Chi, IL Live Shows in Theatres:
Films On Our Radar
For the 18th consecutive year, Shorts HD and Magnolia Pictures present the
Oscar-Nominated Short Films series
The Music Box Theatre will open the 2023 OSCAR-NOMINATED LIVE-ACTION and ANIMATED SHORT FILMS on Friday, February 17, 2023, while the DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS will open on Friday, February 24. A perennial hit with audiences around the country and world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 12, 2023.
For showtimes and information on the Live-Action Shorts, click here.
For showtimes and information on the Animated Shorts, click here.
For showtimes and information on the Documentary Shorts, click here.
“Unsung but worth your time.” — The New York Times
“Big issues tackled in brief films.” — Variety
About the 2023 OSCAR-NOMINATED LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILMS (begins Feb. 17):
AN IRISH GOODBYE - Ireland, 23 mins - Dirs. Tom Berkely & Ross White
On a farm in rural Northern Ireland, estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan are forced to reunite following the untimely death of their mother.
IVALU - Denmark, 16 mins - Dirs. Anders Walter & Pipaluk K. Jørgensen
Ivalu is gone. Her little sister is desperate to find her. Her father does not care. The vast Greenlandic nature holds secrets. Where is Ivalu?
LE PUPILLE - Italy/Usa, 37 mins - Dir. Alice Rohrwacher
From writer and director, Alice Rohrwacher, and Academy Award® winning producer, Alfonso Cuarón, “Le Pupille” is a tale of innocence, greed and fantasy. This live action short is about desires, pure and selfish, about freedom and devotion, and about the anarchy that is capable of flowering in the minds of girls within the confines of a strict religious boarding school at Christmas.
NIGHT RIDE (NATTRIKKEN) - Norway, 15 mins - Dir. Eirik Tveiten
It is a cold night in December. As Ebba waits for the tram, an unexpected turn of events transforms the ride home into something she was not expecting.
THE RED SUITCASE - Luxembourg, 18 mins - Dir. Cyrus Neshvad
An Iranian girl decides to remove her Headscarf/Hijab in a life changing situation.
AN OSTRICH TOLD ME THE WORLD IS FAKE AND I THINK I BELIEVE IT - Australia, 11 mins - Dir. Lachlan Pendragon
When a young telemarketer is confronted by a mysterious talking ostrich, he learns that the universe is stop motion animation. He must put aside his dwindling toaster sales and focus on convincing his colleagues of his terrifying discovery.
ICE MERCHANTS - Portugal/UK/France, 14 mins - Dir. João Gonzalez
Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, to go to the village on the ground, far away where they sell the ice they produce daily.
MY YEAR OF DICKS - USA, 25 mins - Dir. Sara Gunnarsdóttir
An imaginative 15 year old is stubbornly determined to lose her virginity despite the pathetic pickings in the outskirts of Houston in the early 90's. Created by Pamela Ribon from her critically-acclaimed memoir.
THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE - UK, 34 mins - Dirs. Peter Baynton & Charlie Mackesy
THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE is a story of kindness, courage, and hope in traditional hand-drawn animation, following the unlikely friendship of the title characters as they journey in search of the boy’s home. Based on the book of the same name.
THE FLYING SAILOR - Canada, 7 mins - Dirs. Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby
In 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour, causing the largest accidental explosion in history. Among the tragic stories of the disaster is the remarkable account of a sailor who, blown skyward from the docks, flew a distance of two kilometres before landing uphill, naked and unharmed. The Flying Sailor is a contemplation of his journey.
AUDIBLE – Dirs: Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean, USA, 39 min.
HAULOUT - UK, 25 mins - Dirs. Evgenia Arbugaeva & Maxim Arbugaev
On a remote coast of the Siberian Arctic in a wind-battered hut, a lonely man waits to witness an ancient gathering. But warming seas and rising temperatures bring an unexpected change, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE A YEAR? - USA, 29 mins - Dir. Jay Rosenblatt
For 17 years, filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt filmed his daughter Ella on her birthday in the same spot, asking the same questions. What results is a unique chance to watch time, to see a young woman come into focus physically, mentally and emotionally.
STRANGER AT THE GATE - USA, 30 mins - Dir. Joshua Seftel
From Executive Producer Malala Yousafzai. After 25 years of service, a US Marine filled with hatred for Muslims plots to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he comes face to face with the immigrants he seeks to kill, the story takes a shocking twist toward compassion, grace, and forgiveness.
THE ELEPHANT WHISPERS - India, 39 mins - Dir. Kartiki Gonsalves
The Elephant Whisperers follows an indigenous couple as they fall in love with Raghu, an orphaned elephant given into their care, and tirelessly work to ensure his recovery and survival.
THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT - USA, 39 mins - Dir. Anne Alvergue & Debra McClutchy
She was once as famous as Jackie O. And then she tried to take down a President. The Martha Mitchell Effect is an archival documentary portrait of the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: Martha Mitchell, a Republican cabinet wife who was gaslighted by the Nixon Administration to keep her quiet. It offers a female gaze on Watergate through the voice of the woman herself.
Pricing & Scheduling:
Ticket prices are $11 ($8 for Music Box members).
Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member
About Music Box Theatre:
Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than three decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States; and through its Music Box Direct subsidiary, operates an online streaming service offering the best of foreign and independent films.
Regular events produced, presented and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.
Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)
