2026 Oscar-Qualified Shorts – Top 20 for Lorehounds

CinemaHounds - A Lorehounds Podcast · Dec 9, 2025 · 51m · transcript

Today, voting for the 2026 Oscar shortlists began, lasting all week – these 20 (or, er, 26) Oscar-qualified live-action and animated shorts are all eligible. Whether or not they make the shortlist (some of them will), here's why you might want to watch – from mermaid folk horror or brutal griffin hunts to gentle tales of the lists we make in life, or coming of age as an immigrant.

Letterboxd lists

Eligible live-action shorts – category analysis

Eligible animated shorts – category analysis

Eligible documentary shorts

The Rankings

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA – trailer – info – full film*

MERCY…