Oscars 2026: Maciek Szczerbowski Wins For ‘The Girl Who Cried Pearls’
maciek szczerbowski has won an Academy Award as co‑director of the short animation “The Girl Who Cried Pearls, ” a Canadian production that captured the Oscar for Best Animated Short. The film co‑directed with Chris Lavis took five years to make and is available for viewers on YouTube.
Maciek Szczerbowski: Career Notes and Oscar History
Maciek Szczerbowski, born in Poznań in 1971, is a Polish‑Canadian director, animator and stop‑motion specialist. He left Poland with his parents at age 10 and later developed his career in Canada. He had previously been nominated for an Academy Award for “Madame Tutli‑Putli” and accepted the latest statuette with thanks to his family and to Canada.
About The Girl Who Cried Pearls — Story, Production and Reception
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls” tells the story of a poor boy who falls in love with a young woman whose tears turn into pearls. The boy sells the pearls to a ruthless, greedy pawnshop owner and faces a moral choice between love and wealth; the story is set in Montreal on the eve of the 20th century. The short runs roughly 16 minutes and was produced over a five‑year period by maciek szczerbowski and Chris Lavis, who have collaborated for many years.
Viewers have praised the film’s emotional power, noting how much work was required to craft its brief runtime and suggesting the story has the potential to be expanded into a feature. The short beat several other nominated films to win the Academy Award in its category.
Availability And Reaction
The film is publicly available on YouTube, making the Oscar winner easy for audiences worldwide to watch. Acceptance remarks highlighted gratitude to family and to Canada, while the production’s lengthy creation period and stop‑motion craft were central to the film’s recognition.
As the animation community and audiences digest the win, the team’s five‑year effort and longstanding partnership continue to draw attention to the unique storytelling and technical care behind the award‑winning short.
