Award-winning Welsh short film Something Pointless is taking its next big step toward Hollywood, with an Oscar-qualifying run at San Francisco’s historic Roxie Theater from August 28 to September 3.
The film, from Hiraeth Productions Cyf and Screen Wizards Pictures, will screen as part of the Roxie’s official First Looks Oscar-Qualifying Theatrical Release programme—putting it in contention for the Best Live Action Short Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
And the film arrives with plenty of momentum. Something Pointless has been selected for 68 festivals worldwide, collecting 25 wins and 49 nominations, with its festival run continuing into 2027.
Among its recent honours are the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at Sicily’s Baarìa Film Festival, Best International Short Film at the Zepstone Film Awards, and Best Actor for Owen Teale at the Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival.
Directed by Asa Bailey (Silo, 100 Years of Solitude), the film stars BAFTA® winner Owen Teale, Olivier Award winner Sophie Thompson and SAG Award-nominee Sule Rimi, alongside Leo Harris.
At its heart, Something Pointless is a quietly moving story about an unlikely friendship between a bullied, lonely boy and an elderly man whose seemingly meaningless daily ritual becomes an act of defiance against insignificance.
The film is already attracting serious critical attention. Rotten Tomatoes critic Jeff York called it a “genuine contender” among this year’s Oscar-qualifying shorts.
Written by Neil Graham and David Cormican, the screenplay won first place in the 2010 Canadian Short Screenplay Competition. More than a decade later, that story is now making its way onto one of the world’s biggest stages.
Next stop: San Francisco. Then, potentially, Hollywood.
Something Pointless screens daily at the Roxie Theater from August 28 through September 3 as part of First Looks.
