Both films represent different approaches to contemporary auteur animation: Hurikán is a deep-fried Prague romance driven by distinctive humor, while I Died in Irpin is an autobiographical testimony of a toxic intimate relationship set against the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
“We secretly hoped that at least one film out of the 113 qualified titles might make it onto the shortlist. But achieving such a double was something we never dared to dream of. I congratulate all the filmmakers and thank the funds, co-producers, and partners for their support. You don’t get Christmases like this every year…,” says producer Martin Vandas of Maurfilm.
Director Anastasiia Falileieva adds: “When I learned that my film had been shortlisted, it brought me a spark of hope that I had been deeply missing recently. This is not about triumph. It is about realizing that my very personal story of survival is now becoming part of a vital global conversation. And I am eternally grateful that the Academy is not turning away from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
“Jan Saska is a man of (moving) images and usually speaks very little. The shortlisting of Hurikán, as recognition of his work and that of a broad team from several European countries, means a great deal to him and he sums it up simply: ‘Super!’ The nine years that have passed since the shortlist of our previous film Happy End show that working on short films does not take a short time, but it is worth it,” explains producer Kamila Dohnalová.
I Died in Irpin was produced by Alena Vandasová and Martin Vandas (Maurfilm, CZ), Juraj Krasnohorský (Artichoke, SK) and Anastasiia Falileieva (Plastic Bag Studio, UA), financially supported by Czech and Slovak Audiovisual Funds. The world premiere happened at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and earned its first Oscar-qualifying awards at Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF) in October 2024 followed by five more Oscar-qualifying prizes at Clermont-Ferrand ISFF, Cinanima IAFF, Fest Anča IAFF, Manchester AF, and Animateka IAFF.
Hurikán was produced by Czech producers Kamila Dohnalová (Last Films), Martin Vandas and Alena Vandasová (Maurfilm), in coproduction with Antoine Liétout and Ivan Zuber (Laïdak Films, France), Juraj Krasnohorský (Artichoke, Slovakia), and Mladen Đukić (AEON Production, Bosnia and Herzegovina) with support from national and regional funding bodies across all co-producing countries. The world premiere took place at the Annecy IAFF in 2024, where the film won the Audience Award, and consistently received enthusiastic audience responses during its festival run. It was screened at more than 150 international film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand ISFF, Sundance, SXSW, and HollyShorts Film Festival, where it received an Oscar-qualifying prize for Best Animated Film. The public can watch Hurikán on the MIYU Distribution Vimeo channel.
Following the announcement, all shortlisted films are available to stream on the Academy Screening Room for all Academy members for viewing. Nominations for the 5 Oscar® animated short films will be announced on live broadcast the 22nd of January 2026.
