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The 98th Academy Awards ceremony on March 15 witnessed a rare tie in the Best Live Action Short Film category, where both "Two People Exchanging Saliva" and "The Singers" won the award. This marked the seventh such tie in Oscar history. The tie surprised attendees and viewers alike, but it was not unexpected for a group of organizers from the FilmQuest film festival located more than 600 miles away in Provo, Utah.
Accurate Predictions from FilmQuest Festival
Founded by Jonathan Martin in 2014, FilmQuest is an annual festival focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and horror films. In 2025, the festival received over 2,300 submissions, including the two Oscar-winning films. "The Singers" took home the grand prize for Best Short Film at the festival, while "Two People Exchanging Saliva" won the Best Foreign Short Film award.
Martin stated that when host Kumail Nanjiani announced the tie, he was confident that these two films were the winners and sent his congratulations to the teams and directors. He added that this victory represents a triumph for genre films and the filmmakers participating in the festival.
Precise Evaluation System and Past Successes
FilmQuest relies on a rigorous evaluation system involving a jury of 15 to 20 judges who assess films confidentially. Each aspect of the film—from concept and acting to the quality of effects—is rated on a scale from one to ten. The judges then convene to discuss the results and reach a final decision.
The festival has previously predicted Oscar wins; notably, the film "I'm Not a Robot" won both an Oscar and the "Golden Cthulhu" award at FilmQuest just one year prior.
Festival Growth and Future Goals
FilmQuest began at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City but moved to Provo after three years to expand its activities. It is now the largest film festival in Utah following the departure of the Sundance Festival.
The festival is preparing for its 13th edition this fall and aims to become an officially Oscar-qualifying festival, which would make it the second genre-specific festival in the world to receive this recognition. This status would open broader opportunities for filmmakers in science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.
This news has been re-edited based on a report published by variety.com, while preserving the essential facts presented in the original source.