# Curfew (2012 film)

Curfew is a 2012 American short film directed by Shawn Christensen. The film won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards.
The short is the basis for a feature film which premiered at SXSW 2014 titled Before I Disappear.

## Plot

Richie is in the process of ending his life in a bathtub when he gets a call from his estranged sister, Maggie, asking him to look after his niece, Sophia, for the night. Richie cancels his plans and sets out to babysit his niece.
When he meets Sophia, she makes it clear that she has no interest in talking to him, nor does she seem to care much about him. Richie mentions that he drew flipbooks when he was younger, starring a protagonist named "Sophia", and that he wonders if his sister got Sophia’s name from those flipbooks. He then takes Sophia to an old rundown building where he used to live, and finds the flipbooks he wants to show her, but Sophia gets scared and wants to go home.
After Richie apologizes, they return to the bowling alley and Sophia starts asking all about his life. They start to become friends, and Richie admits that the reason he hasn't been allowed to see her all these years is because he once dropped Sophia on her head while taking care of her as a baby. Sophia finds this incident amusing, just as her favorite song comes on over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, everyone in the bowling alley seems to be dancing along with the song, except for Richie. Sophia begs him to dance with her, tugging at his arm until his wrist comes out of its sleeve, revealing his suicide attempt. Richie snaps back to reality.
When Richie brings Sophia back home, he notices a restraining order sitting on the kitchen table, citing assault and harassment. His sister comes back looking bruised and she thanks Richie for his help, but she wants him to leave. She doesn’t want her daughter having any more "false idols". Richie tells her how much he looked up to her when they were younger, and how much he still looks up to her now. He returns home to his bathtub, and attempts to continue what he started in the beginning but Maggie interrupts him with a phone call again, this time on nicer terms.

## Awards

Awards for Curfew :
| Year | Association | Award Category | Status |
| 2013 | Academy Awards | Best Short Film - Live Action | Won |
| 2013 | Prescott Film Festival | Best Narrative Short Film | Won |
| 2013 | Cortopolis | Audience Award | Won |
| 2013 | Lakecity International Short Film Festival | Best Foreign Film | Won |
| 2013 | Hill County Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won |
| 2013 | Vaughan Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won |
| 2013 | Vaughan Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| 2013 | Film Caravan | Audience Award | Won |
| 2013 | Rincon International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| 2013 | Rincon International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Stockholm International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Nashville Film Festival | Best Narrative Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Cleveland International Film Festival | Best Live Action Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Woodstock Film Festival | Best Short Narrative | Won |
| 2012 | Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival | Audience Award (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Brussels Short Film Festival | Best Actor | Won |
| 2012 | Brussels Short Film Festival | Audience Award (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Ozu International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won |
| 2012 | Ozu International Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Sapporo Short Film Festival | Best Young Actress | Won |
| 2012 | Sapporo Short Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Granada International Film Festival | Best International Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Seattle Shorts Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won |
| 2012 | Seattle Shorts Film Festival | Best Director | Won |
| 2012 | Seattle Shorts Film Festival | Best Actor | Won |
| 2012 | Short Shorts Film Festival | Audience Award (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Tacoma Film Festival | Best Narrative Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | 24fps Int'l Short Film Festival | Best Actor | Won |
| 2012 | 24fps Int'l Short Film Festival | Silver Medal | Won |
| 2012 | 24fps Int'l Short Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | 15 Short Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Concorto Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Won |
| 2012 | La Boca Del Lobo Int'l Film Festival | Best International Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Soria International Short Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Won |
| 2012 | Soria International Short Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Soria International Short Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Soria International Short Film Festival | Youth Jury Award (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Windsor International Film Festival | Can-Am People's Choice Award | Won |
| 2012 | Williamstown Film Festival | Christopher Reeve Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Saguenay International Short Film Festival | Creativity Prize | Won |
| 2012 | Abitibi-Temiscamingue Int'l Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won |
| 2012 | Du Grain a Demoudre Film Festival | Best Short Screenplay | Won |
| 2012 | Du Grain a Demoudre Film Festival | Audience Award | Won |
| 2012 | Du Grain a Demoudre Film Festival | Young Cinephiles Award | Won |
| 2012 | Du Grain a Demoudre Film Festival | Jean Prevost High School Award | Won |
| 2012 | Sequence Short Film Festival | Audience Award (International) | Won |
| 2012 | Port Townsend Film Festival | Special Jury Commendation | Won |

## Release

The film was released in February 2013 on iTunes and in a theatrical run with the other 14 Oscar-nominated short films by ShortsHD.