director (arbel gmbh)

“Nocturne in Black,” Jimmy Keyrouz, director (Columbia University)

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“The Rifle, the Jackal,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 10 shortlist finalists or a Best Live Action Feature nomination this afternoon and the theme is “global.” A recurring trend in this category, a majority of the entries are from overseas. The Academy revealed that 137 entries qualified for consideration.

The shortlist is as follows:

“Bon Voyage,” Marc Wilkins, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduction)

“Ennemis Intérieurs,” Sélim Azzazi, director (Qualia Films)

“Graffiti,” Lluis Quilez, director (Participant Media, Euphoria Productions and Ainur Films)

“La Femme et le Tgv,” Timo von Gunten, director (arbel gmbh)

“Nocturne in Black,” Jimmy Keyrouz, director (Columbia University)

“The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf and the Boy,” Oualid Mouaness, director (Tricycle Logic)

“Silent Nights,” Aske Bang, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)

“Sing (Mindenki),” Kristof Deák, director (Meteor Filmstudio)

“Timecode,” Juanjo Giménez, director (Nadir Films)

“The Way of Tea (Les Frémissements du Thé),” Marc Fouchard,...

It’s always fun to try to watch all of these before making your predictions. Believe it or not, it actually helps. They’re not easy to track down, of course.

Less than an hour after it announced the Oscar shortlist for animated short films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is out with its live-action list. Ten films are in the running for nominations in the Live Action Short trophy. They are: Bon Voyage, Marc Wilkins, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduction) Ennemis Intérieurs, Sélim Azzazi, director (Qualia Films) Graffiti, Lluis Quilez, director (Participant Media, Euphoria…...

Ridley Scott’s upcoming instalment in the sci-fi series will open on May 19, 2017 – three months earlier than originally scheduled by Fox.

Studio executives had set an August 19, 2017, date for Alien: Covenant but the first poster reveals the new date, as well as the familiar alien head bathed in shadow beneath the legend, ‘Run’.

Noomi Rapace reprises her role in the follow-up to 2012’s Prometheus alongside Michael Fassbender as the android David.

Joining the cast are Billy Crudup, Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, and Amy Seimetz.

The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences announced on Wednesday that ten live-action short films will advance in the voting process for the 89th Academy Awards from a submissions pool of 137. Nominations are announced on January 24, 2017. The ten are, in alphabetic order: Bon Voyage, Marc Wilkins; Ennemis Intérieurs, Sélim Azzazi; Graffiti, Lluis Quilez; La Femme et le Tgv, Timo von Gunten; Nocturne In Black, Jimmy Keyrouz; The Rifle...

Short films stand tall in southern California every year at the Palm Springs International Shortfest — after over 4,000 submissions, 327 shorts from over 50 countries were shown this past week at North America’s largest short film festival. The winners of this year’s festival, announced Sunday night, received combined prizes valued at approximately $115,000 with $20k of that being in cash.

“A common thread of immigration and compassion dominates our award winning films this year – echoing current issues around the world,” said Festival Director Helen du Toit. “After a stimulating and energizing week of storytelling and networking between the next generation of filmmakers, we leave with a sense of hope for a world that, despite some setbacks, does seem to be evolving slowly but surely.”

The Kosovan film “Home” by Daniel Mulloy, which rides along with a “young, happy family [who seem] to be going on holiday but is instead on a journey similar to millions of others,...

Short films from Kosovo, France, the Us and Switzerland are among the winners at the Palm Springs International ShortFest.

The Palm Springs International ShortFest has given its Best of Festival Award to Daniel Mulloly’s Home (pictured), from Kosovo, and its Grand Jury Award to Vincent Maury’s Minh Tâm, from France.

Nearly 20 other shorts from the 327 that screened at the event, which bills itself as the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, also won awards.

The winner of the Best of Festival award gets a $5,000 cash prize and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration. The Grand Jury award comes with a $2,000 cash prize.

The jury – comprising David Ansen, Jeremy Boxer, Zorianna Kit, Molly Parker, Rachel Samuels and Alison Willmore – gave ShortFest’s Panavision Best North American Short award to La Laguna, from Mexico...