Switchboard Magazine and the Race for Academy Award Consideration: Collaboration over Competition and the Future of Filmmaking

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Switchboard Magazine — a new home for independent nonfiction and narrative voices — is changing the game for indie filmmakers.

This Fall, the Switchboard team united four Oscar-qualified short films: Freeman Vines, Poreless, Rat Rod, and Saving Superman — for a collective awards campaign. Together, these films have screened at more than 100 festivals, earned critical acclaim, and built passionate audiences.

Collaboration over Competition

"The heart of our work is elevating outstanding storytelling," said Switchboard founder Celia Aniskovich. "Supporting these remarkable short films to reach wider audiences is incredibly meaningful — especially as we watch the filmmakers champion one another along the way."

The shorts can be viewed on the Switchboard Magazine YouTube Channel.

A Kickstarter campaign seeks to raise a modest amount to help the small-but-determined group.

Lineup:

• Freeman Vines, directed by Tim Kirkman and André Robert Lee, follows an 82-year-old as he's desperately trying to make a guitar that can reproduce an elusive sound the instrument made decades ago. The search takes on more significance when Freeman acquired a stack of lumber from a tree once used in the lynching of a black man named Oliver Moore.
  
  
• Saving Superman, directed by Adam Oppenheim and Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian, tells the story of Jonathan, a 57-year-old man with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), also known as 'Superman'. A revered member of his small community, Jonathan has been a staple in the 4th of July Parade for nearly 30 years. When his living circumstances were threatened by a new building owner, the townspeople sprang into action.
  
  
• Rat Rod directed by Jared Jakins and Carly Jakins. A haunted mechanic muses on his experiences as an immigrant in rural America as he resurrects cars.
  
  
• Poreless (live-action) directed by Harris Doran and written by Doran and Fawzia Mirza, follows a queer Muslim beauty entrepreneur, played by Akbar Hamid, who must figure out how to compete in a Shark Tank–like product pitch contest after suffering an untimely allergic reaction.

Filmmakers' Comments

• Tim Kirkman and André Robert Lee, (Freeman Vines): "The idea of this collective community working together is exciting. Each film enhances and deepens the impact of the others."
  
  
• Harris Doran, (Poreless): "I love that our films come from distinct regions of the U.S. — rural towns in North Carolina and Utah, the suburbs of Chicago, New York. They tell very different stories, yet all reflect the beauty and complexity of life in the United States today."
  
  
• Carly and Jared Jakins, (Rat Rod): "Each film in this cohort shares a rare curiosity and depth to the human experience. It's an honor to be paired with such creative, sensitive filmmakers. The collective model has ignited a community, and each film feels celebrated."
  
  
• Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian and Adam Oppenheim (Saving Superman): "We are deeply grateful for relationships built on trust in this work - with the people we feature and peers in the collective."

SOURCE Switchboard Magazine