
Oscar Shorts: Documentary
Oscar Shorts: Documentary
Bite-sized nonfiction films that offer inspiring stories and raise awareness about important issues.
Hop Film NowShort films may lack the scale and sweep of their feature-length siblings, but the best of them offer a promise of perfection in miniature and a reminder that cinema is often an art of patience, precision, and detail. These short documentaries raise awareness about important issues that sometimes prompt later feature-length explorations and go on to have a profound impact—here's your chance to see them first! Total runtime: 2h37m
And the nominees are:
Death by Numbers
Four years after being shot with an AR-15 in her high school, Samantha Fuentes reckons with existential questions of hatred and justice as she prepares to confront her shooter.
D: Kim Snyder, United States, 2024, 33m
I Am Ready, Warden
John Henry Ramirez is convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the state of Texas. During his incarceration, Ramirez tries to reach out to his victim's son while also preparing to say goodbye to his family.
D: Smriti Mundhra, United States, 2024, 37m
Incident
Incident reconstructs a 2018 police shooting in Chicago, reassembling the event and its immediate aftermath from a variety of sources, including surveillance, CCTV, dashboard, and body-worn cameras, as a synchronized split-screen montage.
D: Bill Morrison, United States, 2023, 30m
Instruments of a Beating Heart
First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: performing "Ode to Joy" at the ceremony for the new incoming first graders. Ayame, who often struggles to keep up with the group, is determined to play a major part - the big drum.
D: Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Japan, 2024, 23m
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
This unsung hero story celebrates trailblazing musician, Orin O'Brien, and the double bass she plays.
D: Molly O'Brien, United States, 2024, 34m
2025 Oscar Shorts
2025 Oscar Shorts

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Black Family Visual Arts Center
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