Although some short films are a means to an end (a spec for a full-length feature), more still are an artform unto their own, a perfect little slice of cinema.

Thankfully, Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA) is bringing all the Oscar Shorts to the Magic Lantern in Ketchum each Thursday up until the lauded awards ceremony Sunday, March 12. Check svmoa.org for showtimes. Parental guidance is encouraged. Tickets cost $10 for SVMoA members and $12 for nonmembers.

LIVE ACTION SHORTS — Feb. 23

“Ivalu” (Denmark, 16 min.): A search for her older sister takes this protagonist on a journey through the mysteries of Greenland’s wilderness.

“Night Ride” (Norway, 15 min.): A cold transit stop unravels into a night of twists and turns. Expect the unexpected.

“Le Pupille” (Italy, 37 min.): Produced by Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron, this short follows a group of girls in a strict religious boarding school unbound by their own imaginations.

“The Red Suitcase” (Luxembourg, 17 min.): When an Iranian girl removes her hijab, her life is changed forever.

“An Irish Goodbye” (Ireland, 23 min.): Following the surprise death of their mother, two estranged brothers must reunite on a rural farm.

ANIMATED SHORTS — March 2

“An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It” (Australia, 11 min.): An enigmatic talking ostrich points out the world is made of stop-motion animation to a toaster salesman who then tries to warn his co-workers.

“The Flying Sailor” (Canada, 7 min.): When two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour in 1917, causing the largest accidental explosion in history, one sailor was blown skyward from the docks, flew a distance of two kilometers before landing uphill, naked and unharmed.

“Ice Merchants” (Portugal/France, 14 min.): Each day, a father and son duo parachute down to the village to sell the ice they produce.

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” (U.K., 35 min.): A boy searches for home and finds friendship in this hand drawn animation produced by J.J. Abrams and Woody Harrelson.

“My Year of Dicks” (USA, 25 min.): A teen in the early 90s is hellbent on losing her virginity. WARNING: This animated short is very much not family friendly.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS — March 9

“How Do You Measure a Year?” (USA, 29 min): A filmmaker asks his daughter the same set of questions every birthday for 17 years.

“The Elephant Whisperers” (India, 41 min): An orphaned elephant comes into the care of an indigenous couple who fights for its survival.

“Stranger at the Gate” (USA, 30 min): An American veteran searches for redemption after years of paranoid Islamophobia.

“Haulout” (U.K., 25 min): A recluse must grapple with the realities of climate change awaiting an ancient gathering on the coast of the Siberian Arctic.

“The Martha Mitchell Effect” (USA, 39 min): Despite the best efforts of the Nixon Administration, this whistleblower remained steadfast in her belief of what was right.