Entertainment

Watch the Oscar Nominees for Live Action Short

by Rachel Semigran

The Oscar race has officially begun with the nominations out earlier this morning. Perhaps the most glaring issue with this year's nominees is that there is not a single person of color in any of the acting categories. Selma was also surprisingly left out of many categories including Best Actor and Best Director. Much like the Documentary Short Subject list, this year's Live Action Short nominees are were you are likely to find a more diverse group of films. This year's best of the best short films include a beautifully ecclectic list of voices and stories including Aya (Israel), Boogaloo and Graham (Northern Ireland), Butter Lamp/La Lampe au Beurre de Yak (France and China), and Parvaneh (Iran and Switzerland).

Unfortunately many of these shorts were already screened during the 2014 festival season. However, don't losw hope just yet. Netflix has been making the short film nominees — animated, live action, and documentary — available for streaming in the weeks leading up to and immediately following the Academy Awards. Though it hasn't been confirmed yet, you can most likely find these powerful films online in the coming weeks. Until then, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled at your local art house cinema for screenings. Let's take a look at this year's Live Action Short nominees:

Aya

A quiet, yet moving film about the simple story of what happens when two strangers meet.

Boogaloo and Graham

Two young lads in Belfast come of age when they are given pet chickens to raise. All of the warm fuzzy feels.

Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)

This stunning short goes into the popular Chinese tradition of the family photoshoot — except these ones are with nomadic families of Tibet.

Parvaneh

A young Afghan woman is a lone asylum seeker in a cold and quiet town in the Swiss Alps and she desperately tries to stay connected to her family.

Images: Out of Orbit (2)