Animated Oscar-Nominated Shorts 2026

Opens Friday, February 20, 2026

Special Events

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Thursday, February 19 at 6:30: Sneak Preview!

BUTTERFLY (PAPILLON) – (Florence Miailhe, 15 min., France, French with English subtitles) A poignant retelling of Olympic swimmer Alfred Nakache’s life, from his rise to fame to surviving Auschwitz, presented as memories flashing back during his final swim.

FOREVERGREEN – (Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears, 13 min., USA) A joyful adventure featuring an orphaned bear cub and a fatherly tree turns serious when the cub is tempted byt he allure of easy food.  Fire and deadly danger ensue as the cub is left bereft of hope and on the verge of a ruinous end, until the sacrificial love of the tree falls into place.

THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS – (Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, 17 min., Canada) A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds.

RETIREMENT PLAN – (John Kelly, 7 min., Ireland) RETIREMENT PLAN tells the story of Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) as he fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time.”

THE THREE SISTERS – (Konstantin Bronzit, 14 min., Israel & Cyprus) 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 the houses.

Additional animated short film presentation, shortlisted:

ÉIRU – (Giovanna Ferrari, 13 min., Ireland) When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends in to 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.

Screening as part of the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Shorts

  • Running Time 83 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Roadside Attractions
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.