Two AT&T Film Awards Winners Qualify For Oscar Consideration in 2020

Two winners of the 2019 AT&T Film Awards have qualified for the 92nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Live Action Short Film. The two selections, The Chef and Things That Fall, will be in consideration for the category's shortlist this week along with the rest of the year's top films.

Qualifying for this category requires a weeklong commercial theatrical release, winning an award at a qualifying film festival, or winning a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Student Academy Award.

The Chef, directed by Hao Zheng, won Best Futuristic Film in the 2019 AT&T Film Awards. It also won a silver medal in the Student Academy Awards domestic narrative category and Best International Film at the Show Me Shorts Film Festival, MAKING IT doubly qualified for the short film Oscar. The story follows a Chinese chef, Pu, who is ordered to teach a humanoid how to cook before the android takes over his job. The story explores issues of culture, race, and education, as well as how precision and perfection are far from all you need to prepare the best dishes.

Things That Fall, written and directed by Sy Huq, and produced with Rafaella Biscayn and Tommy McNamara, was a runner-up in the 2019 AT&T Film Awards New Forms of Storytelling category as well as a winner of the Stage 32 Short Film Contest. Using pioneering sound design technology, the short follows an unexpected connection between a hearing impaired woman and a mentally ill man who suffers from auditory hallucinations-and what happens when they meet in the quiet of a library.

"The AT&T Film Awards were created to foster, cultivate, and give recognition to inventive and passionate burgeoning filmmakers," said Michael FitzGerald, co-founder and chief executive officer of Submittable. "As a long-time partner with this program, we're thrilled to see two of the winning films in contention for an Oscar. It makes us incredibly proud to support this program and work with the filmmakers involved."

Academy members will vote for their favorite films between December 6 and December 10. The 10-film shortlist will be announced on December 16, while the final nominations will be announced on January 13. The Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

The AT&T Film Awards recognize rising filmmakers with $60,000 in money and prizes as well as opportunities to grow their career. Previous winners have gone on to be official selections at the Sundance Film Festival, won awards from top-tier film festivals, and found airtime on HBO.

Submissions for the 2020 AT&T Film Awards are open through April 30, 2020. Categories include Spanish-language, Youth Film Concept, Merged or Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mobile/360/Drone. Complete information regarding submission rules, deadlines, and eligibility are available at attfilmawards.submittable.com.

Watch the trailer for "The Chef" here:

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