For a few filmmakers, the road to the Oscars begins in Fort Worth.
Oct. 9 was the deadline to submit short films for Academy Award consideration. To qualify, the film must screen for seven consecutive days in the same movie theater in one of six Oscar-qualifying areas.
In April 2024, the Academy Award’s Board of Governors added the Dallas-Fort Worth region to its list of Oscar-qualifying areas. The Metroplex replaced Miami on the list that includes other qualifying areas such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and the Bay Area.
This is where the Fort Worth Film Commission comes in.
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Earlier this year, the FWFC announced a premiere package that helps filmmakers qualify their short films for the annual award show. This includes a travel, lodging and a red carpet premiere in Cowtown.
At the time, film commissioner Taylor Hardy said the program allowed emerging filmmakers to pursue their dreams while experiencing Fort Worth’s “welcoming creative community.”
“Our city has quickly grown to become a top destination for filmmaking with initiatives that support all stages of the production process,” Hardy said.
Four films were part of the FWFC’s inaugural Oscar-qualifying program, with each receiving a premiere and theatrical release at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth.
In late June, the FWFC held its first premiere of the season with “They Call Me the Tattoo Witch.”
The documentary short follows Vietnamese tattoo artist Tran Thi Bich Ngoc as she transforms scars into works of art in Hanoi, Vietnam. Director Lindsay Nyman said she came across Ngoc in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2022 and was fascinated by her story.
Nyman, a New York native, said she had briefly been to Fort Worth as a child and was excited to be back. Once she saw news about the FWFC program, Nyman said she “jumped on it” and applied right away.
“It’s an absolute dream come true,” Nyman told the Star-Telegram at the premiere. “I mean, this never happens.”
A few weeks later in mid-July, “Jedo’s Dead” premiered.
The live action short follows a young girl and her brother as they discover their grandfather’s body during the aftermath of 9/11. The film is described as a look at “grief, loss, and rituals surrounding death through a child’s perspective.”
Director Sara Nimeh is based in Dallas and had previously worked on the FWFC’s “Unexpected Stories” series, which highlighted the city’s cultural scene. Applying for the short film program was a no-brainer, she said.
“It’s really great that the people of Fort Worth can come and watch the movie,” Nimeh said. “It’s such a thrill to have the community really supporting the film.”
The final two FWFC premieres were presented as a double feature nearly two months later in mid-September.
“The Pearl Comb” is set in the 1890s and follows a British woman who captures the attention of a medical profession as the first person to ever cure Tuberculosis. “When Everything Was Blue” follows a family navigating the “emotional and physical toll of a father’s 9/11-related illness, all captured through the intimate lens of a home video camera.”
“Pearl Comb” director Ali Cook traveled across the pond for the premiere and was struck by the size of Texas.
“Everyone goes, ‘Oh, Fort Worth is a little town’,” Cook said. “I’m like, ‘Really?’ In England, this would be kind of like London or Manchester.”
Cook was encouraged to submit to the FWFC program by Rebekah Louisa Smith, who is known as the “Film Festival Doctor.”
The same applies for “When Everything Was Blue” director Christina Chironna, who is based in New York. Chironna and star Bryant Carroll attended the premiere and were ecstatic for the opportunity.
“It’s kind of surreal, to be honest,” Chironna said. “We’re so grateful that we have the opportunity to even be in the running for something like that.”
How Fort Worth chose its four Oscar-qualifying films
In total, 32 short film applications from around the world, including Croatia, Spain, Wales and Saudi Arabia, were submitted for premiere package consideration.
A committee of filmmakers led by Oscar winner Brandon Oldenburg evaluated each entry. First, committee members watched the films through an online portal, then convened on video calls to share their thoughts.
“It was like being a part of a book club and getting to talk about what we loved about certain films,” Oldenburg told the Star-Telegram.
There are three short film categories at the Oscars, including documentary, animated and live action.
In total, three live action shorts and one documentary short were a part of this year’s lineup. Oldenburg said he hopes the program will see more submissions for animated shorts next year.
The committee ended up choosing one animated short, which came from Oldenburg asking the filmmaker to submit, but the premiere didn’t happen. The film won the top prize at a film festival a few weeks prior to the Fort Worth premiere, so the filmmaker offered up their spot.
“We need to have more exposure in the animation community for animators to know that this is a really incredible opportunity, and not just the live action or documentary shorts,” Oldenburg said.
With the inaugural season wrapped up, the plan is to continue the short film program next year.
Typically, the Academy releases any rule changes in April and, if Dallas-Fort Worth is still one of the Oscar-qualifying areas for the 99th ceremony, submissions will open thereafter.
Over the weekend, the short film “Last Minute” punched its ticket after securing the top honor at the Louisiana Film Prize in Shreveport. The FWFC partnered with the festival on awarding the winning film a trip to Fort Worth.
“We may slightly modify some of the premiere package elements and the number of films selected, but still plan to support filmmakers with a free Oscar-qualifying screening/celebration and trip to Fort Worth,” Hardy said. “Excited to partner with Louisiana Film Prize and will provide the winning film with a similar package.”
It’s now a waiting game for the four short films that screened in Fort Worth.
While the Academy submission deadline is early October, Oscar shortlists are revealed in mid-December and nominations come about a month later ahead of the ceremony in mid-March.
Oldenburg said it would be a “wild and awesome success” if any of the four films that screened in Fort Worth were to be nominated or even make the shortlist.
“Hopefully, Fort Worth gave them a little bit of a gust in their sails to be able to pull this off,” he said.