It's a good day to be a short filmmaker! Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International have teamed together to bring the Oscar-nominated shorts to theaters. The films will screen first in New York and Los Angeles, on February 24, and then open in select theaters various cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Portland, and Seattle.

After the Oscars, the shorts will also be available through HDNet and Magnolia's Home Entertainment division, and through ShortsTV, for download on mobile phones.

This is great news for short films, who in past only have the opportunity to find their audiences through film festivals, online, and through select TV programming. It will be interesting to see, based on the success of this theatrical run, if perhaps this will pave the way for other Short Film Series to play theatrically across the country.

Below is a list of all of the nominated films, as well as a brief description. Make sure to check out this great collection of films if it reaches your city!

Long live indie film,
Michelle

Best Animated Short Film

Badgered
Directed by Sharon Colman
A beleaguered badger tries to get some sleep

The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
Directed by John Canemaker and Peggy Stern
A son explores his difficult relationship with his dead father through an imaginary conversation about the older man's past.

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
Directed by Anthony Lucas
Haunted by a tragic mistake, an aerial navigator leaves his wife behind in their plague-ridden homeland and embarks on a voyage that he hopes will redeem him.

9
Directed by Shane Acker
In a nightmarish landscape, a hunted figure confronts an insect-like creature that is stealing the souls of its brethren.

One Man Band
Directed by Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews
Two street performers compete for a small child's last coin.


Best Live Action Short Film

Ausreisser (The Runaway)
Directed by Ulrike Grote
When the six-year-old son he never knew he had shows up on his doorstep one morning, a novice father tries to find the boy's absent mother.

Cashback
Directed by Sean Ellis and Lene Bausager
A London art student with a vivid imagination explains the fine points of getting through the night shift at a dull job.

The Last Farm
Directed by Runar Runarsson and Thor S. Sigurjonsson
An elderly man keeps a secret from the outside world as he reacts to the possibility that he will no longer be able to remain on his isolated farm.

Our Time Is Up
Directed by Rob Pearlstein and Pia Clemente
A therapist who learns he has only six weeks to live begins treating his patients with a dose of brutal honesty.

Six Shooter
Directed by Martin McDonagh
As he travels home by train after his wife's death, a grief-stricken man finds an already terrible day taking some bizarre turns for the worse.