James R | On 17, Mar 2021

With the Academy Awards announcing this year’s nominees earlier in the week, the race is on not just for awards contenders to win over voters but for audiences to catch up with some of the films up for prizes. After 12 months of premium VOD releases and acquisitions by Netflix, Amazon, Sky and Apple TV+, that challenge is slightly easier in 2021, with a host of films already available to stream in the UK.

Now, Netflix is bringing another to our screens, with The Present set for release this month.

Directed by Palestinian-British director Farah Nabulsi, the Best Live-Action Short Film nominee centres on a Palestinian man and his young daughter who set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift, showcasing the struggles they go through between soldiers, segregated roads, and checkpoints. The film marks Nabulsi’s directional debut and stars renowned actor Saleh Bakri.

In addition to the Oscar nomination, the short film has also been nominated for Best British Short at the BAFTAs. It also won several awards at international festivals, including Audience Award at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, Brooklyn International Film Festival and at Arab Film Festival (AFF), Festival Prize at Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Best Actor and Gold Medal at Manhattan Short Film Festival, among 20 other recognitions. It was also nominated for over 45 other awards.

The film’s release comes as a part of Netflix’s commitment to presenting Arab stories to the world, and its belief that great stories can come from anywhere.

The Present will be debut on Netflix on 18th March. For a full guide to which Oscar nominees are available to stream in the UK, plus release dates for those coming soon, click here

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