Films for 2020

Festival years: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
A Sister

A night. A car. A woman in trouble. A phone call. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Live Action Short Film.

All the Wild Horses

Presented by High Moon Equine & Canine Sports Therapy, this adventure documentary about the Mongol Derby, the longest horse race in the world, takes viewers on a wild ride, from a dramatic start with casualties medivaced off the field to an unexpected, nail-biting finish. Spanning a network of 28 horse stations across 1000 km of…

Ballet Now

Presented by Beauchamp Photography, this inspiring documentary follows New York City Ballet’s Principal Dancer Tiler Beck as she creates a one-of-a-kind dance extravaganza for The Music Center’s famed BalletNOW program. As she tries to execute her vision of mashing together the worlds of tap, hip-hop, ballet and even clown artistry, Tiler faces the mounting pressures…

Beyond Moving

Presented by PRIMAA, this uplifting documentary follows rising ballet star Siphe (Siphesihle) November on his remarkable journey from his small township in South Africa, where he was discovered as a young boy dancing with his brothers, to his move at age eleven to train at Canada’s National Ballet School. As he visits his childhood home…

Brotherhood

A shepherd, living in rural Tunisia with his wife and two sons, is deeply shaken when his oldest son returns home after a long journey, bringing with him a mysterious new wife. Won the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival among other awards. Nominated for an Academy…

Chef Flynn

Presented by MR MIKES SteakhouseCasual, this remarkable documentary portrays a young man’s singular focus and unique path through childhood. While many of his peers were still playing with toy cars, ten-year-old Flynn McGarry was creating gastronomic delights at his home in Studio City, California. With his mother’s support, he establishes his own supper club at…

Daughter

In her father’s hospital room, a woman recalls a childhood moment when she tried to share with him her experience with an injured bird. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

Free Lunch Society

Presented by Pizza Hut, this globe-trotting documentary looks at the surprising history of a concept that, to some, seems like an idealistic fantasy: “What would you do if your income were taken care of?” Inspired by Star Trek’s utopian vision of a future without need, Austrian Director Christian Tod examines the concept of unconditional basic…

Hair Love

An African-American father tries to do his daughter’s hair for the first time. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

Henrietta Bulkowski

A determined young woman, crippled with a severe hunchback, will stop at nothing to fulfill her dream of seeing the world. Won Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Hors Piste

Despite the professionalism and determination of the two best rescue workers in the region, their mission doesn’t go as planned. Won Best Student Film at the 2019 Indy Shorts International Film Festival.

Kitbull

An unlikely friendship develops between a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

Maestro

Deep in a forest, a bird starts to sing and a squirrel begins conducting a nocturnal opera of wild animals. Won the Audience Award for Best Animation Short Film at the 2019 San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival.

Memorable

An aging painter and his wife struggle to cope with his advancing dementia. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

Nefta Football Club

In the south of Tunisia, two young brothers come across a donkey wearing headphones over its ears while wandering around lost in the desert. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Live Action Short Film.

Saria

Two orphaned sisters devise a daring plan of escape from the daily abuse and hardship they experience in a Guatamalan safe home designed to protect them. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Live Action Short Film.

Sister

A man looks back at growing up with an annoying little sister in 1990s China and wonders what life would have been like if things had gone differently. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

The Bird & The Whale

A young whale, separated from his family, discovers a caged songbird, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Won Best Animated Film at the 2018 Dublin Animation Film Festival among other awards. Making of video

Presented by Grant Berg Gallery, this captivating documentary is a lively, behind-the-scenes look at the New York rare book world and the fascinating people who inhabit it, featuring interviews with some of the most important dealers in the business, as well as prominent collectors, auctioneers, and writers. It is both a loving celebration of book…

The Neighbors' Window

A mother of young children escapes the frustration of her daily routine when she discovers that she can see into the apartment of the free-spirited twenty-something couple who move in across the street. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Animated Short Film.

This Is Not a Movie

Presented by CW Xteriors, this powerful documentary profiles the groundbreaking reporting of legendary foreign correspondent and author Robert Fisk who has reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world. Canadian Director Yung Chang captures Fisk in relentless action — feet on the ground, notebook in hand, as he travels into…

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