“AUTOKAR” BY SYLWIA SZKIŁĄDŹ ON THE OSCAR SHORTLIST
The animated short film “Autokar”, directed by Sylwia Szkiłądź, has been selected for the prestigious shortlist of productions competing for a nomination at the 98th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film. This marks another major achievement for the international co-production and an important step on its path toward an Oscar.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in twelve categories, representing the final stage of selection before the official nominations are revealed. In the Animated Short Film category, 113 titles were submitted, of which 15 films advanced to the next round of voting – among them “Autokar”.
Directed by Sylwia Szkiłądź, the film is a magical realist journey into childhood and the inner emotional world of a young migrant. In the 1990s, eight-year-old Agata leaves the Podlasie region and travels alone by bus to Belgium. During the journey, while writing a letter, she accidentally drops her pencil – a small gesture that becomes the beginning of an extraordinary adventure. Searching for the lost object, the girl slips into a world of fantasy inhabited by half-human, half-animal figures, and the trip itself transforms into a symbolic rite of passage. Drawing on the director’s personal experiences, the film explores themes of growing up, uncertainty, and the search for identity in an unfamiliar world.
The film’s inclusion on the Oscar shortlist further confirms its strong position on the international festival circuit. Earlier this year, “Autokar” received the Special Jury Prize of Generation Kplus (Crystal Bear) at the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the most important events in world cinema.
The full list of shortlisted films is available here.