IU Cinema screens Oscar-nominated short films

The most obscure category at every Oscars is the short film list, mainly because it’s difficult to see any of the films.

But the IU Cinema is providing a chance to see all the nominees in 2012’s Best Live Action and Animated Short Film categories in separate screenings at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with an extra screening at 3 p.m. Friday.
Here’s a brief rundown of what to expect and what actually stands a chance of winning.

LIVE ACTION
“Pentecost”
An 11-year-old boy in a Christian parish must choose between serving as an altar boy or watching football ever again in this Irish comedy. The actor Peter McDonald (“The Damned United”) directs.

“Raju”
A German couple’s adopted Indian son goes missing in this heart-wrenching drama by first-time director Max Zahle.

“The Shore”
Oscar-nominated director and writer of “Hotel Rwanda” Terry George directs the great Irish actor Ciaran Hinds in a story of two old friends trying to reconcile their broken past.

“Time Freak”
“Time Freak” is about the inventor of a time machine who travels only to yesterday to rectify his quarrel with a dry cleaner in this irreverent comedy.

“Tuba Atlantic”
This Norwegian film about a 70-year-old man with only six days to live manages to pack in dramatic and comedic themes worthy of a feature.

ANIMATED
“Dimanche”
This Canadian film that follows a boy who flattens coins on train tracks is animated in a simple, bleak, pencil-drawn style.

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
William Joyce, the children’s book author behind the Rolie Polie Olie series, directs this enchanting story about, well, stories. With an interactive iPad app and multiple festival awards, it’s a charming front-runner.

“La Luna”
“La Luna” is the annual Pixar short and is about a boy out at sea watching the moonrise. It may be a favorite, but Pixar hasn’t won this category in more than 10 years with “For the Birds” in 2001.

“A Morning Stroll”
Why did the chicken cross the road? To experiment with multiple animation styles in three different dimensions. “A Morning Stroll” also just won the top prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

“Wild Life”
The oil painting-like animation in “Wild Life” depicts the Canadian frontier in 1905, and it comes from two-time nominee Amanda Forbis and three-time nominee Wendy Tilby.