WePresent film commission The Long Goodbye nominated at the 2022 Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES—February 8, 2022: The Academy announced that The Long Goodbye directed/co-written by Aneil Karia, co-written/starring Riz Ahmed, and commissioned/distributed by WePresent, the digital arts platform of WeTransfer, was nominated for a 2022 Academy Award®️ for Best Live Action Short. This film was created as a wake-up call against rising intolerance and was first released on WePresent in March 2020. 

In the film, Riz and his family are in the middle of preparing a wedding celebration when the events unfolding in the outside world arrive suddenly on their doorstep.

Aneil Karia’s The Long Goodbye takes us on a journey that is both intimate, visceral and devastating. The 11-minute short film is an unflinching look at what may lie ahead for us in these increasingly intolerant times, and what is unfolding for minorities in many countries around the world. 

This short film has been blazing through the festival circuit taking home two Oscar-qualifying awards, one at the prestigious Hollyshorts in Los Angeles—as well as winning Best Short at the British Independent Film Awards and the Cannes Lions awards. Its impact has reached far beyond screens—it was mentioned in British Parliament as “required viewing” shortly after its release.

Aneil Karia’s debut feature Surge won a Jury prize at the Sundance Festival, and he is a rising star of British independent film. Prestigious international film festivals the film has been selected for include The London Critics Circle Awards 2021 where it won the Best British/Irish Short Film, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Cannes Lions 2021 where it won a Gold Lion and two Silver Lions and many more. The film also screened at BFI Southbank as part of a season curated by the Tape Collective.

Damian Bradfield, Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner at WeTransfer said, “For ‘The Long Goodbye’ to be nominated for an Academy Award is a dream come true for everyone at WeTransfer. It acknowledges the quality of storytelling onour digital arts platform WePresent', and is a perfect example of how brands can work with artists to facilitate creative ideas that can move the cultural needle.”

The Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on March 27th 2022. 

About WePresent

WePresent is WeTransfer’s digital arts platform, acting as the company’s cultural torchbearer to a monthly audience of 3 million in 190 countries. Collaborating with emerging young talent to renowned artists such as Marina Abramovic, Riz Ahmed, FKA twigs or David Sedaris, WePresent showcases the best in art, photography, film, music, literature and more, championing diversity in everything it does. The platform’s commissions range from editorial features to films, illustrations, photography series, events, exhibitions and social media activations, with an aim to offer a fresh take on the magic and mystery of creative ideas. 

About WeTransfer

WeTransfer streamlines the workflow process for millions of creative professionals. Its ecosystem of creative productivity tools makes it easy to collaborate, share and deliver work. WeTransfer has more than 87 million monthly active users in 190 countries.

As a certified B Corporation™, WeTransfer has long been a champion of using business as a force for good. Since its founding in 2009, WeTransfer has donated up to 30% of its advertising space to support artists and social causes.