Ninety-five Senses, the first animated short from husband and wife filmmaking duo Jared and Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), is receiving a limited four-week online For Your Consideration release. The 13-minute film is available to stream now for free through the Salt Lake City film accelerator program MAST’s Small Screenings platform.
The short stars Tim Blake Nelson, known for his roles in Coen Brothers films like O Brother Where Art Thou? and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs as well as his recurring performance as The Leader in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nelson voices Coy, a folksy philosopher facing his own mortality on death row. As Coy bids a final farewell to each of his five senses, he reflects on his troubled past and dreams of a vibrant, multisensory afterlife.
Ninety-five Senses is directed by the Hesses and written by Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer, animated by six teams of artists from Latin America and the U.S. through the non-profit MAST. Producers are MAST co-founders Miles David Romney and Tori A. Baker.
The film won the Grand Jury award for animation from the Florida Film Festival, qualifying it for consideration for the 2024 Academy Awards. It has also been selected by 17 other Oscar-qualifying festivals around the world, winning awards at Animation Dingle in Ireland (Best International Professional Short), the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico (Rigo Mora Special Jury Award) and the Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival (First Prize, Best Short Animation). It was also the sole animated Short Film nominee for the 2023 Humanitas Prize — the first animated short not produced by Disney/Pixar to be so recognized.
Ninety-five Senses is available to watch at smallscreenings.org now through December 11. Watch the trailer below.
