Nov 5, 2021

Best Animated Installation of the Week: Oscar Short Contender

On Monday, the Academy announced the long list for next year's Academy Awards for Animated Short Films. Despite the abundance of great art and storytelling in this category, it receives little attention.

Due to the nature of such short distribution, many of these films are not readily available outside of the festival (although some are available for free to industry professionals by signing up for the streaming platform The Animation Showcase). Eventually, most of them will be made available online. Until then, many filmmakers have been active on social media, posting films showcasing their unique talents.

Here are five of the best Instagram profiles of filmmakers nominated for Best Feature Film this year:

Renee Jiang burst onto the scene with her award-winning short "Reneepoptosis" at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by her Oscar-winning film "O Black Hole! !" Her Instagram posts include a doll from the film, along with illustrations, animation tests and loops.

A post shared by renee zhan (@ummmrenee)

Honami Yano is an Academy Award finalist nominee for her short film "A Bite of Bone," which uses a detailed pointillism technique unusual in animation. She has tracked the production in a series of Instagram videos,

which show her hand-drawing decorative images on a light box.

A post shared by honami (@honamiyano)

Natalie Nourigat is a comic artist who came to Disney through their short film program. Her second short, "Far From the Tree," is an Oscar contender this year. She continues to post bizarre comics on her Instagram page, which also includes detailed drawings and sketches of people.

A post shared by Natalie Nourigat (@tallychyck)

Nicolas Keppens is new to Instagram, but has put his profile to good use, testing Easter eggs and stills of Academy Award nominees uploaded to the site. More recently, he has posted atmospheric pencil drawings and photos of quirky installations featuring soda drinks and slugs.

A post shared by Nicolas Keppens (@nicolaskeppens)

Sandra Desmazières was shortlisted for feature film of the year for "Flowing Home," about the fate of Vietnamese sisters after the fall of Saigon. Her Instagram is full of elaborate sketches, many in pastel, some of which flesh out the visual world of the film.

A post shared by Sandra Desmazieres (@sandradesmazieres)

Image above: artwork by Nicolas Keppens (left) and Sandra Desmazières (right)