News Summary

• The duo received their first Oscar nomination for the animated short film “Ninety-Five Senses.”Arthur Mola, Invision, Associated PressIn a year that marks two decades of their cult classic “Napoleon Dynamite,” Utah filmmakers Jerusha and Jared Hess have something else big to celebrate: their first Oscar nomination..
• It marks the Hesses’ first animated short film — although they did work on the animated feature film “Thelma the Unicorn,” which hits Netflix later this year, per What’s on Netflix..
• The married couple’s project “Ninety-Five Senses,” which stemmed from a Salt Lake Film Society project, is one of five nominees in the category for best animated short at the 2024 Oscars, per The Hollywood Reporter..
• The Oscar nomination comes a day before the Sundance Film Festival holds a special screening of “Napoleon Dynamite.” The film, shot in Preston, Idaho, made its premiere at the festival on Jan. 17, 2004..
• “Ninety-Five Senses” stars Tim Blake Nelson, well known for his role in Coen Brothers films like “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” In the 13-minute film, Nelson voices Coy, a philosopher 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,” per Animation Magazine..