Academy Award-Nominated Animated Short Films 2016

Friday, January 29 - Thursday, March 24, 2016

This program plays through late March; showtimes announced Mondays for the following Friday-Thursday.

Total Running Time: 87 minutes

Sanjay’s Super Team – dir. Sanjay Patel, USA, 7 minutes Synopsis: In SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM, the new short film from Pixar Animation Studios, accomplished artist Sanjay Patel uses his own experience to tell the story of a young, first-generation Indian-American boy whose love for western pop-culture comes into conflict with his father’s traditions. Sanjay is absorbed in the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into the traditions of his Hindu practice. Tedium and reluctance quickly turn into an awe-inspiring adventure as the boy embarks on a journey he never imagined, returning with a new perspective that they can both embrace.

World of Tomorrow – dir. Don Hertzfeldt, USA, 17 minutes Synopsis: A little girl named Emily is taken on a fantastical tour of her distant future by a surprising visitor who reveals unnerving secrets about humanity’s fate.

Bear Story – dir. Gabriel Osorio, Chile, 11 minutes Synopsis: Every day, a melancholy old bear takes a mechanical diorama that he has created out to his street corner. For a coin, passersby can look into the peephole of his invention, which tells the story of a circus bear who longs to escape and return to the family from which he was taken.

We Can’t Live Without Cosmos – dir. Konstantin Bronzit, Russia, 16 minutes Synopsis: Two best friends have dreamed since childhood of becoming cosmonauts, and together they endure the rigors of training and public scrutiny, and make the sacrifices necessary to achieve their shared goal.

Prologue – dir. Richard Williams, UK, 6 minutes Synopsis: Clocking in at six minutes, PROLOGUE describes an incident in the Spartan-Athenian wars of 2,400 years ago. In it, a small girl bears witness as warriors battle to death. The dialog-free project utilizes natural sounds to complement the intense animation (entirely animated by Richard Williams himself). Williams – who is best known for his work as animation director on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, his unfinished feature “The Thief and the Cobbler” and Academy Award-winning “A Christmas Carol “adaptation – has worked on PROLOGUE for many years in between other projects. It was finally completed this year at the Aardman Studios in Bristol, U.K.

The program also includes the following highly commended, additional animated films:

If I Was God (additional film)

The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse (additional film)

The Loneliest Spotlight (additional film)

Catch It (additional film)

Please note: This program is suitable for children with the exception of PROLOGUE, which contains nudity and graphic violence. PROLOGUE will be shown last in the program, and will be preceded by an onscreen note warning viewers about its content, so that families with children may exit at that time if they wish.

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.