There are a lot of documentaries worth telling, but many of them aren’t feature length. Documentary shorts are an opportunity for filmmakers to tell their story without filling empty space with additional footage. Documentaries are an important part of filmmaking and in the early days of film, all films were documentary shorts, telling quick, real stories that audiences could connect with. All of the films nominated this year are relatable and each one is very entertaining.
The nominees for Best Documentary – Short Subject are:
- Edith + Eddie – Telling the story of a pair of interracial newlyweds, this film doesn’t shy away from the issues that they face. Edith and Eddie are both in their mid-nineties, but they are deeply in love and want to spend what little time they have left togtether. The film focuses on the legal struggles they face as Edith’s daughters fight for custody and one tries to tear Edith and Eddie apart.
- Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 – I haven’t seen this film, but I know that it’s focus is artist Mindy Alper, whose art is hopefully as unique as this film.
- Heroin(e) – Focusing on the growing drug problem in West Virginia, this film tells the story of three women as they attempt to help those affected by this deadly drug. From busting down doors to help victims of overdose to giving out meals to prostitutes to helping addicts succeed in recovery, all of the women featured in this film care deeply for their city and strive to help it.
- Knife Skills – A completely unique idea, this film follows the opening of a French restaurant and the training of the amateur staff to work in it, oh, and all of the staff are former convicts. This film pulls you in immediately with its impossibly unique concept and it humanizes the criminal justice system in such a positive way, showing exactly how hard some people work to get past their mistakes.
- Traffic Stop – I did not see this film either, but it tells the story of a white police officer who wrongly arrests a black teacher, so it is an extremely relevant piece right now.
My Prediction to win is…
Heroin(e)
Movies 