WarnerMedia OneFifty has acquired the 94th Academy Awards shortlisted animated short Namoo, to be released on the HBO Max streaming platform on this Thursday, January 27. The “narrative poem come to life” is written and directed by Erick Oh, who was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film category at last year’s Oscars.
Inspired by the passing of the director’s grandfather, Namoo – which translates to “tree” in Korean – follows the beautiful and heartbreaking moments of a man’s life, from beginning to end. Oh’s most personal and ambitious work to date, the film was produced by nine-time Emmy Award-winning Baobab Studios, executive produced by John Cho and produced by Larry Cutler, Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan and Kane Lee. Namoo most recently added the Best Animated Short prize from the 2022 Gold List Awards to its list of accolades.
“I’ve been making short films for 10 years, and it’s extremely rare for independent filmmakers to find a way to share them with a wide audience. I can’t tell you what a huge honor and pleasure it is to have HBO Max launch Namoo; their reach together with the quality caliber of their content is amazing,” said Oh.
Baobab CEO/Co-Founder Fan added, “We are excited to work with HBO Max, a brand which is synonymous with quality. It has also been a delight to work with the WarnerMedia OneFifty team who are so indie-artist friendly and passionate about Namoo.”
WarnerMedia OneFifty simultaneously announced the acquisition of live-action shortlisted short When the Sun Sets, from South African filmmaker Phumi Morarer and inspired by her mother’s true story. The award-wining film about a young, Black nurse’s struggle to protect her family during apartheid will launch on HBO Max on February 8.
WarnerMedia OnFifty’s fast-growing catalog of critically acclaimed Oscar contenders also include the short White Eye (2022) and feature films This Is Not a War Story and Son of Monarchs.
“WarnerMedia’s ‘artist studio where innovation happens,’ OneFifty has built a track record of identifying incredible artists whose vision we believe in, and acquiring their extraordinary, groundbreaking content. We are excited to continue working with these filmmakers for many years to come,” said Axel Caballero, Vice President of Arts & Cultural Innovations and Head of WarnerMedia OneFifty.
Leslie Cohen, Senior Vice President of Film Acquisitions for HBO/HBO Max, negotiated the deals for both titles. The nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be formally announced on February 8.
Read more about the 15 films shortlisted for that animated shorts Oscar race here.
