Sean Ono Lennon recently took to X to share the news that the short film he worked on, ‘War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,’ has been nominated for an Oscar.
The singer shared a screenshot of 2024 nominations, which have been recently announced, circled ‘War Is Over!’ and wrote the following in his message:
“That short film I worked on got an Oscar nomination! So crazy!”
A Tribute To Peace
The film is among the contenders for Best Animated Short Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. ‘War Is Over!’ is an 11-minute indie animation set in an alternate World War I scenario. It tells the story of a secret chess match played across enemy lines, facilitated by a heroic carrier pigeon. The film is a homage to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s peace anthem, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over),’ and aims to convey its message to a new generation.
Directed by Pixar alum Dave Mullins and animated by Wētā FX Limited, the project was executive produced by Sean Ono Lennon himself. The idea for the film emerged as Lennon wanted to create a narrative that could carry the message of his parents’ song without trivializing it. The timing of the film’s creation coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A Message For Modern Times
Despite the film’s innovative approach to spreading a message of peace, Sean previously expressed a bittersweet feeling regarding its continued relevance, saying:
“For me, it’s very sad that my parents’ message of peace and love is still relevant to this day. It seems like such an old story. Some people are very sensitive about this message of peace today. They feel like it’s a denial of people’s pain. And I am not criticizing anyone. I’m saying I really believe in resolving problems peacefully as a concept, even though it sounds very naive. It’s something I was raised to believe, and I still believe it.”
The nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were announced by actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. ‘War Is Over!’ is nominated alongside top movies. ‘Oppenheimer’ has the most nominations with 13, followed by ‘Poor Things’ with 11 and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ with 10.
Below, you can check out his post and watch the trailer of the film.
That short film I worked on got an Oscar nomination! So crazy! pic.twitter.com/bm4ukt4VKR
— Seán Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) January 23, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrcilSXWa8M
