Best Live Action Short

Thelonggoodbyerizahmed — The Long Goodbye, winner 2021.

This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956, there were two separate awards, Best Short Subject (One-reel) and Best Short Subject (Two-reel). A third category Best Short Subject (Color) was used only for 1936 and 1937. From the initiation of short subject awards for 1931 until 1935 the terms were Best Short Subject (Comedy) and Best Short Subject (Novelty).

Nominees and winners[]

Best Live Action Short By Decade
1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2010s

1931/32 - 1935: This award was in two categories named Best Short Subject (Comedy) and Best Short Subject (Novelty)

1936-1937: This award was in three categories named Best Short Subject (Color), Best Short Subject (One-reel) and Best Short Subject (Two-reel)

1938-1956: This award was in two categories named Best Short Subject (One-reel) and Best Short Subject (Two-reel)

1950s

30th Academy Awards (1957)

Winner: The Wetback Hound — Larry Lansburgh
Nominees: A Chairy Tale — Norman McLaren; City of Gold — Tom Daly; Foothold on Antarctica — James Carr; Portugal — Ben Sharpsteen

31st Academy Awards (1958)

Winner: Grand Canyon — Walt Disney
Nominees: Journey into Spring — Ian Ferguson; The Kiss — John Patrick Hayes; Snows of Aorangi — New Zealand Screen Board; T Is for Tumbleweed — James A. Lebenthal

32nd Academy Awards (1959)

Winner: The Golden Fish — Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Nominees: Between the Tides — Ian Ferguson; Mysteries of the Deep — Walt Disney; The Running, Jumping and Standing-Still Film — Peter Sellers; Skyscraper — Shirley Clarke, Willard Van Dyke, Irving Jacoby

1960s

33rd Academy Awards (1960)

Winner: Day of the Painter — Ezra R. Baker
Nominees: The Creation of Woman — Charles F. Schwep, Ismail Merchant; Islands of the Sea — Walt Disney; A Sport Is Born — Leslie Winik

34th Academy Awards (1961)

Winner: Seawards the Great Ships — Templar Film Studios
Nominees: Ballon Vole (Play Ball!) — Ciné-Documents; The Face of Jesus — Dr. John D. Jennings; Rooftops of New York — Robert Gaffney; Very Nice, Very Nice) — National Film Board of Canada

35th Academy Awards (1962)

Winner: Heureux Anniversaire (Happy Anniversary) — Pierre Etaix, J.C. Carrière
Nominees: Big City Blues — Martina Huguenot van der Linden, Charles Huguenot van der Linden; The Cadillac — Robert Clouse; The Cliff Dwellers (formerly titled 'One Plus One') — Hayward Anderson; Pan — Herman van der Horst

36th Academy Awards (1963)

Winner: An Occurrence at Owl Creek — Paul de Roubaix, Marcel Ichac
Nominees: The Concert — Ezra Baker; Home-Made Car — James Hill; Six-Sided Triangle — Christopher Miles; That's Me — Walker Stuart

37th Academy Awards (1964)

Winner: Casals Conducts: 1964 — Edward Schreiber
Nominees: Help! My Snowman's Burning Down — Carson Davidson; The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes — Robert Clouse

38th Academy Awards (1965)

Winner: The Chicken (Le Poulet) — Claude Berri
Nominees: Fortress of Peace — Lothar Wolff; Skaterdater — Marshal Backlar, Noel Black; Snow — Edgar Anstey; Time Piece — Jim Henson

39th Academy Awards (1966)

Winner: Wild Wings — Edgar Anstey
Nominees: Turkey the Bridge — Derek Williams; The Winning Strain — Leslie Winik

40th Academy Awards (1967)

Winner: A Place to Stand — Christopher Chapman
Nominees: Paddle to the Sea — Julian Biggs; Sky Over Holland — John Ferno; Stop, Look and Listen — Len Janson, Chuck Menville

41st Academy Awards (1968)

Winner: Robert Kennedy Remembered — Charles Guggenheim
Nominees: The Dove — George Coe, Sidney Davis, Anthony Lover; Duo — National Film Board of Canada; Prelude — John Astin

42nd Academy Awards (1969)

Winner: The Magic Machines — Joan Keller Stern
Nominees: Blake — Doug Jackson; People Soup — Marc Merson

1970s

43rd Academy Awards (1970)

Winner: The Resurrection of Broncho Billy — John Longenecker
Nominees: Shut Up...I'm Crying — Robert Siegler; Sticky My Fingers...Fleet My Feet — John Hancock

44th Academy Awards (1971)

Winner: Sentinels of Silence — Manuel Arango, Robert Amram
Nominees: Good Morning — Denny Evans, Ken Greenwald; The Rehearsal — Stephen F. Verona

45th Academy Awards (1972)

Winner: Norman Rockwell's World...An American Dream — Richard Barclay
Nominees: Frog Story — Ron Satlof, Ray Gideon; Solo — David Adams

46th Academy Awards (1973)

Winner: The Bolero — Allan Miller, William Fertik
Nominees: Clockmaker — Richard Gayer; Life Times Nine — Pen Densham, John Watson

47th Academy Awards (1974)

Winner: One-Eyed Men Are Kings — Paul Claudon, Edmond Sechan
Nominees: Climb — Dewitt Jones; The Concert (1974) — Julian Chagrin, Claude Chagrin; Planet Ocean — George V. Casey; The Violin — Andrew Welsh, George Pastic

48th Academy Awards (1975)

Winner: Angel and Big Joe — Bert Salzman
Nominees: Conquest of Light — Louis Marcus; Dawn Flight — Lawrence M. Lansburgh, Brian Lansburgh; A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo — Barry Spinello; Doubletalk — Alan Beattie

49th Academy Awards (1976)

Winner: In the Region of Ice — Andre Guttfreund, Peter Werner
Nominees: Kudzu — Marjorie Anne Short; The Morning Spide — Julian Chagrin, Claude Chagrin; Nightlife — Claire Wilbur, Robin Lehman; Number One — Dyan Cannon, Vince Cannon

50th Academy Awards (1977)

Winner: I'll Find a Way — Beverly Shaffer, Yuki Yoshida
Nominees: The Absent-Minded Watier — William E. McEuen; Floating Free — Jerry Butts; Notes on the Popular Arts — Saul Bass; Spaceborne — Philip Dauber

51st Academy Awards (1978)

Winner: Teenage Father — Taylor Hackford
Nominees: A Different Approach — Jim Belcher, Fern Field; Mandy's Grandmother — Andrew Sugerman; Strange Fruit — Seth Pinsker

52nd Academy Awards (1979)

Winner: Board and Care — Sarah Pillsbury, Ron Ellis
Nominees: Bravery in the Field — Roman Kroitor, Stefan Wodoslawsky; Oh Brother, My Brother — Carol Lowell, Ross Lowell; The Solar Film — Saul Bass, Michael Britton; Solly's Diner — Harry Mathias, Jay Zukerman, Larry Hankin

1980s

53rd Academy Awards (1980)

Winner: The Dollar Bottom — Lloyd Phillips
Nominees: Fall Line — Bob Carmichael, Greg Lowe; A Jury of Her Peers — Sally Heckel

54th Academy Awards (1981)

Winner: Violet — Paul Kemp, Shelley Levinson
Nominees: Couples and Robbers — Christine Oestreicher; First Winter — John N. Smith

55th Academy Awards (1982)

Winner: A Shocking Accident — Christine Oestreicher
Nominees: Ballet Robotique — Bob Rogers; The Silence — Michael Toshiyuki Uno, Joseph Benson; Split Cherry Tree — Jan Saunders; Sredni Vashtar — Andrew Birkin

56th Academy Awards (1983)

Winner: Boys and Girls — Janice L. Platt
Nominees: Good-Two-Shoes — Ian Emes; Overnight Sensation — Jon N. Bloom

57th Academy Awards (1984)

Winner: Up (1984) — Mike Hoover
Nominees: The Painted Door — Michael MacMillan, Janice L. Platt; Tales of Meeting and Parting — Sharon Oreck, Lesli Linka Glatter

58th Academy Awards (1985)

Winner: Molly's Pilgrim — Jeff Brown, Chris Pelzer
Nominees: Graffiti — Dianna Costello; Rainbow War — Bob Rogers

59th Academy Awards (1986)

Winner: Precious Images — Chuck Workman
Nominees: Exit — Stefano Reali, Pino Quartullo; Love Struck — Fredda Weiss

60th Academy Awards (1987)

Winner: Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall — Jonathan Sanger, Jana Sue Memel
Nominees: Making Waves — Ann Wingate; Shoeshine — Robert A. Katz

61st Academy Awards (1988)

Winner: The Appointments of Dennis Jennings — Dean Parisot, Steven Wright
Nominees: Cadillac Dreams — Matia Karrell, Abbee Goldstein; Gullah Tales — George deGolian, Gary Moss

62nd Academy Awards (1989)

Winner: Work Experience — James Hendrie
Nominees: Amazon Diary — Robert Nixon; The Childeater — Jonathan Tammuz

1990s

63rd Academy Awards (1990)

Winner: The Lunch Date — Adam Davidson
Nominees: Bronx Cheers — Raymond De Felitta, Matthew Gross; Dear Rosie — Peter Cattaneo, Barnaby Thompson; Senzeni Na? (What Have We Done?) — Bernard Joffa, Anthony E. Nicholas; 12:01 PM — Hillary Ripps, Jonathan Heap

64th Academy Awards (1991)

Winner: Session Man — Seth Winston, Rob Fried
Nominees: Birch Street Gym) — Stephen Kessler, Thomas R. Conroy; Last Breeze of Summer — David M. Massey

65th Academy Awards (1992)

Winner: Omnibus — Sam Karmann
Nominees: Contact (1992) — Jonathan Darby, Jana Sue Memel; Cruise Control — Matt Palmieri; The Lady in Waiting — Christian M. Taylor; Swan Song — Kenneth Branagh, David Parfitt

66th Academy Awards (1993)

Winner: Black Rider — Pepe Danquart
Nominees: Down on the Waterfront — Stacy Title, Jonathan Penner; The Dutch Master — Susan Seidelman, Jonathan Brett; Partners — Peter Weller, Jana Sue Memel; The Screw (La Vis) — Didier Flamand

67th Academy Awards (1994)

Winner: TIE - Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life — Peter Capaldi, Ruth Kenley-Letts

[[Trevor] — Peggy Rajski, Randy Stone

Nominees: Kangaroo Court — Sean Astin, Christine Astin; On Hope) — JoBeth Williams, Michele McGuire; Syrup — Paul Unwin, Nick Vivian

68th Academy Awards (1995)

Winner: Lieberman in Love — Christine Lahti, Jana Sue Memel
Nominees: Brooms — Luke Cresswell, Steve McNicholas; Duke of Groove — Griffin Dunne, Thom Colwell; Little Surprises — Jeff Goldblum, Tikki Goldberg; Tuesday Morning Ride — Dianne Houston, Joy Ryan

69th Academy Awards (1996)

Winner: Dear Diary — David Frankel, Barry Jossen
Nominees: De Tripas, Corazon — Antonio Urrutia; Ernst & Lyset — Kim Magnusson, Anders Thomas Jensen; Esposados — Juan Carlos Fresnadillo; Wordless — Bernadette Carranza, Antonello De Leo

70th Academy Awards (1997)

Winner: Visas and Virture — Chris Tashima, Chris Donahue
Nominees: Dance Lexie Dance — Pearse Moore, Tim Loane; It's Good to Talk — Roger Goldby, Barney Reisz; Sweethearts? — Birger Larsen, Thomas Lydholm; Wolfgang — Kim Magnusson, Anders Thomas Jensen

71st Academy Awards (1998)

Winner: Election Night (Valgaften) — Kim Magnusson, Anders Thomas Jensen
Nominees: Culture — Will Speck, Josh Gordon; Holiday Romance — Alexander Jovy, JJ Keith; La Carte Postale (The Postcard) — Vivian Goffette; Victor — Simon Sandquist, Joel Bergvall

72nd Academy Awards (1999)

Winner: My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York — Barbara Schock, Tammy Tiehel
Nominees: Bror, Min Bror (Teis and Nico) — Henrik Ruben Genz, Michael W. Horsten; Killing Joe — Mehdi Norowzian, Steve Wax; Kleingeld (Small Change) — Marc-Andreas Bochert, Gabriele Lins; Major and Minor Miracles — Marcus Olsson

2000s

73rd Academy Awards (2000)

Winner: Quiero Ser (I want to be...) — Florian Gallenberger
Nominees: By Courier — Peter Riegert, Ericka Frederick; One Day Crossing — Joan Stein, Christina Lazaridi; Seraglio — Gail Lerner, Colin Campbell; A Soccer Story (Uma Historia de Futebol) — Paulo Machline

74th Academy Awards (2001)

Winner: the accountant — Ray McKinnon, Lisa Blount
Nominees: Copy Shop — Virgil Widrich; Gregor's Greatest Invention — Johannes Kiefer; A Man Thing (Meska Sprawa) — Slawomir Fabicki, Bogumil Godfrejow; Speed of Thespians — Kalman Apple, Shameela Bakhsh

75th Academy Awards (2002)

Winner: This Charming Man (Der Er En Yndig Mand) — Martin Strange-Hansen, Mie Andreasen
Nominees: Fait D'Hiver — Dirk Beliën, Anja Daelemans; I'll Wait for the Next One... (J'Attendrai Le Suivant...) — Philippe Orreindy, Thomas Gaudin; Inja (Dog) — Steven Pasvolsky, Joe Weatherstone; Johnny Flynton — Lexi Alexander, Alexander Buono

76th Academy Awards (2003)

Winner: Two Soldiers — Aaron Schneider, Andrew J. Sacks
Nominees: Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket) — Florian Baxmeyer; Most (The Bridge) — Bobby Garabedian, William Zabka; Squash — Lionel Bailliu; (A) Torzija — Stefan Arsenijevic

77th Academy Awards (2004)

Winner: Wasp — Andrea Arnold
Nominees: Everything in This Country Must — Gary McKendry; Little Terrorist — Ashvin Kumar; 7:35 in the Morning (7:35 de la Mañana) — Nacho Vigalondo; Two Cars, One Night — Taika Waititi, Ainsley Gardiner

78th Academy Awards (2005)

Winner: Six Shooter — Martin McDonagh
Nominees: Ausreisser (The Runaway) — Ulrike Grote; Cashback — Sean Ellis, Lene Bausager; The Last Farm — Rúnar Rúnarsson, Thor S. Sigurjónsson; Our Time Is Up — Rob Pearlstein, Pia Clemente

79th Academy Awards (2006)

Winner: West Bank Story — Ari Sandel
Nominees: Binta and the Great Idea — Javier Fesser, Luis Manso; One Too Many — Borja Cobeaga; Helmer & Son — Søren Pilmark, Kim Magnusson; The Saviour — Peter Templeman, Stuart Parkyn

80th Academy Awards (2007)

Winner: Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets) — Philippe Pollet-Villard
Nominees: At Night — Christian E. Christiansen, Louise Vesth; Il Supplente (The Substitute) — Andrea Jublin; Tanghi Argentini — Guido Thys, Anja Daelemans; The Tonto Woman — Daniel Barber, Matthew Brown

81st Academy Awards (2008)

Winner: Toyland — Jochen Alexander Freydank
Nominees: [On the Line]] — Reto Caffi; Manon on the Asphalt — Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont; New Boy — Steph Green, Tamara Anghie; The Pig — Tivi Magnusson, Dorte Høgh

82nd Academy Awards (2009)

Winner: The New Tenants — Joachim Back, Tivi Magnusson
Nominees: The Door — Juanita Wilson, James Flynn; Instead of Abracadabra — Patrik Eklund, Mathias Fjellström; Kavi — Gregg Helvey; Miracle Fish — Luke Doolan, Drew Bailey

2010s

83rd Academy Awards (2010)

Winner: God of Love — Luke Matheny
Nominees: The Confession — Tanel Toom; The Crush — Michael Creagh; Na Wewe — Ivan Goldschmidt; Wish 143 — Ian Barnes, Samantha Waite

84th Academy Awards (2011)

Winner: The Shore — Terry George, Oorlagh George
Nominees: Pentecost — Peter McDonald, Eimear O'Kane; Raju — Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren; Time Freak — Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey; The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom — Lucy Walker, Kira Carstensen

85th Academy Awards (2012)

Winner: Curfew — Shawn Christensen
Nominees: Asad — Bryan Buckley, Mino Jarjoura; Buzkashi Boys — Sam French, Ariel Nasr; Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) — Tom Van Avermaet, Ellen De Waele; Henry — Yan England

86th Academy Awards (2013)

Winner: Helium — Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson
Nominees: That Wasn't Me (Aquel No Era Yo) — Esteban Crespo; Just Before Losing Everything (Avant Que De Tout Perdre) — Xavier Legrand, Alexandre Gavras; Do I Have to Take Care of Everything (Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?) — Selma Vilhunen, Kirsikka Saari; The Voorman Problem — Mark Gill, Baldwin Li

87th Academy Awards (2014)

Winner: The Phone Call — Mat Kirkby, James Lucas
Nominees: Aya — Oded Binnun, Mihal Brezis; Boogaloo and Graham — Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney; Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak) — Hu Wei, Julien Feret; Parvaneh — Talkhon Hamzavi, Stefan Eichenberger

88th Academy Awards (2015)

Winner: Stutterer — Benjamin Cleary, Serena Armitage
Nominees: Ave Maria — Basil Khalil, Eric Dupont; Day One — Henry Hughes; Everything Will Be Okay — Patrick Vollrath; Shok — Jamie Donoughue

89th Academy Awards (2016)

Winner: Sing — Kristof Deak, Anna Udvardy
Nominees: Ennemis Interieurs — Selim Azzazi; La Femme et le TGV — Timo von Gunten, Giacun Caduff; Silent Nights — Aske Bang, Kim Magnusson; Timcode — Juanjo Gimenez

90th Academy Awards (2017)

Winner: The Silent Child — Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
Nominees: DeKalb Elementary — Reed Van Dyk; The Eleven O'Clock — Derin Seale, Josh Lawson; My Nephew Emmett — Kevin Wilson, Jr.; Watu Wote / All of Us — Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

91st Academy Awards (2018)

Winner: Skin — Guy Nattiv, Jaime Ray Newman
Nominees: Detainment — Vincent Lambe, Darren Mahon; Fauve — Jeremy Comte, Maria Gracia Turgeon; Marguerite — Marianne Farley, Marie-Helene Panisset; Mother — Rodrigo Sorogoyen, María del Puy Alvarado

92nd Academy Awards (2019)

Winner: The Neighbors' Window — Marshall Curry
Nominees: Brotherhood — Meryam Joobeur, Maria Gracia Turgeon; Nefta Football Club — Yves Piat, Damien Megherbi; Saria — Bryan Buckley, Matt Lefebvre; A Sister — Delphine Girard

2020s

93rd Academy Awards (2020)

Winner: Two Distant Strangers — Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe
Nominees: Feeling Through — Doug Roland, Susan Ruzenski; The Letter Room — Elvira Lind, Sofia Sondervan; The Present — Farah Nabulsi, Ossama Bawardi; White Eye — Tomer Shushan, Shira Hochman

94th Academy Awards (2021)

Winner: The Long Goodbye — Aneil Karia, Riz Ahmed
Nominees: Ala Kachuu - Take and Run — Maria Brendle, Nadine Lüchinger; The Dress — Tadeusz Łysiak, Maciej Ślesicki; On My Mind — Martine Strange-Hansen, Kim Magnusson; Please Hold — K.D. Dávila, Levin Menekse

Related Categories[]

Best Short Subject (Color)
Best Short Subject (Comedy)
Best Short Subject (Novelty)
Best Short Subject (One-reel)
Best Short Subject (Two-reel)