Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The 2026 Oscar for Live Action Short Film ended in a tie: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva both won. This ranking puts the co-winners first, then offers an explicitly editorial order for the other three nominees, informed by reviews from TheWrap and the Los Angeles Times. It is not a consensus list, and the films’ very different styles make “best” a matter of what you want from a short.
How this ranking works
The Academy’s result supplies the clearest evidence-led starting point: its official results name The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva as winners. The Academy selected five nominees; eligible participating members from all branches voted in the category. The 98th Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2025, took place on March 15, 2026. See the Academy’s official 2026 results and its nomination announcement and voting details.
After the tied winners, the order is an editorial recommendation, not a published Academy ranking or a critics’ consensus. TheWrap’s reviews supply comparative observations across the nominees; the Los Angeles Times critic singled out The Singers as a personal favorite before the ceremony, praised the leads in A Friend of Dorothy, and was more critical of some other titles. To compare films that span musical, comic, speculative, dramatic, and social-thriller modes, this list weighs premise and visual approach, performance and emotional effect, and how well each idea works within its runtime.
The nominees, ranked
1 (tie). The Singers
Sam A. Davis; United States; 18 minutes. In this adaptation of an Ivan Turgenev story, patrons at a struggling pub find a connection through an impromptu sing-off. Cornell Cinema describes the film as an experimental docu-musical hybrid. TheWrap praises Davis’s atmosphere and the way music transforms the story; the Los Angeles Times critic named it a personal favorite before the ceremony. The Oscar tie confirms that it was one of the Academy’s two choices for the win.
#1 Best Overall
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Its musical premise gives the short a distinctive way to bring a group of strangers together. If you are drawn to performance and a gradual shift in mood rather than a conventional plot engine, this is a strong place to start.
1 (tie). Two People Exchanging Saliva
Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh; France/United States; 36 minutes. In a dystopian society where kissing is punishable by death and people pay with slaps, a shopper becomes fascinated by a salesgirl. TheWrap highlights the photography and acting, as well as the film’s balance of love, tragedy, and satire. Like The Singers, it shared the Oscar.
Rank #2
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At 36 minutes, it has the longest runtime among the five nominees listed by Cornell Cinema. Its provocative social rules and uneasy mix of romance and satire make it the more speculative, unsettling co-winner; viewers looking for a compact musical performance will find a very different kind of short here.
3. Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Steve Pinder and Julia Aks; United States; 12 minutes. A marriage proposal in 1813 takes an unexpected turn when the heroine gets her period and her fiancé mistakes the blood for an injury. TheWrap calls the central joke sharply executed satire and praises the film’s cinematic flourishes.
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Rank #3
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Its brief runtime suits a premise that gets quickly to its comic collision between period convention and bodily reality. Among these nominees, it is the clearest pick for viewers who want a tightly framed comedy with a pointed central joke.
4. A Friend of Dorothy
Lee Knight; United Kingdom; 21 minutes. A lonely widow and a teenager begin an unlikely friendship after his football lands in her garden. TheWrap describes the film as kindhearted and well-crafted, while noting familiar and sometimes heavy-handed elements. The Los Angeles Times critic emphasizes the warmth and humor of the two leads.
Rank #4
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The film’s strongest appeal is its relationship: its leads give the familiar setup warmth and comic life. Choose it if you want an accessible, character-led story rather than the nominees’ more unusual formal or speculative ideas.
5. Butcher’s Stain
Meyer Levinson-Blount; Israel; 26 minutes. Samir, a Palestinian butcher at an Israeli supermarket, is accused of tearing down hostage posters and tries to prove his innocence to keep his job. TheWrap describes an escalating workplace thriller with a bitterly humorous ending. The Los Angeles Times critic praises Omar Sameer’s performance while criticizing aspects of the filmmaking and a subplot.
Best Value
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The accusation gives the short a tense workplace frame for its social conflict. Its lower placement reflects the mixed critical assessment in the available reviews, not a claim that its subject matter is less important or that every viewer will respond the same way.
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| Rank | Film | Director(s) | Country listed | Runtime | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | The Singers | Sam A. Davis | United States | 18 minutes | Pub sing-off; experimental docu-musical approach |
| 1 (tie) | Two People Exchanging Saliva | Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh | France/United States | 36 minutes | Dystopian romance and satire |
| 3 | Jane Austen’s Period Drama | Steve Pinder and Julia Aks | United States | 12 minutes | Period comedy built around a sharply executed premise |
| 4 | A Friend of Dorothy | Lee Knight | United Kingdom | 21 minutes | Warm, character-led intergenerational friendship |
| 5 | Butcher’s Stain | Meyer Levinson-Blount | Israel | 26 minutes | Workplace thriller with social conflict and bitter humor |
Country and runtime listings are from Cornell Cinema’s 2026 program. The Academy said nomination ballots came from members in 88 countries; that figure describes the electorate’s geographic reach, not the nominees’ national origins.
Where to watch
TheWrap reported that Roadside Attractions presented the nominees together as a theatrical program and identified The Singers as a Netflix film. Those reports do not establish that the program or every individual title is currently available in every region. Check current local listings and streaming catalogs for availability where you live.
