Rock, Paper, Scissors Shortlisted For Best Live Action Short Film at 2026 Academy Awards

Film Feature by Chris Olson

In the landscape of contemporary short-form cinema, few films have carried as much weight or resonated as deeply as Rock, Paper, Scissors. Following its triumphant BAFTA victory, the announcement that Franz Böhm’s powerful drama has been shortlisted for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2026 Academy Awards feels less like a surprise and more like a necessary recognition of a vital piece of art. At UK Film Review, we have long championed stories that transcend the screen to become part of a larger cultural conversation, and this film is a definitive example of cinema as an act of profound resistance. Read my Rock, Paper Scissors film review.

Written and directed by Franz Böhm, the film is based on a harrowing true story that grounds the abstract horrors of conflict in a deeply personal struggle. The narrative follows a seventeen-year-old boy trapped with his father in a frontline hospital. When soldiers arrive, they are thrust into a claustrophobic moral vacuum, forced to make an impossible choice that defines the thin line between survival and sacrifice. It is a lean, devastating piece of storytelling that demands attention.

However, the power of the film is inseparable from the extraordinary circumstances of its production. The lead performance by Oleksandr Rudynskyi is nothing short of remarkable, though the story behind it is tinged with tragedy. Rudynskyi was granted rare and specific permission to leave Ukraine during martial law to participate in the project—a testament to the perceived importance of this narrative. Cruelly, on the very day he arrived in the United Kingdom to begin work, he received news that his best friend had been killed in the ongoing war. This immense personal loss did not just shadow the production; it profoundly shaped and sharpened his performance, lending the film an authenticity that is as rare as it is painful to witness.

The film's journey to the Oscars has been paved with an almost unprecedented level of official support. Backed by the Office of the President of Ukraine, the production received a wartime commendation that places the work within Ukraine’s national cultural memory. This is not merely a film about a war; it is a document of a people’s resilience. To secure this high-level support and ensure the story was told with absolute urgency, the film's producer twice entered active warzones. This level of commitment from a production team is almost unheard of in the short film world, highlighting a collective belief that some stories simply cannot wait for peace to be told.

As we look toward the 2026 Academy Awards, Rock, Paper, Scissors stands as a frontrunner not just for its technical brilliance or its BAFTA pedigree, but for its soul. It is a film that reminds us that art is often the most effective weapon against silence. For the Academy to shortlist this work is a nod to the bravery of its creators and the undeniable power of Ukrainian storytelling on the world stage. It is a triumph for Franz Böhm and his team, and a haunting reminder of the human cost that remains at the heart of the headlines.