Here’s a fun bit of festival trivia: some of the short films that win over our jury in San Jose end up taking home the film world’s biggest prize. I love attending SJSFF every October, and one of my favorite things about it is the feeling, months later, of seeing a film I watched at CineArts Santana Row show up on the Oscars broadcast. It never gets old.
So grab some popcorn. Here are five SJSFF award winners that went all the way to the Academy Awards.
Skin: Best of the Fest 2018, Academy Award Winner
Guy Nattiv’s Skin took home Best of the Fest at our 10th annual festival in 2018. It’s a tough, gripping watch about a young boy growing up in a violent, racist home, and it leaves you thinking long after the lights come up. A few months after its San Jose win, it won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. See all of the 2018 winners.
The Queen of Basketball: Best Documentary 2021, Academy Award Winner
If you haven’t met Lusia “Lucy” Harris yet, you’re in for a treat. Ben Proudfoot’s documentary tells the story of the basketball trailblazer who became the first woman officially drafted by an NBA team. It won Best Documentary at SJSFF in 2021, then went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Honestly, it’s the kind of film that makes me want to tell everyone I know about it. See all of the 2021 winners.
I’m Not a Robot: Best of the Fest 2024, Academy Award Winner
We’ve all failed a CAPTCHA or two. In Victoria Warmerdam’s darkly funny I’m Not a Robot, a music producer keeps failing them, and starts to wonder whether she’s human at all. It was our 2024 Best of the Fest, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Watching an audience laugh and squirm at the same time is one of my favorite festival experiences, and this film delivered both. See all of the 2024 winners.
White Eye: Best of Show 2020, Academy Award Nominee
Tomer Shushan’s White Eye follows a man who finds his stolen bicycle and decides to get it back, and it’s all told in a single, unbroken shot. It was named Best of Show at our 2020 Home Edition, when we all watched the festival from our couches, and went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. See all of the 2020 winners.
Shok: Best Drama 2015, Academy Award Nominee
Set during the Kosovo War, Jamie Donoughue’s Shok is the story of two boys whose friendship is tested in unimaginable ways. It won Best Drama at SJSFF in 2015 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. See all of the 2015 winners.
Next Up: Getar Hero
Which brings us to this year. Our 2026 Best of the Fest, Teddy Stern’s Getar Hero, has qualified for the 99th Academy Awards, and you can bet I’ll be cheering for it. Read more about the film, or dig into every year’s winners on our Awards page. Who knows which of them we’ll see at the Oscars next?
