On the Line

On the Line (Auf der Strecke) by Swiss director Reto Caffi is one of five nominees to compete in the 81st Academy Awards this coming February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Caffi's 30-minute film (his graduation film at the Academy of Media Arts (KIMH) in Cologne) was nominated in the category of "Best Live Action Short Film" and is in the running for an Oscar. This Academy Awards nomination is the climax of an impressive success story for the short film, which has been honored with 50 awards thus far, including the Student Oscar (Honorary Foreign Film Student Award). On the Line is a moving drama about a department store security guard who is secretly in love with a clerk in the store's bookshop. When he witnesses a seeming rival being attacked on the train, he gets off instead of helping him. Not being able to deal with his tormented conscience, his controlled life breaks down and shatters his dream, in a strange twist of irony. dominion3 is currently working on the Oscar campaign.