A BAFTA Winner Born of War, “Rock, Paper, Scissors” Earns Oscar Shortlist

The BAFTA-winning short film Rock, Paper, Scissors has been shortlisted for an Academy Award. The film stars Oleksandr Rudynskyi, who was granted rare permission to leave Ukraine during martial law to take part in the production. Tragically, on the day he arrived in the UK, he learned that his best friend had been killed in the war — a loss that profoundly shaped his performance.

Officially backed by the Office of the President of Ukraine, the film received an unprecedented wartime commendation, placing it within Ukraine’s national cultural memory as an act of artistic resistance. Its producer twice entered an active warzone to secure high-level support, underscoring the team’s commitment to telling this story with authenticity and urgency.

Written and directed by Franz Böhm and based on a true story, Rock, Paper, Scissors follows a 17-year-old boy trapped with his father in a frontline hospital, forced to make an impossible choice when soldiers arrive.

Franz Böhm is currently in post-production on the investigative thriller Keep Her Quiet, which he co-directed with Uyghur filmmaker Suli Kurban. 

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