Woody Harrelson Boards First Short Film As EP; Watch 'Mary The Widow' Starring Julie Ariola & Stephen Tobolowsky
News Source
โขFri, 30 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000
๐ฐ What Happened
Woody Harrelson has signed on as executive producer of Mary the Widow, a 14-minute live-action short written and directed by Ryan Noufer, the first short he has ever EP'd. Julie Ariola stars as a widow pushed by her daughter Penny, played by Jean Villepique, into a speed-dating night for widows and widowers, where Stephen Tobolowsky's Ed sits down across from her.
๐ The Backstory
Noufer wrote the film for his late grandmother Mary, who had Alzheimer's and never quite understood he was her grandson. Switchboard is distributing the short and campaigning it for the 99th Academy Awards as part of its 2026-27 slate, with producers including Celia Aniskovich, Amina Fishburn, Brian Buxton and Trevor Alper.
๐ฏ Why It Matters
Harrelson's backing gives a small short a marquee name and a push in a crowded awards corridor, and his statement that it 'left me with tears in my eyes' is the kind of endorsement distributors use. The film's subject, ageing, grief and late-life connection, also fits the short category's recent taste for personal, emotionally direct drama.
Woody Harrelson has signed on as executive producer of Mary the Widow, a 14-minute live-action short written and directed by Ryan Noufer, the first short he has ever EP'd. Julie Ariola stars as a widow pushed by her daughter Penny, played by Jean Villepique, into a speed-dating night for widows and widowers, where Stephen Tobolowsky's Ed sits down across from her.
Noufer wrote the film for his late grandmother Mary, who had Alzheimer's and never quite understood he was her grandson. Switchboard is distributing the short and campaigning it for the 99th Academy Awards as part of its 2026-27 slate, with producers including Celia Aniskovich, Amina Fishburn, Brian Buxton and Trevor Alper.
Harrelson's backing gives a small short a marquee name and a push in a crowded awards corridor, and his statement that it 'left me with tears in my eyes' is the kind of endorsement distributors use. The film's subject, ageing, grief and late-life connection, also fits the short category's recent taste for personal, emotionally direct drama.