{"id":13188,"date":"2025-10-21T02:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T02:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/13188\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T02:16:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T02:16:23","slug":"fort-worth-to-hollywood-film-commission-helps-filmmakers-qualify-for-oscars-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/13188\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth to Hollywood? Film commission helps filmmakers qualify for Oscars"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a few filmmakers, the road to the Oscars begins in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In April 2024, the Academy Award\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

This is where the Fort Worth Film Commission<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n

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Earlier this year, the FWFC announced a premiere package<\/a> that helps filmmakers qualify their short films for the annual award show. This includes a travel, lodging and a red carpet premiere in Cowtown.<\/p>\n

At the time, film commissioner Taylor Hardy said the program allowed emerging filmmakers to pursue their dreams while experiencing Fort Worth\u2019s \u201cwelcoming creative community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur city has quickly grown to become a top destination for filmmaking with initiatives that support all stages of the production process,\u201d Hardy said.<\/p>\n

Four films were part of the FWFC\u2019s inaugural Oscar-qualifying program, with each receiving a premiere and theatrical release at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth.<\/p>\n

\"Fort<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Film Commissioner Taylor Hardy at the premiere of \u201cThe Pearl Comb\u201d and \u201cWhen Everything Was Blue\u201d at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n

Cowtown rolls out the red carpet<\/p>\n

In late June, the FWFC held its first premiere of the season with \u201cThey Call Me the Tattoo Witch.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019 \u201c30 Under 30\u201d list<\/a> in 2022 and was fascinated by her story.<\/p>\n

\"Filmmaker<\/p>\n

Filmmaker Brandon Oldenburg and \u201cThey Call Me the Tattoo Witch\u201d director Lindsay Nyman at a Q&A for the film at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Monday, June 30, 2025.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cjumped on it\u201d and applied right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an absolute dream come true,\u201d Nyman told the Star-Telegram at the premiere. \u201cI mean, this never happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few weeks later in mid-July, \u201cJedo\u2019s Dead\u201d<\/a> premiered.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cJedo\u2019s<\/p>\n

\u201cJedo\u2019s Dead\u201d stars A.J. Lister and Langston Sardella (middle), with director Sara Nimeh (right).<\/p>\n

The live action short follows a young girl and her brother as they discover their grandfather\u2019s body during the aftermath of 9\/11. The film is described as a look at \u201cgrief, loss, and rituals surrounding death through a child\u2019s perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director Sara Nimeh is based in Dallas and had previously worked on the FWFC\u2019s \u201cUnexpected Stories\u201d<\/a> series, which highlighted the city\u2019s cultural scene. Applying for the short film program was a no-brainer, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really great that the people of Fort Worth can come and watch the movie,\u201d Nimeh said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a thrill to have the community really supporting the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cThe<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pearl Comb\u201d director Ali Cook at the film\u2019s premiere at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n

The final two FWFC premieres were presented as a double feature nearly two months later in mid-September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pearl Comb\u201d<\/a> 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. \u201cWhen Everything Was Blue\u201d<\/a> follows a family navigating the \u201cemotional and physical toll of a father\u2019s 9\/11-related illness, all captured through the intimate lens of a home video camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPearl Comb\u201d director Ali Cook traveled across the pond for the premiere and was struck by the size of Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone goes, \u2018Oh, Fort Worth is a little town\u2019,\u201d Cook said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Really?\u2019 In England, this would be kind of like London or Manchester.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cWhen<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Everything Was Blue\u201d director Christina Chironna and star Bryant Carroll at the film\u2019s premiere at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2025.<\/p>\n

Cook was encouraged to submit to the FWFC program by Rebekah Louisa Smith, who is known as the \u201cFilm Festival Doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same applies for \u201cWhen Everything Was Blue\u201d director Christina Chironna, who is based in New York. Chironna and star Bryant Carroll attended the premiere and were ecstatic for the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of surreal, to be honest,\u201d Chironna said. \u201cWe\u2019re so grateful that we have the opportunity to even be in the running for something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Fort Worth chose its four Oscar-qualifying films<\/p>\n

In total, 32 short film applications from around the world, including Croatia, Spain, Wales and Saudi Arabia, were submitted for premiere package consideration.<\/p>\n

A committee of filmmakers led by Oscar winner Brandon Oldenburg<\/a> evaluated each entry. First, committee members watched the films through an online portal, then convened on video calls to share their thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like being a part of a book club and getting to talk about what we loved about certain films,\u201d Oldenburg told the Star-Telegram.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon<\/p>\n

Brandon Oldenburg, filmmaker and chairman of Fort Worth Film Commission\u2019s premiere package screening committee, at the premiere of \u201cThe Pearl Comb\u201d and \u201cWhen Everything Was Blue\u201d at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2025.<\/p>\n

There are three short film categories at the Oscars, including documentary, animated and live action.<\/p>\n

In total, three live action shorts and one documentary short were a part of this year\u2019s lineup. Oldenburg said he hopes the program will see more submissions for animated shorts next year.<\/p>\n

The committee ended up choosing one animated short, which came from Oldenburg asking the filmmaker to submit, but the premiere didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Oldenburg said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The premiere of \u201cJedo\u2019s Dead\u201d at Texas Movie Bistro in Lake Worth on Sunday, July 20, 2025.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Fort Worth\u2019s short film program?<\/p>\n

With the inaugural season wrapped up, the plan is to continue the short film program next year.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, the short film \u201cLast Minute\u201d punched its ticket after securing the top honor at the Louisiana Film Prize<\/a> in Shreveport. The FWFC partnered with the festival on awarding the winning film a trip to Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d Hardy said. \u201cExcited to partner with Louisiana Film Prize and will provide the winning film with a similar package.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s now a waiting game for the four short films that screened in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Oldenburg said it would be a \u201cwild and awesome success\u201d if any of the four films that screened in Fort Worth were to be nominated or even make the shortlist.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, Fort Worth gave them a little bit of a gust in their sails to be able to pull this off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a few filmmakers, the road to the Oscars begins in Fort Worth. Oct. 9 was the deadline…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[10958,5570,116,118,117,10955,10957,10956],"class_list":["post-13188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-brandon-oldenburg","tag-filmmakers","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-fwfc","tag-lindsay-nyman","tag-tran-thi-bich-ngoc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}