Oscars 2018 Live Action Shorts

Cine Athens, an Athens art house theater, has been showing the Oscar 2018 nominees for Best Live Action Shorts. That’s not a format we were familiar with. But in the spirit of trying something new, we checked them out, and we were sure glad we did. Each of this year’s nominees was compelling in its own way. DeKalb Elementary, is based on the true story of a potential school shooting averted by the calm actions of a school receptionist. The Silent Child, affectingly shows the plight of a deaf girl in a hearing family and the importance to deaf children, at home and in school, of learning sign language. My Nephew Emmett, reveals Emmett Till’s last evening through the eyes of his uncle. The Eleven O’Clock is the comical tale of a psychiatric visit that leaves you wondering who is treating who, with some clever wordplay along the way. And Watu Wote is about a harrowing attack on a bus, with Muslim passengers protecting Christians from the terrorists determined to kill them. Two of the documentaries are from the USA, one is from the UK, one from Australia, and the other from Germany. Three are based on real life events. All five are excellent. See them if you can; we think predicting a winner here is hard, but our best bet is DeKalb Elementary.

Our black Theresa with calf hair and braided strap was the perfect companion for the evening.