A. O. Scott has an account of the animated and live action shorts that have been nominated for the Oscars this year. These shorts are now running in theaters in the U. S.

Here is a very interesting (and useful) interview with the curator, Maike Mia Höhne on the merits of the short film form.

Film critic David Thomson is already saying that awards for short films, documentary and all, should be removed from the main night to make the event crisper.

The Guardian’s film site continues to be one of the best places to visit. For this week, see the Cyber Cinema column: Virtual Valentines “Kate  Stable’s compendium of the best romantic short films on the web.”

Oscar shorts are making rounds of theaters in the U. S. Live action and animated shorts are screened separately, and judging from the trailers and publicity, they will run at least until the Awards event on Sunday.