As the 98th Academy Awards nominations for 2026 were unveiled on January 22, the short film categories once again highlighted the creative breadth of independent cinema, from intimate character studies to daring genre explorations that tackle both dark subjects and unexpected joy. And among those diverse voices sits a surprisingly uplifting contender: The Singers, a short film that leans into harmony, community, and human connection through music. 

And now, The Singers, is headed for wide accessibility on Netflix, bringing the festival-lauded piece from the awards circuit to streaming audiences worldwide. But when exactly will this cinematic gem arrive on OTT, and what is the story that has captured so much attention and acclaim?

Netflix will release The Singers globally on February 13, 2026, making it available for audiences everywhere to stream ahead of the Oscars ceremony, as per Netflix Tudum. Before its Academy Award nomination, The Singers had already carved out a major festival life, winning 35 awards across 50 film festivals in 2025, a remarkable haul for any short film navigating the global circuit. 

Alongside this musical short, many of the Oscar-nominated films, from A Friend of Dorothy to Two People Exchanging Saliva and Jane Austen’s Period Drama, will continue their theatrical release from this month. 

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But who exactly stars in The Singers, and what makes its ensemble so compelling?

Director Sam A. Davis spent over a year combing social media and real-world performances to assemble a one-of-a-kind ensemble. At its heart is Mike Young, making his acting debut, whom the director first noticed busking through a New York City subway. Around him Davis recruited Judah Kelly, the Australian The Voice winner, Will Harrington, a busking pianist from New Orleans’s French Quarter, Matthew Corcoran, an operatic tenor and voice coach, and Chris Smither, a revered folk-blues legend. 

Together with casting director Natalie Lin, the team populated the barroom world of The Singers with vivid figures. Afghanistan war veteran Daniel 'Hutch' Hutchinson, Arkansas local David ‘Muffin’ McMurry, and viral Salvadoran dancers Tío Rigo (Luis Rigoberto Amaya) and Mr. George (Jorge Antonio Linares). Street-cast locals from dive bars across greater Los Angeles complete this authentic, improvised ensemble. 

But beyond its accolades and unconventional ensemble, The Singers ultimately rests on something far more intimate: a simple story about voices rising where silence once ruled.

Based on a 1850 short story by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, Sam Davis transplants a classic Russian narrative into a modern American barroom fable. Instead of aristocratic salons, down-and-out barflies break into an impromptu singing contest on a cold night, and in that unlikely moment find connection, vulnerability, and unexpected harmony. 

The creative spark for this adaptation came from an unlikely collision of high and low art. Davis first encountered the Turgenev story in George Saunders’s acclaimed literary analysis A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, but it was not until he saw a viral video of subway performer Mike Young passionately singing ‘Unchained Melody’ that the modern vision clicked into place.

As the 2026 short film lineup proves, the form remains cinema at its most distilled, and in the case of The Singers, at its most quietly generous. Now that it is reaching a global audience on Netflix.

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What do you think? Are you excited to stream The Singers on Netflix? Which Oscar short film are you most curious about? Share your thoughts.